As a hobby, one of the best things about birding is ease of entry. The only essentials are a pair of binoculars and a field guide. For $100 or even less, you could start building your life list today. May, in fact, is an ideal time to begin. In thi...

The annual Artistry in Wood exhibition and sale returns this weekend to Cantigny Park in Wheaton. Presented by the North Suburban Carvers, the show will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in the Visitors Center, 1S1...

If you told me the American kestrel was your favorite bird, I'd say you've made a fine choice. The kestrel, the smallest member of the falcon family, is an easy bird to like. For starters, just look at the way it's decorated. The male, in particula...

An eye-opening documentary about people in the United States living in poverty will be shown at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 3, in the Robert R. McCormick Museum at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. The museum is hosting the screening of "The Lin...

It started during a local bird walk, when conversation somehow shifted to Minnesota and the Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Festival. We dreamed out loud of the birds we might see, provided we could summon the courage to visit Duluth in mid-February. By ...

Best-selling author Jonathan Franzen, a birder, once shared his perspective on the hobby and it stuck with me. He said adding birds to his life list is not the point. He does it, instead, for the experience. Speaking to Audubon magazine in 2013, Fr...

Banana! If that catches your attention, you're either a parent of young children or you're a Minion yourself. Minions - those small, yellow and mischievous characters from Universal Studios' "Despicable Me" franchise and last summer's blockbuster "M...