Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
WILD OF THE WEEK
Not all sandhill cranes departed for Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in Indiana. Readers continue to report sightings of sandhills around the area, including Vince Hall on these Dec. 9 in a yard in Holiday Hills.
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 Sunday. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside). or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).
LAST WORD
“This was shocking. We had never seen this behavior before. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to people. We see them right outside our windows; we interact with them regularly. Yet here’s this never-before-encountered-in-science behavior that sheds light on the fact that there’s so much more to learn about the natural history of the world around us.”
Jennifer E. Smith, associate professor of biology at UW-Eau Claire who leads the long-term ground squirrels project with Sonja Wild of UC Davis, on the video evidence of ground squirrels involved in hunting voles in California. Smith was lead author of the study published in the Journal of Ethology. Ground squirrels are considered a granivorous species, but may be “an opportunistic omnivore and more flexible in its diet than previously assumed.”
WILD TIMES
HUNTER SAFETY
Feb. 8-9: Wilmington, https://islandparkdistrict.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs
SHOWTIME
The master list of outdoors shows, classes, swap meets and major ice fishing events is listed at https://chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/2024/11/28/outdoors-shows-master-list-for-2025-around-chicago-and-beyond
ILLINOIS SEASONS
Sunday, Dec. 22: Snipe season ends
Tuesday, Dec. 24: Duck season, central zone, ends
Thursday, Dec. 26, to Dec. 29: First part, late-winter antlerless-only/CWD deer season