About 20 years ago, my wife planted a sweet bay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) in our side yard. It grew quickly, blossomed in the spring, and stayed out of the way. I never paid much attention to it. But after this fall, I will never look at the t...

There are many ways to birdwatch, making the hobby accessible for just about everybody. It's one of the best things about birding - you can do it anywhere, at any time. I treasure the time on my patio watching and listening for whatever comes by. Mi...

Years ago, when working in Chicago, I would occasionally drift into an art gallery in the Wrigley Building that specialized in the works of John James Audubon. The big, beautiful paintings filled me with awe. My admiration for Audubon soared with ea...

One of my favorite spring rituals is the Birdwatching Open at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton, held every year on World Migratory Bird Day. The 12th edition of the “the Open” took place May 8, our first since 2019 due to the pandemic. The idea is to find a...

Bird-watchers often refer to a "spark bird" - a sighting experience that launched them into this wonderfully addictive hobby. I have one myself, a hooded warbler, spotted in 1994. Seeing it, and then figuring out what it was, hooked me for good. It'...

We are all creatures of habit. But to describe the daily routine of Al Stokie as habitual would be selling him short. It's much more: curiosity, discipline and obsession all rolled into one. The man went birding every single day in 2020, usually le...

Not even a snow-covered course can keep the die-hards from hitting some beauties at the heated driving range at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton. It's been one of the busiest winters at the Cantigny Golf Academy despite a stretch of freezing temperatures an...

You probably heard about "Rocky," the saw-whet owl discovered last month inside the huge Christmas tree on Rockefeller Plaza in New York. The adorable stowaway became an instant star, giving the Big Apple and nation a welcome feel-good story. Aroun...

Those of us working through the COVID-19 era may be tiring of video conference calls. It's easy to get Zoomed out, dreading the next "virtual" meeting. But a Zoomer about birding? That's different. I couldn't wait to log on for the 2020 Illinois You...

The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park in Wheaton has introduced “Footsteps of The First,” a small-group travel program combining cultural exploration and military history in partnership with Academic Travel Abroad. The new program offers learni...