All are welcome to come and shop over 18,000 hard-to-find plants from 225 species native to the Barrington area at Citizens for Conservation’s 22nd annual Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale! It’s
Can there be a sweeter or more convincing herald of spring than the song sparrow? Certainly the bugling cries of sandhill cranes streaming overhead in March signal the emergence of fresh plant
January through April are prime months for ducks in the greater Chicago area and Barrington is no exception. Their location depends largely on where the ice is and where it is not.
Several recent appearances of an uncommon visitor to the Barrington area prompt me to add it to the growing assemblage of Barrington bird profiles. I struck out on a walk in the
A bird that I’ve come to associate with early spring is the blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) , a woodland sprite that returns in early to mid-April from its wintering territory in southern
The early birds have been singing again and that can only mean one thing. It’s about time for the return of Wendy Paulson’s Barrington Area Spring Bird Walks & Hikes! Hot off
Twice during the first week in October I received messages and photos from friends about little birds they had spotted in the city, one on a balcony rail thirty stories high and
On a recent bird walk at Beverly Lake in Spring Creek Forest Preserve, our group stood for several minutes in the parking lot, transfixed by a river of blue jays passing overhead.
This time of year I eagerly await the arrival of local nesting birds which have wintered elsewhere. One such returnee, a short-distance migrant, never fails to make me smile when I hear
Spring has sprung and it’s time to explore nature and discover wildlife with naturalist Wendy Paulson during her series of spring bird walks and hikes. Wendy authors Birds of Barrington, a monthly
Even with this relatively mild winter, local ponds and lakes have retained ice cover during January and February. But as March brings more days above freezing, the ice begins to vanish and,
For many people in northern temperate zones, the primary place they watch birds in winter is at feeders outside their homes. The sight of an active band of feathered visitors – chickadees,
Should you be out at dusk these brisk December days, especially near a woodland, you might well hear the hu-hu-hu-WHO! WHO! of the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus). The owl is one
October brings to local ponds, lakes, and rivers large numbers of waterfowl, most of which have bred in northern wetlands and are stopping to fuel up for journeys farther south. Among the
A bird you might miss in the Barrington area unless you know something of its habits and movements is the common nighthawk (Chordeilus minor). Late August and early September is the perfect