Pam’s Perspective From the… Pam Otto is the Manager of Natural Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District May 11, 2012 “Mew.” The sound was soft and, at first, easy to overlook. But the longer I spent in the woods, listening as I walked, the more insistent the caller became. “Mew…Meew…Meeeww!” I
Bird, Catbirds, Fly
If you’re like me (and Heaven help you if you are) you may find yourself faced with a daily barrage of questions, mostly self-imposed, on a wide range of topics. Like, for instance, who decided that dandelions are “bad” and need to be killed? How and why did the myth get started that a mother
Bird, Fly, Purple Martin
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 Woodpecker
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Certain signs of fall are unmistakable. The changing colors of the leaves, the moving masses of migratory geese. And the persistent, almost petulant, calls of young red-tailed hawks being asked—actually, more like told—to leave the family
Bird, Fly, Red Tailed Hawk
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District With the grand opening of our Hickory Knolls Discovery Center just around the corner, the park district’s Naturalist Department has been working some pretty long days lately. But you won’t catch me complaining. For one thing,
Bird, Fly, Robins
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Whether you’re a veteran birder or brand-new to the pursuit, or even if you barely give any bird a second glance, I’ll bet at one time or another you’ve uttered the statement, “Oh, it’s a sparrow.”
Bird, Fly, Sparrows