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Butterfly, Dragonfly and Fungus Monitoring Opportunities. Though DBC is “all about the birds,” DBC member Kathy Lech of DuPage Forest Preserve is looking for volunteers to monitor for Dragonfly and Butterfly Monitoring plus Fungus Monitoring. Required training classes will prepare you for the field work. Contact Kathy at klech@dupageforest.org. Health Status of Local Aquatic Species Now Available. The Urban Stream Research Center (USRC), the only one of its kind in Illinois, gave a well-received presentation at a recent DuPage Forest Preserve Board meeting on the status of aquatic wildlife in the county. Six different species of mussels totaling nearly 29,000 […]

The DBC Book Club’s next read is Kenn Kaufman’s fascinating account of the science and magic of spring migration and its many perils as it is experienced at one key location familiar to many of us-the shores of Lake Erie in northwestern Ohio at the famed Magee Marsh and environs. This site attracts birders from all over the globe to witness close encounters with a stunning variety of colorful spring migrants. It also has become the site of one of the biggest birding festivals in the world. This is a timely read as spring migration approaches. The next book club […]

On February 20, Natalie McFaul and Andie Duffy presented a children’s program at the Lemont Library called Birds Can Fly, Why Can’t I? The focus was “5 Reasons Why Birds Can Fly.” After an interactive lesson with Andie accompanied by great slides from Natalie, the 10 participants, first- through third-graders and one four-year-old, made a paper bird that could flap its wings. Afterwards there were other activities: observing feathers with magnifiers, matching their “wingspan” to various birds’ spans, playing bird sounds on an Identiflier device, and finding familiar birds among picture cards. Natalie and Andie report that the group size […]