February 21, 2014 Juncos My friends make fun of me sometimes because, they say, I’m easily amused. I guess I really can’t argue with them, since it seems like there’s rarely a time when I’m not amused—or amazed—by one or another elements of our fantastic natural world. I’ve stayed up until 2 a.m. watching a
Bird, Fly, Junco
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District So… Last week we talked turkey. Specifically, wild turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo, the birds that are taking the TriCities by storm. And, this week, we’re… Still talking turkeys! We asked, and you responded. Well over two dozen
Bird, Fly, TurkeysPam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Remember back a few years ago when folks were all abuzz about bald eagles? The majestic eagle, our nation’s symbol, an animal once on the brink of extinction, was right here, in Kane County! People just
Bird, Fly, Wild Turkeys
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District You’d think I’d know when to leave well enough alone. But no… Even though the number of phone calls and emails I’ve received regarding woodpeckers has now surpassed the number of calls I get about rodents—the
Bird, Fly, WoodpeckerPam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Although the word “hairy” isn’t itself inherently bad, it’s often used to describe something that is less than ideal. A hairy situation typically is one that’s turned treacherous. A hairy problem can be tricky to solve.
Bird, Fly, Hairy WoodpeckerPam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District The other night my folks were over for dinner, and my dad happened to comment that The Sound of Music was going to be on television. After a few moments of musing at how and why
Arachnid, Critter, SpidersAh, Christmas. What fond memories the season brings… I remember the excitement of going to bed Christmas Eve, knowing that Santa would soon be by with all the rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums a kid could handle. I also recall the joy of racing downstairs in the dim pre-dawn light and discovering packages
Christmas, Naturalist, Wildlife
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District (Continued on Page 2) Deck the halls with boughs of…hedge apples? I couldn’t believe it but, yup, there they were. Hedge apples, or osage oranges, entwined throughout the holiday garland at the St. Charles Park District’s
Hedge Apples, Osage Oranges, TreePam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District If you’ve ever spent much time with a naturalist, you’ve likely noticed that we tend to live in our own little world. It’s a place where time stops when a rare bird flies overhead, or an
Naturalist, Nature, Outside
Over the past year and a half or so, when not chasing after snakes or bugs or paperwork, I’ve busied myself with a series of do-it-yourself home-improvement projects. There was last year’s Painting of the Bedroom, which took about two weeks to complete. Then came The Laying of the Laminate, an endeavor that involved the
Critter, Rodentia, Squirrels