Flooding this lowspot with storm water runoff produced this "lake" and killed many trees - the woman who told me about the
nest said they lost 100 oak trees. The eagles nest is located in this tree where no predator
could possibly reach it. A single eaglet is sitting in the nest. The parents are flying in
the background.
At the back of East Farm near Bailey lake a pair of hawks I have disturbed fly off.
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This variety of tree seems to form seeds while also in the process of leafing out - I think
it's some kind of maple.
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Within the circle is a white butterfly on the gravel road. We always called this variety a
white cabbage butterfly. This picture is included more to document what is around rather
than because it's a great photo.
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This wild plum is budding.
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We've had several very warm days - 70 degrees - this box elder is producing full leaves. Tree
identification is difficult because leaves of trees can be non-standard. For instance, sources say
the box elder has and arrangement of 5 leaves, but may have 7.
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The gravel pit, after an initial burst of activity, seems to have slowed down to inactivity.
I have had several reports that it is played out. We are only several miles from the Mississippi
river, I imagine a long time ago a big river flowed down to the Mississippi and deposited the
gravel in a bend or depression in the riverbed. There are about four active gravel pits in this
general area, along with one abandoned one in which perhaps 75 town homes were built. Go figure.
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Here by the side of the road along the gravel pit a Canadian goose was eaten. My guess would be
by a coyote.
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In the background you can see the abandoned house from the farm the gravel pit was created on.
This farm was once owned by the uncle of the elderly farmer. He talks about the various
farm families in the area as having a "home farm", settled by a husband and wife, then
their sons and daughters moving nearby to occupy farmsteads in the same section. The elderly
farmer was related to many of the farmers in this section "Salem Meadows". As I write this
a red barn still stands near the north end of Bailey lake that marks the home farm of
the elderly farmer - his father's farm. The elderly farmer took over the East Farm in 1947.
Destroyed 2007
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Here in 2007 are the ruins of the gravel pit farmhouse. Eastridge High School is being
built in the surrounding area.
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