After months of obstinance, I've finally decided to convert the Journal into a blog. Blogs have been a constant topic in professional development trainings I have attended. I understand why, but I don't think they are going to revolutionize media. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is why my family bought a Beta instead of a VHS. It just feels kinda like the late '90s Web boom. There's a great documentary about that heady time called "Startup.com." Two longtime friends in their 20s start a Web site that allows people to pay all government-related fees (parking tickets, taxes, licenses, etc.) online. They're handed a a lot of start-up money by venture capitalists. The business goes bust, and soon enough they've turned on each other with all of the accompanying greed, malice and vitriol you could imagine. I hope that isn't the end result of this blog, but I guess I'll have no one to blame but myself.

I'm not sure yet how to deal with the Journal archives in relation to the blog. Part of the allure of the blog is the enhanced search ranking possibility. Sadly, campchicago.net has always been buried on the 20th page of a search--even for strings like "moraine view state recreation area."

The name of the blog is "driftless area" after the hilly, unglaciated portions of Illinois and Wisconsin. My second and third choices were Possible Watershed and Squirrel Rampage, respectively.

February 18, 2007

I was composing this post in my head on the way to a cross country ski trip yesterday morning. I had a topic in mind, but now I may have to save that for another time--the trip was eventful unto itself. I had planned to try out a new ski locale, Deer Grove Forest Preserve, northwestern Cook County, but wound up where I always do: Moraine Hills State Park near Island Lake, Ill. It was still snowing when I departed Chicago. By the time I arrived at Moraine Hills, it had begun to clear. I strapped on my new pair of skis and charged off from the Pike Marsh parking area. I thought I was Bjorn Dahle somewhere in Lapland. Snow conditions were great, and the skies were blue when I reached the three-mile mark. Here I began to feel extreme pain on both heels. It felt like a dull knife was sawing at my Achilles tendons. The perils of a fresh pair of boots can rear up for both hikers and skiers, apparently. I had to push on, though, as I was at least three miles from my car. I considered catching a ride from someone but decided to forge forth. Every stride required the Achilles incisions to continue. I tried to ski flat-footed which is as absurd as a giraffe on roller skates. My stamina was OK, but the pain in the heels persisted. I was picturing a pathetic airlift out of exurbia. I slowed my pace and took advantage of glides and long downhills. I was relieved when I got to the car after a total of more than seven miles.

The adventure wasn't over, though. On the way back from Moraine Hills, I took I-94 south toward Chicago. At the Lake-Cook toll plaza, my driver's side front tire went flat. I struggled to a gas station. There I borrowed a lug wrench from an employee, but it didn't fit properly. I finally called for roadside assistance. The tow truck driver broke his lug wrench in addressing the issue. Running out of options, he towed me to "the only place that I know is open nearby." Now, I broke down in Northbrook, which is located in a heavily commercial area of the north suburbs. The driver suggested we head 15 miles back north to Mundelein so the tire could be replaced. I decided to go along with it, but as soon as we got back on the expressway we passed a National Tire & Battery. I kept it to myself. We wound up in a low-slung industrial park. He directed me into a cramped waiting room. Inside there were two six packs of some sort of Bacardi malt liquor beverage and a six pack of Heineken. Someone walked in the door and cracked open a cold one. I sighted at least five men wandering around and one other would-be customer. The workers grumbled a few words in Russian to each other, and the tow truck driver went off somewhere else for a smoke and conversation. The tone of the setting was drug deal about to go bad. The driver eventually did unload the car, and the mechanic was friendly enough. And the bill was palatable. By the time I made it home, the blisters on my heels were just another detail of an eventful day.

February 15, 2007

Campchicago.net, your source for the latest squirrel news! A Crystal Lake, Ill., man was fined for scalding a squirrel with hot water (how else does one scald?). I've been frustrated by squirrels before--at the feeder, on my porch, but I never resorted to torture. Sadly, I did once participate in squirrel harassment, attempting to corner a gray squirrel against a building at the alma mater. The squirrel, though, easily evaded the gang of miscreants.

