February 12, 2016 Robins can do well in the Tri-Cities during winter When we receive an email with a question about any sort of nature-related phenomenon, I usually think something along the lines of, “Yippee! Someone’s paying attention to something besides their tablet, smart phone or television.” I write a response and life goes on.
Birds, Fly, RobinsJanuary 22, 2016 Owls of Kane County Thursday night I heard something I haven’t heard in several weeks: The who-huh-who-whoo-whoo of our nocturnal neighbor, the great horned owl. Although they hooted and hollered their way through most of the late fall, their courtship period, lately I hadn’t heard much from the Bubos—my nickname for the
Bird, Fly, Kane County, OwlJanuary 15, 2016 Screech Owls Last week in this space we took a look at the life and times of Strix varia, the barred owl. Although still considered a rare species in Kane County, it seems to be increasing its range throughout our area. Thanks to those who responded to our request for sightings, we
Bird, Fly, Owl, Screen OwlJanuary 8, 2016 Barred owls likely are here to stay Who doesn’t love a nice surprise? A batch of homemade peppermint bark, fragrant and tasty, pops up on your desk. A five-dollar bill, wet but still perfectly good, wondrously appears inside the washing machine. A barred owl, uncommon in our area, shows up in a
Barred Owl, Bird, Fly, OwlDecember 25, 2015 The Cedar Waxwings Crapulence. It’s a word you don’t hear very often but one that, especially at this festive time of year, is particularly appropriate. Crapulence means to become sick from overindulgence in food and drink. Over the years I’ve had my share of crapulent escapades, especially at functions with buffets. (Helloo
Bird, Cedar Waxwings, FlyCanada geese, you may have noticed, are everywhere these days. With the summer breeding season over, these ubiquitous waterfowl are back in their flocks—a great winter survival strategy—and are teeming about cornfields, athletic fields and other grassy expanses. They’re also paddling around local wetlands and other water bodies, and in general making themselves hard to
Bird, Canada Geese, Fly, Geese
Tick tock, tick tock, Merrily sings the clock. It’s time for work, it’s time for play And so it sings throughout the day Tick tock, tick tock, Merrily sings the clock. This English nursery rhyme was a part of my early elementary education, and maybe yours too. But believe it or not, it may be
Bird, Fly, Woodpecker
Knock knock… Who’s there? For those of you who live in houses with certain types of wooden siding or shingles, this time of year your visitor may be a bird. Those same shingles/shakes/clapboards that caught your eye as a home buyer can prove irresistible to your industrious neighbors the Downies, Hairies, Red-Bellieds, Flickers…or Chickadees! Right
Bird Visitors, Birds, Cavity-Rooster, Fly
If you’ve ever visited Hickory Knolls during the months of May, June or July, you’ve probably noticed a certain bubbliness in the air, a constant, cheerful chatter that surrounds the nature center and garden plots. Long-time residents will recognize the sound as a distinguishing feature of this area, one that dates back to the days
Bird, Fly, Purple Martin
February 27, 2015 Bird Tracks Good Natured readers Stephanie Frisque and John Kowal of Batavia shared this photo of two young hummingbirds, alive and well, thanks to some quick thinking…and duct tape. Mythbusters, the TV show that debunks rumors, legends and pseudo-scientific claims, once did an episode on the many uses of duct tape. To
Bird, Fly, Frisque Hummers, Hummingbird