Birds

We all have our preferences when it comes to riding partners. For one Illinois biker, that preference was obviously of the bird variety as he had multiple parrots perched on his shoulder.

You may not have heard much about the Avian Flu that's been showing up around the world and devastating populations of chickens, turkeys, bald eagles, penguins, and more. You'll be hearing more about it very soon, since it's now in 27 states, including Illinois.

First reports of a new COVID variant (I think I went about 10 days without typing COVID, it felt good) then worries increase about possible restrictions looming on the horizon, and now we get a pretty serious case of bird flu right here in the Stateline.

Collisions with human-made structures is a leading cause of bird deaths in the United States, and a study last year found that Chicago is the deadliest city in the United States for migrating birds due to two main things: light pollution and geography.

Forest City. Screw City. Home of Cheap Trick. Rockford goes by many names and now they can add another alternate title to their Wikipedia page.

Illinois bird watchers - it might be time for a mini road trip.

I know it's not just a Rockford phenomenon, and that it's happening all over the state, but way too many Illinois birds are not going make it long enough to migrate south this winter.

Have you ever met a celebrity? That's pretty much what banding day was like for me. I have watched Rockford's Peregrine Falcon Louise atop the Rockford Register Star building for three years now. If you haven't seen the live stream, you seriously need to check it out...

The cardinal might be our state bird and the mascot of an annoying midwestern fanbase, but it's not the most common bird seen in Illinois.

Was it just mine, or did everyone's mom tell them to never touch a wild bird, living or dead, because they're crawling with germs, bugs, and assorted yucky-ness? Well, it turns out my mom (and maybe yours) had this one right (not that I listened).