February 12, 2007

I copied this photo from a posting on the IBET message board. (I'm not sure if this is illegal, but I'm guessing I'm fine.) This actually doesn't do the whole Lock & Dam 13 experience justice. It's hard for me to believe that so few people know about this phenomenon, just miles from the Quad Cities and an easy drive from Chicago. These trees are on an island a few hundred yards from the viewing stand.

February 6, 2007

This past Saturday, we drove to Lock & Dam No. 13 on the Mississippi River near Fulton, Ill. It really was a fossil fuel orgy, as we covered more than 300 miles in a matter of hours. Temperatures began around 5 degrees but dropped to zero by the time we got back to Chicago. There was a stiff wind blowing all day that made even the briefest trips outside the car impossible. I was inclined to do a short hike somewhere, but we never got around to it. There was very limited raptor activity along the road. In places, snow was blowing across the cropland and forming drifts despite the scant white stuff.

The intent of the trip was to see the bald eagles at L&D13. There have been reports of 400-plus there in recent weeks, and the location did not disappoint. When the Mississippi freezes, the eagles congregate at the dams--where the ice is broken and there is open water for fishing. Here the river really is the size of a lake. From the observation stand, we could see an island with a tree that alone held more than 25 eagles. There were eagles on the ice, on the ground, and in the air. It's a rare day when eagles are the most common bird as we also saw them near Savanna and in Dixon.

Northwest Illinois really is a favorite area of mine. Jo Daviess, Carroll, Stephenson and Ogle Counties are all very scenic...rolling hills, limestone outcrops, woodlands, croplands and prairie. Somewhere in Ogle County, on a ramble down a side road, I recorded my first-ever lapland longspur (photo courtesy ctbirding.org). Three were feeding with about a dozen horned larks on the edge of an unpaved road. Longspurs are actually somewhat common in Illinois in winter (and really throughout the United States). I haven't birded so much in winter until recent years and so I am still filling in some birds on my life list. This means you snowy owl, northern saw-whet owl and snow bunting.

February 1, 2007

The journal is back temporarily, though the posts might be more infrequent. The male harlequin duck has become my Snuffleupagus, my yeti. The posts have been flying about the pair lingering near the "chess pavilion" at North Avenue Beach. Yesterday, another post was made. It inspired me to see if I could see my first male harlequin. I stopped off at North Avenue on my way to work this morning. It was just after sunrise and quite dim. I did see some common mergansers about 400 yards out. No sign of the harlequins. Sure enough, someone posted today and reported several harlequins, though now closer to Oak Street Beach.

Switching gears, snowmobiles have been in the news lately. A few snowmobiles have fallen through the ice along the Chain O Lakes northwest of Chicago. Sadly, at least one person has died. (Here is a temporary link to a story about submerged snowmobiles.) I know a friend of a friend who once sank a snowmobile and somehow survived the episode. And I know that this person likely was not following all safety precautions, most importantly the precautions involving operating heavy machinery while under the influence. I've also seen ATVs (I think that's what they're called) out on the ice. Even on an Arctic weekend like the one that is forthcoming, I think I would avoid the ice--and certainly while piloting a vehicle.

The only other recent wilderness note is that I saw a red-winged blackbird last Sunday at Jarvis Sanctuary on the lakefront of Chicago. Wintering red-wings are a rarity in these parts. I also had great views of an adult cooper's hawk at Montrose Point and four redheads at the mouth of Montrose Harbor.

January 20, 2007

The journal is going to go on hiatus for a while, but before doing so I wanted to add one more post. The crows are still around on occasion. I do wonder where they go when they don't sleep near us. I have a picture of them that will be posted sometime soon.

