Summer is the greatest time of year because even when not birding, it is the easiest time to be outside for many hours at a time. After a morning of birding I decided to spend the afternoon outside, writing and enjoying the mid-summer weather. One of the best things is to be able to browse
Month: July 2007
Hoot
A children’s book by Carl Hiaasen called Hoot was recently made into a movie. The book and the movie are both worth checking out, both as good fiction and an insight to the very real problem for owls, habitat loss. Upon reading a review for the movie Hoot by The Center for Biological Diversity… Hoot
Blue Goose Passports
President Theodore Roosevelt established the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903. The refuge system covers nearly 93 million acres over the United States and includes a diversity of ecological habitats. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats.–NWR The Blue Goose Passport is a fun way
Cooper Sunday
The reason birding has been slow at the Callaway Nature Preserve. There are nesting Cooper’s Hawks at the Callaway Nature Preserve, and they find loads of stuff to eat because our neighbor has yet to mow the lawn this year…
Red-Breasted Nuthatch Coinage
I just read a cool little article about the Red-breasted Nuthatch being honored on a 25-cent Canadian coin. I’ve always been fascinated with nuthatches, the White-breasted being abundant in northern Illinois, and frequent backyard entertainer. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is much less common in our area, usually arriving only in the winter months and only briefly
Horicon’s Hellish Highway
As borderland birders – living along the Illinois-Wisconsin border – we are rewarded with great birdspots in both of these beautiful Midwestern states. We also try to monitor any news and sightings from our northerly friends. One topic that has been up for debate (again) is what to do about Horicon Marsh’s dreadful Highway 49.
Who Was Joel Asaph Allen?
Joel Asaph Allen was born on this date in 1838. He was an ornithologist who studied under Louis Agassiz and was the first curator of the birds (and mammals) at the American Museum of Natural History. Waterfall at Yellowstone National Park Allen headed naturalists for the Smithsonian on the North Pacific Railroad expedition that traversed
Anna Page Vireo-Flycatcher Fest
Sunday was another excellent day of birding. I was able to bird again with Dan Williams and his wife Barbara. We birded Anna Page Park, a great piece of land of the Rockford Park District. I had only birded the park a couple times before but will return many more times for sure! My goal
