Cantigny Park visitors voted and the results are in for the Cantigny in Focus amateur photo contest. The grand prize winners of the 2011 contest are: Ÿ First place: Mary Brown, Clarendon Hills, for her eye-to-eye close-up of a plump American toad. ...

Now and then I'll write about a great place to go birding. Less often, I'll focus on a birder. Today I get to do both. McKee Marsh in Warrenville and Fillmore Dryden are so closely connected that I can't think of one without the other. McKee is Dry...

The public is invited to join DuPage Birding Club members on the following winter field trips. All skill levels are welcome, including beginners and children ages 10 and up. For more information, birders should contact the trip leader or visit the c...

Local birding stories have been piling up like twigs inside a wren house. November is always prime time for spotting rarities, but this year was ridiculous. Birds that seldom visit the Chicago area were popping up all over. Some are likely still in...

Flower lovers can get a close look at thousands of poinsettias Tuesday, Nov. 27, when Cantigny Park’s horticultural department plays host to its annual Shades of Crimson display. Visitors will see 14 varieties of poinsettias in full bloom and about ...

When it comes to birding, patience and luck are essential elements. Skill comes in handy but is not required. I’ve said it before: So much of this hobby is simply waiting, watching and being in the right place at the right time. Yes, it happened a...

Too busy for birding? Lately it has felt that way for me. In September I attended only two organized bird walks. That’s rather pathetic considering all the opportunities. During fall migration, which is far from over, the local bird-watching agenda ...

A funny thing happened a few weeks ago. On a hot late-summer day, I added a bird to my life list without ever going birding. I owe this to a couple of sharp-eyed readers, including one in Florida. They noticed that in my August column I’d mentioned ...

Roll your eyes and turn the page if you must, it’s time for the annual “what I did on my summer vacation” column. It’s in my DNA: I travel, I watch birds, I take notes. This time, the Pacific Northwest, in late June and early July. Some pre-trip re...