Birds

Bird flu has been reported in Woodstock waterfowl and in numerous locations around Illinois. Officials advise the public on how to stay safe if they see dead birds.

Pam Otto: "After 25 years of living the dream as a naturalist, I’m stepping away from full-time employment to chase after a few other dreams and goals I’ve set for this next chapter."

A juvenile snowy owl swooped into McHenry County, attracting crowds to a McHenry field over the weekend.

Is your home's exterior experiencing a conflict with a cavity-roosting bird?

For those of us who aren’t great with binoculars or whose eyes don’t pick up on subtle details, Cooper’s and sharp-shins look practically identical. And big changes now are coming to bird identities.

The lingering warmth this fall has led to an extended kinglet-sighting season. Typically seen in northern Illinois in October, both golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets are still popping up in numerous parks and preserves.

The cormorant is a creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky bird that's a familiar sight along the Fox River as well as select marshes and assorted neighborhood retention ponds.

As swifts come down from points north – Wisconsin, Michigan and southern Canada – they congregate in huge numbers in prominent chimneys throughout our area.

Now that we know better, we can do better when it comes to our wild neighbors.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is throwing a Pelican Party on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. Live pelican presentations are scheduled.

It won’t be too much longer before we start getting calls at Good Natured World Headquarters about the sounds of a species hitting its next phase of development.

View nesting herons, egrets and cormorants at Lake Renwick while the rookery is closed for nesting season.

Here's how to handle red-winged blackbird season, including stopping any dive-bombing should you encroach on the birds' territory.

These are the Forest Preserve District of Will County programs for the week of June 24. Online registration is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.

Eastern phoebes seem to have a natural ability to make people happy.

Join a naturalist on a morning walk in the woods to search for feathers. Expect to see migratory birds and summer residents returning home on a Mother's Day program Sunday, May 12.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County will host several educational programs the week of May 13 and May 20.

By tapping holes in trees in springtime, when the sap is rising, these birds help ensure that many other creatures also gain access to the sweet elixir.

Kane County Forest Preserve District Naturalists will cover basic bird-identification skills and share a few interesting stories along the way.

As spring approaches, many people’s thoughts turn toward spring cleaning or moving into a new home. The latter also is true in the animal world, particularly with birds.

A gaggle of birders, scanning the Canada geese in and around a man-made pond, noted that one of the birds was not like the others.

Any private landowners with forests, from homeowners to farmers, can apply for the Improving Oak Ecosystem Health in the Great Lakes Region in Northeastern Illinois program until March 29.

I was just about to throw in the towel, when I found out I’m not alone in this sea of color confusion.

The warmer weather we’ve experienced recently has caused some arthropods, aka woodpecker food, to start moving around.

The fourth annual Flock to the Rock took place Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Rock Falls.

As casual observers, we have no way of knowing for sure whether our winter robins are year-round residents or visitors from farther north.

Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preservein Plainfield is hosting a trailside hike to view winter waterfowl enjoying the chilly water. Free, ages 10 or older.

European starlings actually wore out their welcome here in the United States several decades ago.

Here are four Good Natured resolutions, for me and for you for 2024.

While so many of us have been downing plate after plate of delicious bird this Thanksgiving week, some of our wild neighbors are enjoying birdie feasts of their own.

These fantastic now-you-see-’em, now-you-don’t adaptations are present in many different classes in the animal world.

After a remarkable rescue, Icarus is flying free, but KARE still has many other raptors in various stages of rehabilitation.

Nectar carbohydrates help keep a ruby-throated hummingbird’s wee wings moving at the astounding speed of 50 beats or more per second.

When it comes to hummingbirds, sugary fluids play a lesser role than a lot of us thought.

A new facility at Willowbrook Wildlife Center gives animals room to thrive

I hope you can find a catbird concert of your own this summer. He will treat you to a performance you won’t soon forget.

Known for its delightful songs, the cheery, perky house wren also is known to visit the nests of other birds in its territory, and summarily, ah, eliminate the competition.

Take a walk in the woods some calm spring morning, or evening, and your ears will be dazzled by the array of sounds in the trees. But know that by August, the trees will be completely devoid of singing birds.

Many bird species show us that clothes – I mean feathers – really do make the man.

Last year, this local wildlife rescue group took in between 800 and 900 animals that found themselves in unfortunate circumstances, usually due to some sort of human action or interaction.

Doing amazing work to help birds and other critters is KARE, Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife.

Participants of all ages and families are welcome on the free hike at Bemis Woods North, with dogs permitted on leash.

Tree encroachment is one obstacle to attracting the sought-after birds.

Mink frequent stream banks, ponds and wetlands throughout the area to hunt prey.

There in the Zinanni yard, atop a wooden fence, stood an immature yellow-crowned night heron! Holy state-endangered species, Batman!

With undeniable signs of spring appearing everywhere, here, in handy checklist form, are 10 of our naturalist department favorites.

When the bald eagle rescued in Waukegan Harbor on New Year’s Day died, possibly from the ingestion of rodent bait, today seemed like a good time to revisit this important topic.

What I am keenly aware of now, is that every day can be Christmas when you’re a naturalist.

The wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, was never a candidate for our nation’s symbol, but it did help Benjamin Franklin advance his study of electricity.

The Joliet Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop is hosting a grand re-opening event June 24 through June 26. Activities surrounding birds, nature and other wildlife are planned for all three days at the Joliet store.