As I like to say every December, it was a good year to be a birder! Allow me to reflect a little bit on 2010 and share a few random thoughts and observations. It seemed like a banner year for blue jays and cedar waxwings two of the best-dressed bi...

Advice to highly endangered bird species: Stay clear of Cincinnati. Fly around it. Don't land. In particular, avoid the Cincinnati Zoo, my choice for the saddest place in our country's ornithological history. Two very special birds died at the zoo a...

I'm pretty sure a purple martin could poop on Ray Feld's head and he'd just smile. Then he'd calmly wipe off his silvery scalp. That's how much he loves these birds. Feld, as a hobby that he admits borders on obsession, watches over three thriving p...

If you've read this column before, you know about my precious yard list. Next to my life list, it's my favorite diary. In early May, however, it became a little less pure. Or maybe not. I'm still pondering what happened. First, a little background...

After a long winter, it's time to celebrate the return of spring. Check out the colors of the season for free at local parks and gardens. If all the natural beauty leaves you inspired, you can take home some tips and supplies to plant some flowers o...

Get ready for the magic of May. I will never underestimate April - it's a fabulous month for birding. It's the best time of year to see sapsuckers and kinglets and creepers and hermit thrushes and fox sparrows and winter wrens. These are among the "...

Want to feel better about your car, especially if you drive a Toyota? Here's my advice: Get a pair of those Illinois license plates with our state bird, the northern cardinal. In December I finally took the plunge, plunking down $70.44 for the stat...

My only "lifer" of a recent Florida trip was a non-native member of the starling family, picked up at a McDonald's like a cheap bag of fries. But I'll take it. In Florida, I'll take anything with wings. This wasn't a birding trip. I visited Key Larg...

Feb. 1 was one of my best memories of 2009. It was Super Bowl Sunday, when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. Thing is, I'm not from Pittsburgh, not a Steelers fan and not a big football watcher. I did witness parts of th...