Also, today I added a bird to my all-time list. There had been reports of harlequin ducks at North Avenue Beach all week. I couldn't make it there on a weekday and was hoping they'd still be there by today (Saturday). It's great to add any species to the list, but harlequin ducks are something of a dream bird. I always had romantic notions of seeing my first one in a turbulent stream in the Northern Rockies, where they do breed. They also breed in Labrador, Quebec and Baffin Island and spend the winter along the Northeast coast. The male harlequin duck (top left, courtesy of the state of Alaska) has to be one of the most striking birds in North America. In my old Peterson guide, it's described as "bizarre," obviously using the word differently than I typically do. In the new guide, it's "spectacular pattern." It also is described as "scarce" though casual in the Great Lakes in winter.

I arrived at North Avenue Beach this morning with the temperatures in the teens and the sun shining brilliantly. There was only a little bit of snow on the ground and ice in places, especially along the breakwall. There was some ice in the lake, but not the big floes that are typical of mid-winter on Lake Michigan. I immediately ran into a group of birders who were stopping off on their way to Hammond Marina. I was introduced as "Bob, and he wants to see his first harlequin duck today." Sure enough, there was a female in plain view bobbing along the wall, just a few yards really from Lake Shore Drive and the Gold Coast neighborhood. (See picture of female at top right, courtesy of 1000birds.com.) The female was beautiful with the light of the eastern sun on it. It must be the only North American duck with that "bizarre" white dot on its nape. We looked for a while for the male. We did get plenty of nice views of common goldeneyes, which on a typical day would have been standouts on their own (see male at right, courtesy of wikipedia).    

One birder I ran into today said the harlequin duck "walks on the bottom of the lake." I didn't quite understand this or believe this. I looked it up, and they do indeed walk on the bottom of their native streams and search for mollusks and crustaceans.

You can also listen to its truly "bizarre" call by visiting this site. One of its local names is "sea mouse" because of its call, though I am not quite getting that.

January 9, 2007

I've enjoyed visits to New York and Austin in the past few months. Yesterday, both were affected by strange gases. New York is blaming a smell on New Jersey. Austin awoke Monday to 63 dead grackles, sparrows and pigeons downtown. One official said "we do not feel this was any type of terrorist threat." To hominids it wasn't! There is a thought that the nuisance birds were intentionally poisoned though no one claimed responsibility in the accounts I read. This calls to mind the guy in downstate Decatur who can solve most any nuisance bird problem. He was profiled in the Chicago Tribune not long ago, but I can't seem to find any live link to the story. He never says how he does it, but he can rid an entire town of starlings.   

January 7, 2007

They aren't here every night, but the crows still are around. The sidewalk in front of the neighbors' building is getting a nice "wash" stain under their perch.

Also, first hand verification this weekend in Central Park: New York has gray squirrels.

January 3, 2007

The Chicago Tribune today printed a long story about the area's monk parakeets, "Cute or pesty, that's the question." It seems the monks are pests in South America. This comes after a story that set IBET afire (Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts) about Wooded Island. (OK, there really were only a couple posts about it.) Wooded Island is a holdover from the World Columbian Exposition, and there isn't much brush left for habitat right now, according to some.

It may just be a novelty, but I like the monk parakeets. If they overrun every orchard in Southwest Michigan, maybe I won't feel the same way. I do wonder if it's even possible that they could enjoy rampant success in a climate like ours. Meantime, if they squeeze a few house sparrows off of the Droll Yankee I'm not concerned. What really is amazing is that the monks live to be 30 years old!

January 1, 2007

This afternoon we went to Bartel Grassland in southern Cook County. This is a location I visited in October. Now, though, is the time of year to see short-eared owls and northern harriers in this one-square-mile prairie. Several harriers were flying around when we arrived at 3:30. Just after sunset, short-eared owls (right, courtesy Cornell University) began appearing. At least a half-dozen were fluttering around, squawking and hunting just above the ground. There was still plenty of light when one perched on a fence post, at least a quarter of mile away. We had a great view of the owl through a spotting scope. It swiveled its head back and forth near constantly like it was paranoid. This one may have been on the smaller end of the short-ear's 13 to 17-inch size range, and, dare I say, it was rather a cute a little bird.

