An email arriving in my birding mailbox last month had a certain air about it. The subject line read, “A Few Highlights from the Calumet Sewage Ponds.” Is this a great hobby or what? No really, it is, and I can prove it. That was among my goals when...

Netflix is back in my favor. I searched for and finally found a movie I'd been wanting to see: "Birders: The Central Park Effect." Legendary birding tour guide Victor Emanuel called it "the best film about birding that I have ever seen." I could wr...

This weekend in Cantigny Park, Jill Gibson will wear the signature blue blouse, yellow hat and charming demeanor of beloved children's book character Madeline. "It's funny to see some of the children really thinking I'm her," said Gibson, the park'...

Like most birders, I am a collector. My prized collection is a list of bird species I've seen during my 55 years on earth. But I also collect places, and it was a pleasure recently to add another national wildlife refuge to my inventory of good bird...

Cantigny Park will play host to its sixth annual Dog Days festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. It's the one day each year when guests and their pets are invited to enjoy the park together. First held in...

Cantigny Park will celebrate the birthday of its benefactor, Col. Robert R. McCormick, with activities and demonstrations for all ages from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, at 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. McCormick, former editor and p...

Whistling ducks in Illinois? Believe it. Like most birders, I was out and about often during May, enjoying the prime of spring migration. It's the best month, and always full of surprises. A black-throated gray warbler popped up in Elgin and a ...

An extinct bird, the passenger pigeon, is getting lots of attention this year. I'm good with that and hope you are, too. Every so often we need to pause from the "joy of birding" and think about the serious stuff. Extinction is about as serious as i...

Finally, the magic of spring migration is upon us. The bird variety outside our doors is growing, with new species arriving daily. It's the best time of the year to be a birder. The excitement of spring is punctuated by a family of birds called the ...