Chicago outdoors: Pileated woodpeckers to eastern milksnakes
Pileated woodpecker in the Palos area.
Dave Derk
Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
WILD OF THE WEEK
Dave Derk photographed pileated woodpeckers at his place in the Palos area, including two flying around the yard digging for grubs. One photo (the one below) he sent included a barely visible tongue flicking out. Pileateds are in my pantheon of favorite birds with wood ducks, belted kingfishers and goldfinches.
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. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside). or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).
DALE'S MAILBAG
"Might be a milksnake. When I flipped it, I thought fox, then northern water snake but I’m thinking it’s my first milksnake in the wild. Found at Lemont Quarries, which is a place I have to do some more exploring." Brian Konet
A: Konet is a serious herp guy who happened to be bass fishing at Lemont Quarries when he found it. Allison Sacerdote-Velat, curator of herpetology at Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, texted, "Yes- it is a lovely eastern milksnake-- quarries can have some nice rocky habitat for them."
WILD TIMES
SHOWTIME
Today, April 27: Final day, North American Vintage Decoy and Sporting Collectibles Show, Westin Chicago Lombard
Today, April 27: Final day, Riverside Fishing Club swap meet, Berwyn Moose Lodge, 8 a.m.-noon
ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS
Tuesday, April 30: Final day, first lottery (residents), firearm and muzzleloader deer
Tuesday, April 30: Smelt season ends in Chicago
Wednesday, May 1: Perch season closes on Lake Michigan
Through Wednesday, May 1: Fourth season, south zone
Through Wednesday, May 1: Third season, north zone
Thursday, May 2, to May 8: Fourth season, north zone
Thursday, May 2, to May 9: Fifth season, south zone
HUNTER SAFETY
Full state listing at dnr2.illinois.gov/SafetyEd/SafetyEdClassByCounty