December 29, 2006

I discovered today that the Chicago area is home to one of the two National Historic Sites in Illinois. The Chicago Portage National Historic Site is located in Lyons (Abraham Lincoln's home is the state's other site). There isn't much information online, but I assume this is along the path where travelers carried their watercraft between the Chicago River and the Des Plaines River and hence the Mississippi River watershed and the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence watershed. This is a fun game to play while traveling: which watershed are we in? I have spent most of my life in the historic St. Lawrence watershed. (Since the reversal of the Chicago River all Chicagoans now are in the Mississippi River 'shed.) I also have lived in the James River watershed. Recent travels include the Colorado River watershed (Ariz.), Guadelupe River watershed (Texas) and the tiny Marstons Mills watershed (Mass.).

Also, the case of the man who was shot and killed by a deer hunter in Mississippi Palisades State Park is going to a grand jury.
 
I checked out Feeder Cam briefly today. All I saw was a tufted titmouse on the platform feeder.

December 28, 2006

In researching an article for a local magazine, I came across Feeder Cam on the Wild Birds Unlimited Web site. I don't know why I didn't realize this sooner, but of course someone has long since thought of this concept. Not surprisingly, in my brief visit earlier today the only signs of life were two effervescent fox squirrels. The camera is located in Ithaca, N.Y., and so viewing hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time. A Google search for "bird feeder camera" turns up dozens of similar setups.

Perhaps the camera will assuage my bird feeder jones here in the Uptown community. I tried feeding birds here, and rock doves and house sparrows quickly overran the yard. My former landlord continued to feed the birds despite the accumulation of dove guano in the shrubs of the front yard. To his credit, this yielded migrants such as fox sparrows, tree sparrows and white-crowned sparrows. We also had a regular northern cardinal, and the feeding orgy drew an opportunistic american kestrel as well.

One of the all-time paradoxes here are the people who feed the pigeons, sparrows and gulls. Not long ago, a gull shat on my bride because of one of these mouth-breathers. Trust me, there is enough food to go around for the avian species of Uptown. You're not doing a service by dropping your old loaves of bread at Lawrence and Sheridan. Cheese cups, fast food offal and gutter pops offer plenty of sustenance for our feathered friends.      

December 27, 2006

Just when I gave up on the crows, they came to roost last night. But they're not here tonight. I don't want to bore with daily crow updates, but will still try to mention longer-term developments.

Click here to read a brilliant article about Bartel Grassland, a sanctuary in southern Cook County.

December 23, 2006

There are details available from the Christmas Bird Count I participated in by clicking here. We actually were part of a much bigger count area that included hotspots like Morton Arboretum. It did seem we were seeing white-breasted nuthatches, downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers frequently, and that correlates with the overall totals.

December 20, 2006

The crows disappeared again last night, but all three returned tonight. On Monday night, there were just two present. It has been more than two weeks since we first noticed the crows.

Also, regarding the Near Southwest Suburbs excursion, both fox squirrels and gray squirrels were present in this area. Nothing in my guide to mammals explains why they appear in some areas together and do not in others.

December 18, 2006

Slogging through mud in county forest preserves yesterday reminded me of a horrific paddling trip that took place several years ago. We decided that a beautiful September Saturday would best be spent on the bucolic North Branch of the Chicago River. As you stifle laughter, I should note that I came to this misguided conclusion after reading an Outside Magazine guide to Chicago recreation and a couple of newspaper articles that praised this waterway as a paddling option. We loaded up my truck with an inflatable kayak that we had recently purchased. Again, as you stifle laughter, purchasing an inflatable kayak seemed logical at the time.

