For me, April is the best month. Baseball is back, golf courses are open and spring migration is ramping up daily. Avian April is exciting and filled with potential. Every walk outside and every glance out the kitchen window can be rewarding. Be al...

Back in 2004, in what now seems like another life, I had a memorable experience on my way to work. Walking east along Wacker Drive, I noticed what looked like a leaf floating toward the sidewalk. It landed softly and, a few steps later, I was looki...

The Year of the Bird started nicely with a red-breasted nuthatch, a visitor to my peanut feeder on New Year's Day. I couldn't have ordered a better "first bird" of 2018. Since then, however, the action in my backyard has been slow. I figured the Ja...

We obviously just endured a tough year. The bad news far outweighed the good. Fortunately, there were birds. Watching birds can slow things down and help us forget for five minutes or five hours. I hope you took advantage of our hobby's calming eff...

At the Shades of Crimson Poinsettia Display, visitors to Cantigny Park's greenhouse can see about 3,000 plants in 15 varieties in full bloom. The Cantigny horticulture departments' annual poinsettia display is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. Park...

When all is well, a birder might say, "I have no egrets." That passes for humor in our hobby. But right now, I have a big one: I wish I'd gone to Wisconsin in September to witness the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest. Yes, I blew my latest chance to ...

On Oct. 27, 2002, a surprise guest appeared in my yard: a hummingbird. Of course, I'd seen many hummers in the yard before then, and many since. But never in October. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared. I'd put away my hummingbird feeder a few weeks...

There is a tiny gray and white bird with a longish tail that you might know. If you don't, it's probably just a matter of time. I'm referring to the blue-gray gnatcatcher, an avian sprite nicknamed the "twig fairy" by birding guru Pete Dunne for it...