I have encountered Barred Owls at various places – in Washington, DC when I led bird walks in Rock Creek Park; in Heron Pond in southern Illinois where one haunted the cypress
* All images captured by local wildlife photographer, Stephen Barten. Most owls are nocturnal creatures. They sleep by day and are active at night. But one species is largely diurnal or, more
On an August walk in Cook County’s newest forest preserve, Horizon Farm on Sutton Road, I was surprised to see a large raptor floating low over one of the fields. Its size,
* Above photo courtesy of Ronald Ziegler via Macaulay Library It’s getting late for the passage of falcons through our latitude. Peregrines, except for those that nest in Chicago, and Merlins have
Often when I’m weeding or harvesting in the garden, I hear mewing notes coming from nearby thickets. There is no mistake about the vocalizer. It’s not a cat but a catbird –
Images by Citizens for Conservation volunteer & wildlife photographer, Steve Barten. I heard a Red-winged Blackbird for the first time this year on February 28. At a Citizens for Conservation workday only
One of the unexpected pleasures of the COVID year has been the opportunity to pay more attention to the birds around our homes. Last week someone mentioned to me a small brown
Update: Wendy’s 2020 Late Summer/Fall bird walks are full. Stay tuned as we’ll let you know if and when Wendy schedules another series of walks for spring! Get outside, enjoy nature and learn
Often on restoration workdays with Citizens for Conservation, participants share sightings of mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, plants they have seen recently. We also pause at times to study something discovered by a
* Featured photo by Barrington wildlife photographer, Stephen Barten When you are trying to get a handle on bird identifications, it’s useful to apply categories. For instance, size is helpful: big as
On classic early and mid-October days, when the sky reigns brilliant blue over a golden landscape, I love to go looking for sparrows. I head to shrubby border areas in the countryside
Barrington area naturalist, Wendy Paulson just released her new schedule of Fall Bird Walks and the first one is coming up! Learn about our local bird population while enjoying the fall migration
It’s interesting how many birds carry the epithet “common” – for example, common nighthawk, common merganser, common goldeneye, common grackle. It is unclear to me who decides that a species is common
It’s snipe season! Yes, for those still thinking that “hunting for snipe” means looking for an imaginary bird, you can be assured that the Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata) is indeed an actual
It’s that time of year again! Area naturalist, Wendy Paulson is getting ready to host a new season of Spring Bird Walks & Hikes in Barrington cosponsored by Audubon Great Lakes and