We headed to a drop-in point in a Morton Grove forest preserve. People looked at us funny as we got in the kayak in about two feet of murky water. We began to scrape bottom almost immediately. I'd get out and drag through these areas--who knows what flowing past my sandal-clad feet. We kept going and going, around dams, through a golf course (I later played this course--Chick Evans), along industrial parks. Despite the frustrating conditions, we did discover an abundance of bird life. Still, we essentially felt like we were paddling a sewer. And while stuck in a logjam in Niles we made a harrowing discovery. We were perched on a log and trying to drag the kayak over it. That's when we noticed the bloated, hairless carcass of a large raccoon among the flotsam of the jam.

We began hustling back to the Devon Avenue take-out point. In a frenzy of dragging, the kayak finally punctured. We were still a distance away from Devon, but we were able to walk back to the truck. This was something of a turning point in the Camp Chicago experience. Perhaps we've picked our locales and activities more carefully ever since.

December 17, 2006

Today I participated in the Christmas Bird Count. A group of six birders ventured to a nondescript part of Cook County--the Near Southwest Suburbs including Hodgkins, Countryside, Burr Ridge, Indian Head Park and Willow Springs. We worked hard to tally 28 species. The weather was mild for the season, in the 40s, and overcast. Some of the areas we birded included several Cook County Forest Preserve sites including Arie Crown Woods Forest Preserve, Theodore Stone Forest Preserve and Columbia Woods Forest Preserve. We also hit a few office park ponds, some semi-public land along Flagg Creek, a sewage treatment plant and subdivisions along the way. The highlight of the day was an immature black-crowned night-heron along Flagg Creek. This sighting was a "category four," which meant it was rare enough for a CBC that we filled out a form to submit to organizers. The form asked us to provide several details including the power of our binoculars, the distance from the bird and our experience in identifying said species. The trek along Flagg Creek was one of the most memorable portions of the trip. We parked at the end of a cul-de-sac and wandered along the creek, initially along private backyards. The floodplain, lined with reed canary grass, eventually opened up and we drifted away from the neighborhood. This is a hillier part of Cook County, and wooded slopes descended to the plain.

Also memorable was a hike up Apathy Canyon, a textbook example of economic development gone awry. This 20-foot deep, 50-foot wide, human-made gully runs from a mall parking lot into Theodore Stone Forest Preserve. The watercourse has taken down oaks and polluted remnant prairies. There is a detailed article here.

A note on the crows: they returned to roost last night! They also are around today.


December 15, 2006

Squirrel news seems to chase me lately. In a Southwest Side neighborhood today, near 44th and Komensky, I saw a very pale gray squirrel. Its fur was the color of a polar bear's--not an albino white but pale with hints of brown or buff.

December 14, 2006

I'm disappointed to report that there are no crows in the tree on this mild December night.

The squirrel news, though, continues. Scientists in China report that a primitive flying squirrel species was the first mammal to take to the air some 130 million to 164 million years ago. The story is available here.

December 13, 2006

This morning I discovered the third crow had returned in the night. This evening all three crows are back together, huddled closer this time.

I also learned today through a post on Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts (birders apparently are focusing on the Mammalia class rather than Aves lately) that red squirrels reside in Oak Park. This gives the Western Suburb both red and fox squirrels, and refutes the earlier statement about red squirrels' range in Illinois. I'm guessing gray squirrels also reside in Oak Park, giving the picturesque village the local arboreal squirrel trifecta.

December 12, 2006

A post on campchicago.net in recent weeks discussed the challenges of hiking and birding during hunting seasons. I recently came across a sad story from Mississippi Palisades State Park. Five years ago, I camped at Palisades during the same deer hunting weekend. All trails were closed to non-hunters. Not all of the details have emerged yet, but the Clinton (Iowa) Herald has a nice editorial on the incident.

Tonight's crow update: just as last night, only two crows, and in similar positions.

A note about this site: regular visitors may have noticed that the appearance of campchicago.net has changed recently. More changes likely are to come as the Journal increasingly becomes the centerpiece of the site. Camp Chicago turns two in January. Below is the very first banner concept for the site.

