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...

Cantigny Park will play host to its annual French Connection Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, at the park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. The free-admission festival debuted in 2008. The French theme commemorates an important chapter in...

Remember that scene in “The Big Year” when Brad, played by Jack Black, is showing bird photos to his father? The two are scrolling through images on the back of a digital camera. When American golden plover comes up, Brad gets excited and says it’s ...

I’d arranged to interview the Deese brothers at Mallard Lake. It was near their home in Bloomingdale, and the name of the place seemed appropriate given the purpose of our meeting. But while the mallard is a common species, it is rare indeed to fin...

As birders, we are spoiled by an abundance of outstanding local venues to enjoy our craft. There is probably a birding “hot spot” within five or 10 miles of your home. Bird-watching at the nearest forest preserve or just the backyard is enough for ...

There is a popular spring birding festival in northwest Ohio called The Biggest Week in American Birding. This year’s dates are May 4-13, which makes it a really big week, indeed. In May, birders will apply any reason they can to get outside. Create...

From its beginning in 2004, this column has been mostly silent when it comes to gulls. There is a good reason for that. Gulls scare me. This was true in the literal sense when I was a boy. Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” took care of that. Gulls were...