Birds

In late May, I toured an urban central Illinois woodland alongside my colleagues. Many of them have birding experience and noted birds as they appeared along the trail. We saw a red-tailed hawk, European starling, brown thrasher, northern cardinal, American robin, and house finch.Something I often...

In early February, dead birds began washing up on the Chicago lakeshore: red-breasted and common mergansers, Canada geese, and others. In a city where frequent songbird window strikes are unfortunately...

The relentless wind on February nights sends skiffs of snow sliding across the rural landscape of Illinois. Average temperatures this time of year dip into the low 20s prior to dawn. For extra balance, a young wild turkey rests its breastbone on the branch of a northern red oak tree where it is...

Most cavities in a tree are caused by some type of living organism, either an animal or a pathogen of some sort. Some cavities will only be found in dead trees or a portion of a live tree with dead wood. Other cavities can be in otherwise completely healthy trees. Let’s take a look at some of the...

Anyone who comes into contact with birds should be aware that avian influenza cases are on the rise in Illinois and around the Midwest. What is avian flu? Avian influenza is a highly contagious virus that spreads naturally among wild birds, sometimes without causing illness. However, avian...

In the spring, a remarkable migratory bird returns to the waters of the Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Complex which includes the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge. American white pelicans stop at the refuge to rest and refuel...

Spring is a mere 90 days away, and every year sightings of the first American Robin (Turdus migratorius) are hailed as the spring weather harbinger, but did you know we have...

When I sat down to write this blog, I didn’t have a clear topic in my mind. So, I did what I usually do when I want to think and looked out my office window. Through this window, I can see just the tops of three oak trees which today were covered with crows. I counted more than two dozen with more...

The email came in sometime in May of this year. A colleague in Northern Illinois contacted me with a wild bird concern. A woman had found a dead bird in her yard for a second day in a row and was wondering if something was wrong that she had not heard about.  I gave the standard answer:...

Spring has sprung! What nature-lover doesn't like to engage in a friendly little competition with their friends and family each year over who sees the first robin? Bird lovers often keep detailed notes year to year comparing when the first robin was seen and hypothesize why they were early or late...