December 11, 2006

A scientist is going to study the behavior of arboreal varmints in Chicago's neighborhoods--and I'm not referring to katydids. A biologist with the University of Illinois at Chicago plans to track the movements of squirrels in the city and suburbs this winter. If asked, I can confirm that gray squirrels have a liking for plastic cheese cups, and they prefer to hold them with both paws while devouring the contents.

The picture at right, from the AP, is of a fox squirrel in Oak Park, which confirms that fox squirrels are closer to the city than I previously thought.

Only two crows here tonight, in quite different positions, by the way.

December 10, 2006

The crows came back to the neighborhood around 3:15 p.m. again. Tonight they are in slightly different sleeping positions, each on its own branch this time.

Something fun from the Iowa birding listserv via the Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts message board. This makes me think every flock estimate I ever made was way wrong.

http://www.iowabirds.org/birds/counting_quiz.asp

December 9, 2006

Moraine Hills State Park is one of the nicest parks in the Chicago region. It's not far from the city, accessible in all seasons and well hidden from the sprawl that afflicts nearby areas. There are no camping facilities there, but there is plenty to do otherwise. The terrain is a scenic combination of small moraines, woods, prairie and glacial wetlands. There are great birding opportunities here, and yellow-headed blackbirds nest in one of the marshes. In my limited experience, this is my favorite place to cross country ski in the area. There is a satisfying combination of hills and flats, the trails are groomed for the classic style and often there is more snow there than in the city.

Today, we skied a three-mile loop at Moraine Hills. Conditions were less than ideal as the snow was more than a week old. Some sections were extremely icy, and, oddly, fallen oak leaves proved a barrier in places. Still, any chance to get some skiing in is well worth it, and with a thaw looming the trek did not disappoint.

The crows arrived on the block at 3:18 p.m. today. They perched in separate trees for a while, but they didn't take up their usual positions until after 4:30. One piece of crow trivia: Auburn, N.Y., is known for hosting roosts of tens of thousands of crows in winter. The city also hosts an annual crow shoot. One group describes it as a "wildlife killing contest." The annual crow shoot was held today.

Also, an update regarding the 11/22 post on outfitters. Here is a story on the confusing history of Erehwon.

December 8, 2006

Today, I observed the crows waking up and flying from the nighttime perch. It was about 7:04 a.m. when they departed. They were sleeping with their heads tucked beneath their wings as the sun began to rise over the lake and the park to the east. First up was the crow that uses a bough alone (the other two sit next to each other, on a slightly lower branch). It seemed to wake when a loud vehicle, perhaps a bus, went by on Lawrence--about a half-block away. It sat still for a few seconds before preening a little bit. Then it went into a stretching routine: legs, wings, neck. The second crow woke up seemingly when a car door slammed on the street. It too stretched in a fashion very similar to the first crow. The third crow woke soon thereafter. All three sat for a couple minutes before the earliest riser flew east toward the park. The other two soon followed in the same direction. The crows are back tonight in their usual places.

December 7, 2006

The crows have departed. They were there from near sunset last night until somewhere between 6:58 a.m. and 7:08 a.m. today.

UPDATE: The crows had returned by 4:26 p.m. today. They still appeared awake at this time before settling in for the night.

December 6, 2006

For at least the past four nights, three american crows have roosted in a tree outside our front window. The trio sits on the same limbs each night, puffed up against the often bitter cold. They're just a few yards from our living room, and about 30 feet above an Uptown street that gets regular traffic. More to come on these intrepid corvids!

December 5, 2006

Some information about squirrels in Illinois came across today on the Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts (IBET) Message Board. Red squirrels really aren't common in Illinois. I've been in some of the areas but haven't seen a red squirrel in the state.

