Roadside idiocy, red-wing on red-tail, skamania joy, Chicago waterway fish: Notes around Chicago outdoors
The latest news and notes from around the Chicago outdoors.
Notes from all around Chicago outdoors.
FIELD NOTES
WILD OF THE WEEK
Rich Anzalone photographed a red-tailed hawk being harassed by a red-winged blackbird in Lemont. (Who do you root for in that?)
WOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, runs most weeks in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. Send nominations to @BowmanOutside on Twitter or Instagram, to Dale Bowman on Facebook or email BowmanOutside@gmail.com.
WILD TIMES
HUNTER SAFETY
Thursday and Saturday, July 11 and 13: Hebron, Mchenryilhs@gmail.com
SHOWTIME
Saturday-next Sunday, July 13-14: Outside Experience, presented by Go RVing, McCormick Place Lakeside, OutsideExperienceShow.com
SPEAKER
Monday, July 8: Chicago Park District’s Lauren Umek, who will speak on removal of North Branch dam at River Park, opens the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum Lunch and Learn speaker series, 12:15-12:45 p.m., museum plaza on Chicago Riverwalk
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, July 9: Gregory Alan Hitzroth from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Salmon Unlimited, Elk Grove Village VFW,, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com
Wednesday, July 10: Capt. Steve Everetts, ``Delavan Lake--Multi-species Techniques,’’ Lake Geneva Fishing Club, Poplar Creek Bowl, Hoffman Estates, 6 p.m., lakegenevafishingclub.com
Thursday, July 11: Rob Wendel, ``Kayak & Small Boats Fishing,’’ Riverside Fishing Club, LaGrange American Legion, 6:30 p.m., RiversideFishingClub.com
ILLINOIS PERMITS
Today, July 7: Online applications begin, second lottery, free dove hunting permits, dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/dove/Pages/OnlinePermitApplication.aspx
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Saturday, July 13: Suddenly in Command, Villa Park, Glenn Nystrom, gnystrom33@gmail.com
FISHING DERBY
Through today, July 7: Kankakee River Fishing Derby, kankakeefishingderby.com/
DALE’S MAILBAG
“I know it’s an unscientific observation . . . but I’ve noticed more quail, killdeer and other roadside wildlife this year since the ditches have been too wet to mow. Sure wish they could be convinced to hold off on mowing till after August 1st like the DNR always recommends.’’ Ed Safiran
A: It’s one of things that most irritates me as a conservationist. Plus, not mowing until August could be the easiest cost-savings for every level of government from township to county to state.
BIG NUMBER
49: Species of fish collected during the Seasonal Intensive Monitoring survey on Chicago-area waterways (done to look for Asian). But no bighead or silver carp were found this year.
LAST WORD
“The beauty of Skamania fishing is that you can do it in shorts and a T-shirt, catching a tan along with your steelhead. It’s a great way to introduce people to steelhead fishing, especially kids. Pier fishing in particular is family friendly, since it only requires a medium action rod, a bobber, and widely available bait like night crawlers or cooked, peeled shrimp.’’
Ben Dickinson, Indiana DNR Lake Michigan biologist