February 7, 2014 Red-Tailed Hawk Remember The Far Side, those classic bits of natural history humor by cartoonist Gary Larson? One in particular showed three hawks in a tree. All had sunglasses on; one even was wearing headphones and clutching a Walkman in his talons. Below, the caption read, “Birds of prey know they’re cool.”
Bird, Fly, Hawk
January 24, 2014 Bird Feeding Over the years this space has been used to discuss bird feeding dos and don’ts on a number of occasions. But with the winter weather we’re experiencing—with no end in sight, I might add—I figured it couldn’t hurt to revisit the topic once again. Many people have called over the
Bird, Birdseed, Feeding
January 17, 2014 The Bald Eagle I was chatting on the phone with my friend Barb the other night, and we were trying to come up with the names of all the Eagles: Don Henley…Glenn Frey…Joe Walsh…that other guy… What I should’ve suggested—and what would’ve been way easier—is that we try to name all the
Bird, Eagle, Fly
January 10, 2014 Birds Stay Warm This latest weather blast has me thinking of winters gone by, particularly those of my childhood. Back then, girls weren’t allowed to wear pants to school unless it was winter and you lived a mile or more away from the school. Since we lived just across the street, I
Bird, Feathers, Fly
December 27, 2013 Snowy Owl Not only do I remember where I saw my first white owl, I also remember when. I was four years old, poking around my grandmother’s basement, when I spotted it: A serious-looking bird, staring out at me from the label on the inside lid of a cigar box. I was
Bird, Fly, Owl, Snowy Owl
December 20, 2013 Chickadee Well, it happened again the other day, just as it does every year about this time: The realization that Christmas is less than a week away. A smattering of hours to accomplish all the tasks I’d vowed, last year at this time, to have finished by Thanksgiving “at the latest.” And
Bird, Chickadee, Fly
December 13, 2013 Nuthatch Every grade school has one. You know what I’m talking about – the kid who could climb onto the monkey bars and, in one or two deft maneuvers, defy gravity. At our school, it was a boy named Danny. He’d flip and spin; he’d hang upside down; he’d swing with ease
Bird, Fly, Nuthatch
November 29, 2013 Coopers Hawk If you sat down to a turkey dinner this week, count yourself in the majority. According to a Turkey Quiz recently circulated by Kane County Audubon (thanks Bob Andrini!), 90% of American homes serve turkey on Thanksgiving Day. These folks, present company included, help account for the 45 million turkeys
Bird, Cooper's Hawk, Fly
November 1, 2013 Winter Wren I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really thought of the TriCities, or even the greater Chicagoland region, as a hotbed for cave dwellers. But what do I know? Turns out I’ve actually seen three this year, so far. Each time the encounters were brief, so much so that
Bird, Fly, Winter WrenSeptember 27, 2013 Chimney Swifts If the answer is “Flying cigars,” what do you suppose the question might be? If you said something involving George Burns, Groucho Marx and an airplane, you’re gifted (or burdened) with the same weird sense of humor I have…but you’d be incorrect. A more suitable response, at least here, in
Bird, Chimney Swift, Fly