From the e-letter of the IL Nature Conservancy....................................................
Assistance Needed for Red Squirrel Sightings

Corinna Hanson, a graduate student at Eastern Illinois University is working on a project to study red squirrels. Red (pine) squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) are recognized as a conservation priority mammal in Illinois based on their restricted geographic range, small population size, and specific habitat needs. Currently, the distribution of these squirrels in Illinois is thought to be limited to a small area in the northeastern part of the state that includes the counties of Kankakee, Will, Iroquois, and eastern parts of Grundy. Anyone who sees a red squirrel, should contact Corinna with date, location, and activity of the animal. Since it is presumed that the squirrels may be immigrating into Illinois from Indiana, she is also very interested in those sightings that may occur near the border (especially in the Middle Fork area).

There are several defining physical characteristics that make their
identification easier:
(1) red squirrels have a reddish-brown colored pelage (coat) with a white
belly,
(2) the body size of red squirrels is much smaller than fox and gray
squirrels--only slightly bigger than chipmunks,
(3) red squirrels have a less bushy tail than other species of squirrels,
(4) red squirrels have a distinct white ring of fur around their eyes,
(5) red squirrels have a black line of fur separating their reddish coat from their white belly that is especially pronounced in the summer, but may not be noticeable in the winter,
(6) red squirrels have a "rattle" type of vocalization that they might use
for territorial reasons.

December 4, 2006

Appalachian Ohio in summer is rather like a rainforest: it's hot, humid and a machete would be a handy tool for the vegetation. I thought of this recently when I came upon a photo from a trip there in 2005. I realized I hadn't posted it, and now is as good time as any.

We spent most of a day hiking the Archer's Fork Trail in Wayne National Forest. There were some tough sections up mercilessly steep trails. By late afternoon, we were looking for a place to camp and having a hard time finding a decent spot. We finally decided to make the best of a streambed just off a forest service road. People on four-wheelers buzzed by the campsite all night, about 100 yards away. They yelled things like, "That's them, right there." Otherwise, the evening was uneventful.

I woke up, put on my boots and began boiling water for tea. It felt like there was a bug crawling in one of my boots, but I assumed it was a beetle or something that could be taken care of later. We had our tea. Finally, I decided to take the boot off to address the insect. The creature pictured here is what appeared, clinging to my socked foot. I attempted to kick it off. Then I took the sock off altogether.

A little later, after the spider encounter, one of the four-wheeler operators stopped and yelled from the road in our direction. "Are you from around here?" After a long pause he added, "Do you know there are bears and rattlesnakes out here?" I'm not sure what the point was, but I suppose the lesson is to shake your boots out.

December 2, 2006

The winter camping season is upon us, and we have some snow on the ground to prove it. But my days of true winter camping--in single-digit temperatures--may be over. My winter adventure preference is to get up early and drive to a few natural areas, bird along the way, take some short hikes and begin returning around sunset. This still offers the satisfaction of the often solitary experience of winter in the Midwest. The promise of indoor heating and a down comforter is too much to pass up.

There is a moment when sitting outside in 5 degree temps with incessant wind becomes pointless. My last uber-cold trip is an example. Two nights at Mississippi Palisades, January. Bitter cold. Car camping. The river town of Savanna just a few miles away. With another 24 hours of cold ahead of us, we ended up spending most of Saturday in a bar watching football. Fortunately, it warmed up to the upper 20s Saturday night.

In addition to the day trips, I still may venture to the balmy latitudes of Illinois or Indiana if necessary. If daytime highs reach the upper 30s, a backpacking trip is fairly comfortable. The temperature in Carbondale right now, 12:57 p.m., is a relatively balmy 35. There is no doubt there's a huge difference between sleeping in 30-degree weather and 20-degree weather.

