Chicago outdoors: Red-tailed hawk family and admiral butterflies
Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
WILD OF THE WEEK
Rich Anzalone emailed photos of red-tailed hawks ""keeping a watchful eye on their nearby nest containing two babies in Lemont." He said the babies looked about ready to fledge.
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
"Just wanted to send you a photo of my next door neighbor’s lilac bush. This is one of the [red admiral] butterflies on the bush. There was about two dozen flying all around it." Deb Pup, Norwood Park
A: In my world, noticing and loving those small moments in the outdoors is what makes life livable.
WILD TIMES
SHOWTIME
Through today, June 1: Chicago Yacht Club’s In-Water Boat & Tech Show, Monroe Station, register and see details at chicagoyachtclub.org/in-water-boat-and-tech-show
Through Sunday, June 2: Celebration of Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area’s 75th anniversary, guided hikes, kayak tours, and an evening campfire, see in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/properties/willow-slough-fwa/
ILLINOIS PERMITS
Today, June 1: First lottery, site-specific dove permits, opens
Through June 30: Second lottery, deer firearm & muzzleloader
Through July 1: First lottery, fall shotgun turkey season
HUNTER SAFETY
June 29-30: Wilmington, https://islandparkdistrict.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs
June 29-30: Diamond, (815) 907-7345; diamondtrap@indoor-range.net
Full state listing at dnr2.illinois.gov/SafetyEd/SafetyEdClassByCounty
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Next Saturday, June 8: Boat America, Chicago, Dan O'Connell, cgaux.doc@gmail.com
CICADA ART
June 16: Deadline to apply to exhibit cicada art at Conservation World during the 2024 Illinois State Fair, Aug. 8-18, junior exhibit (17 and younger) and adult (18 and older), register at dnr.illinois.gov/cicada-art-contest.html
HALL OF FAME
July 15: Deadline, nominations for 2024 class of Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame, details at ilconservation.org/Who-We-Are/Outdoor-Hall-of-Fame