Good Natured | Hickory Knolls Discovery Center

Red-Bellied Woodpeckers

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that your life has changed quite a bit over the past couple of weeks. I know mine has. Work days, once full of nature programming for a variety of audiences, now consist of creating social media posts and editing video footage of nature phenomena. And writing! […]

Pelicans

I can remember the date like it was yesterday. It was April 1, 2000-something. I’m gonna guess maybe 2001. It was late in the day, and I was sitting at the front desk at Red Oak Nature Center in North Aurora, my outdoor education alma mater. I’d like to say I was working at the computer, researching a program topic or answering emails. […]

Sapsuckers

Spring starts a week from today and with it comes the promise of warmer temperatures, as well as visits from a host of migrating birds–including yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Please enjoy this column, which first ran in April 2010. […]

Tracking Oddities

Over the past several weeks, we’ve taken a Good Natured look at the tracks and signs of many of our area’s most common mammals, from the ubiquitous squirrels and raccoons to, last week, the elusive bobcat and its not-so-secretive cousin, Bob the Cat. […]

Tracking – Cats

Several years ago we received an email from a St. Charles resident who had found the remains of a feline beneath a pine tree on her property. Her question was, Is this a bobcat, or Bob the Cat? […]

Tracking – Mink

Several years ago, my friend Jessi and I went exploring at McKee Marsh–a small but wonderfully diverse parcel at the north end of the Blackwell Forest Preserve in DuPage County. The winter day was crisp, bordering on downright cold, but the sun shone brightly and the wind was calm. […]

Tracking – Deer

Walking along Ferson Creek recently, I couldn’t help but notice how the tips of so many plants-young trees, shrubs and crispy brown wildflowers alike-looked really ragged. Frayed. Shredded, even. The damage was consistent, beginning at the base of the plants and continuing up almost as high as my head. […]

Tracking – Rabbits & Squirrels

This week we continue our series on wildlife tracking with a look at two of our most common wildlife neighbors, rabbits and squirrels. But first, a word of warning: This ain’t gonna be easy. That may come as a surprise, given the major differences in appearance and habits between the animals themselves. […]

Tracking – Raccoons, Opossums & Skunks

Well, it’s almost February, the month of love. The greeting card and candy companies know it. The jewelry stores know it. And so, too, do the raccoons, opossums and skunks. They may not be out buying trifles and baubles or making reservations at a romantic restaurant, but many of our local mammals will soon be finding […]

Tracking – Dogs & Coyotes

This week we continue our series on winter wildlife tracks with a look at man’s best friend, Canis familiaris; its cousin, Canis latrans, the coyote; and its more-distant relative Vulpes vulpes, the red fox. All three types of mammals have feet with a heel pad and four toe pads. Generally speaking, when you look at a track from a dog, either domestic or wild, it’s oval in shape. […]

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