The highs and lows of “owl mania” (published 4-17-24) In my last column I mentioned a just-for-fun goal of seeing or hearing 25 bird species in my yard in 2024, before the first day of spring. I came up just short, and one unexpected miss was Great Horned Owl. Eastern Screech Owl by Randall Everts I usually hear owls in the neighborhood regularly, during the night or just before dawn, when retrieving our Daily Herald on the driveway. The hooting is a small but rich aspect of suburban living. Any kind of owl encounter is special, and I lucked into a good one in February at a small pre ..read more

Birding by numbers Keeping lists is what many watchers do, and some take it to extremes.   (published 3-20-24) Bonus bird: Black-throated Gray Warbler (photo by Jackie Bowman) In February, the man who has seen more birds than anyone else on earth put a bow on his lifetime quest of 64 years. Peter Kaestner, birding in the Philippines, spotted an Orange-tufted  Spiderhunter, becoming the first person to ever witness 10,000species.   If you are wondering, there are roughly 11,500 officially recognized bird species. It’s unlikely that anyone will ever see them ..read more

Recapping the 2023 birding year Local watchers experienced some mind-bending sightings (published 1-17-24) A Limpkin at Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook was a first for DuPage County. Photo by Mike Warner. For birders, the word invasion usually refers to birds from the north coming south. We treasure the occasional winters when large numbers of fleeting species such as crossbills, redpolls and Snowy Owls drop down to visit our region. Years may pass before the phenomenon repeats. In 2023, we experienced a reverse invasion, this time from Dixie, and by a tropical species that until four ..read more

More than cute: Picture books that leave a mark (published 11-29-23) Goodreads.com is tracking me. The Amazon creation knows what book I’m reading and every book I’ve read in the last four years. It even knows what I will probably read next. “Feathered Friends,” by emerging author and artist  Madelyn Lee, contains fun facts about birds  in backyards and around the world.   (courtesy Early Light Press LLC) Goodreads also reports how I’m faring in the 2023 Reading Challenge—if I’m ahead or behind. I’m almost never ahead. My goal this year is 50 books and it’s ..read more

Summer notebook Limpkins, spoonbills, flamingos, and a really big chicken (published 9-21-23) Limpkin by Nat Carmichael You never forget your first limpkin. Mine was at a lakeside trailer park near St. Petersburg, Fla. A book said limpkins would be there and sure enough they were. That was 1998, when finding the ibis-like wader in the United States, outside of Florida or southern Georgia, was unheard of. How times change. A limpkin spent most of August and early September dining on fresh-water mussels at Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Cook County’s first record of the species ..read more

Colorado calling Summer birding tour of the Centennial State delivered unforgettable sightings (published 7-26-23) Chestnut-collared Longspur by Tony Dvorak, Macaulay Library/Cornell Lab of Ornithology Now and then a trip turns out way better than expected. In June, I took one that did. I signed up with Colorado Birding Adventures in January. Waiting any longer was risky. Company owner and chief guide Carl Bendorf runs his “Best of Colorado Summer Birding” tour twice a year, always in June, and it sells out. Ten birders per trip, no more. A month before departure, juicing my anticip ..read more

Chasing a rarity (or not) (published 4-20-23) What’s my birding style? What’s my favorite way to enjoy birds? These are questions we might ask ourselves as our engagement with the hobby grows. Ross's Gull by Matt Zuro I’ve been pondering them ever since an ultra-rare Ross’s gull gifted birders a huge surprise in March. First spotted by Dan Lory, the high-Arctic wanderer triggered a mad rush to a stretch of Chicago beaches near the Indiana line. It was only the fourth Illinois record for the species, and the best opportunity to see one here since 1978. Soon about 100 birders were on th ..read more

Northeastern Illinois is a stronghold for Henslow's Sparrow, a grassland species in decline nationally. Photo by Jackie Bowman. Birds savor our ample green space Study: Chicago region’s protected lands offer critical habitat for nesting species (published 9-21-22) Remember when dead bugs would plaster your car’s windshield and front bumper during summer road trips? I also recall swarms of flying pests around our porch lights, and a lot more fireflies flashing in the yard. More butterflies, too. Insect populations are crashing, another sign of our troubled ecological times ..read more

Cornell's Merlin Bird ID app is a very good listener. It’s not magic, it’s Merlin The app’s Sound ID feature is changing how we go birding—and likely growing the hobby (published 8-11-22) If the party involves technology, I usually arrive late. But I’m there now and having a wonderful time. With my new friend, Merlin. You know those smartphone apps that tell you what song is playing? Merlin is like that, only for birds. I finally added it to my phone in May. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology introduced the Merlin Bird ID app in 2014. It’s one of several apps that can identify birds based ..read more

By nesting in colonies, usually in bare trees above marshy areas, herons gain protection from predators. Photo courtesy  of Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Rookery rebound (published 7-1-22) When leading a bird walk, I’m secretly grateful whenever a great blue heron comes into view. Lurking on the edge of a pond, or rowing across the sky, a “GBH” always makes an impression. It’s a big, majestic bird that everyone in the group gets to experience—a welcome respite from the challenge of spotting little birds in leafy trees.  For kids, especially, bigger is better ..read more