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Outdoors







<p>The dark winter months can be a great time for owl prowling. Owls are nocturnal, which means that they are the most active feeding, vocalizing and moving about in the dark hours. With winter’s long nights and short days, it’s an ideal time to brush up your owl abilities with a walk at dusk to look for and learn about owls.</p>


<p>Sitting here in the cold of January I have circled March 1 on my calendar as something to look forward to. This is the return of the Wild Things Conference to our region at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. This full day conference is like Comic-Con but for Chicagoland nature nerds.</p>


<p>If you thought that squirrels were a distraction for dogs, you should see the Kankakee Sands staff when someone says, “squirrel!” Whenever we think we see one of the recently-released Franklin’s ground squirrels (Poliocitellus franklinii) on the prairie, it’s worth stopping in our tracks to confirm. (Note: We do not chase them, much to the confusion of my own dog.)</p>