Sometimes it's better to enjoy the season without the fear factor. Horror fans, hear us out: Imagine strolling through a garden of pumpkins and autumn accents at a leisurely pace without having to glance over your shoulder every few seconds to see i...

Twenty years ago last month, I witnessed my first yellow-billed cuckoo. Saw it well, too, at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn. A few things made that experience especially rewarding. First, I found the cuckoo all by myself. It's satis...

Batavia's popular monthly noontime book program, "Books Between Bites," announces its 32nd season, to begin Thursday, Sept. 20. The series is held from noon to 1 p.m. at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. The public is invited to attend...

On a sunny July morning, I woke up extra early with a bird on my mind. No surprise there. But this bird was different. I'd seen it before but never in the United States. It was time to do something about that. The plan was to meet Al Stokie, the mos...

When Cantigny Park celebrates the birthday of its benefactor, Col Robert R. McCormick, it throws a party for the community - complete with birthday cupcakes. McCormick Day, marking the 138th anniversary of McCormick's birth, will feature games, acti...

The first thing you should know about Keriann Dubina is that she likes brown-headed cowbirds. In fact, she's a local authority on the species most birders love to hate. She goes against the bird-watching grain further by choosing not to keep a life...

A key milestone in Cantigny's ongoing Project New Leaf renovation occurs this month when the park's display gardens reopen to the public. The fully redesigned and replanted gardens have been closed to visitors since fall 2017. Brief opening remarks...