My five coldest camping trips:
Apple River Canyon SP, IL 2003 (5 degrees coldest temp)
Mississippi Palisades SP, IL 2004 (8 degrees)
Crabtree Meadows, Va. 2000 (10 degrees)
Apple River Canyon SP, IL 2002 (15 degrees)
Wilson Mountain, Ariz. 2004 (19 degrees)

November 28, 2006

A correction to the Nov. 13 post about squirrels. Fox squirrels are not the most common squirrel in Madison, Wis. The most common squirrels are gray squirrels. In fact, I should say "most frequently seen" squirrels because I have no idea if red squirrels are actually more common or if thirteen-lined ground-squirrels are for that matter and I just can't find them.

An addition to the above thought, and it may be obvious, but just because we see them a lot doesn't mean they're the most common species. No doubt red-tailed hawks have enjoyed a population explosion in the past decade. On typical drives around the Midwest, they can be seen atop billboards, fence posts and light poles along the highway. This past weekend on holiday jaunts between Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, I saw dozens of red-tailed hawks. But are they really that common? Or do we just notice them more because they're so big? Same with turkey vultures. They're so easy to spot and so big that it seems they're everywhere during the summer. Perhaps american tree sparrows are more common now than ever but we can't see them as we zoom past on an interstate.

P.S. I saw two immature bald eagles soaring in far southeast Michigan along I-75 on Sunday. I'm guessing these are lingering younglings that were reared in the Wolverine State since it's a bit early for the Midwest winter eagle conventions to begin.

November 27, 2006

This is deer hunting season for many Midwestern states. In places like Illinois, hunters and nonhunters often intersect in natural areas because of the paucity of public recreational land. For nonhunting hikers and birders, November and December are months to avoid so as not to interfere with the hunt. Some locations close trails to nonhunters. There truly are hunting seasons of some kind (from woodcock to raccoon) in effect nearly year-round, but the biggest impact is at this time of year. I start checking on the dates for the seasons at this time of year.

Illinois is something of a deer-hunting mecca these days. Pike County, in the southern half of the state, is one of the top deer-hunting locations in the country. Surrounding states also have strong hunting traditions. I've been frustrated before by the hunter-nonhunter convergence here. Still, the hunters have done a lot for conservation even if they cap a few ungulates along the way. Nonhunters can plan trips around the seasons by checking on dates at www.state.il.us and making a few calls before heading out.

November 22, 2006

City dwellers in Chicago face a scarcity of outdoors-y retailers and outfitters. Flagstaff, Boulder, Asheville this is not. Chicago outposts include a Patagonia store, Erehwon Mountain Outfitters, Uncle Dan's and MooseJaw. That may seem like a lot, but the market has turned over in the past five years. Patagonia is new, and Erehwon has moved around and shuttered other stores. Perhaps Erehwon comes closest to fulfilling all of my expectations of an outfitter. Uncle Dan's and MooseJaw are nice but small. Patagonia is really a clothing shop for middle-aged men more than an outfitter.

There's a national chain, let's call it Acronym, that does have a location near the city but disappoints every time I visit. I like Acronym in general and prefer to spend there because it offers cash back on every purchase (I signed up for this program in late 2005). But this location is so abysmal that I can't stomach making the 30-minute ride again. The store is housed in an aging shopping center that also includes Jewel, Books-A-Million, Jo-Ann Fabrics and a Secretary of State's Office. Acronym is in a low-slung space without much character. This location doesn't carry a complete line of Acronym equipment as I discovered when I asked about cross country skis. Sadly, Acronym is going to push me even farther away soon--the inner-ring location is closing in a few months and moving to Northbrook, on the Cook County-Lake County border.

More to come in future months on the results of a full year of purchasing at Acronym.

November 18, 2006

A while back I promised a photo taken on the flat-as-a-pancake area of Illinois. I finally found that photo. This picture was taken on a morning drive last winter (1/21/06), about 75 miles south of Chicago, in northwestern Iroquois County. There was about two inches of snow on the ground from an overnight snowfall. The most memorable birds I saw on the drive included a rough-legged hawk, northern harriers and horned larks. I first drove south on I-94, Illinois 394 and then Illinois 1. Then I cut west on township roads all the way to Pontiac for a hike in Humiston Woods.

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