The Mystery of the Urban Pheasant

I've seen all sorts of animals in my day, but I had never seen a wild pheasant before this winter. Because of this I'd always taken them to be the type of animal you hear about more than you actually encounter. Imagine my surprise when I ran into this creature in the middle of Chicago. OK, not the middle, but close enough. This January I was in Garfield park in the conservatory (one of the best kept winter secrets of the city) when I peered through the window and spotted this pheasant running through the snowy park. I quickly jumped through a set of doors and took this (admittedly disappointing) picture before the bird got spooked and set off with a wild flapping of wings.

A little research showed me that pheasants do live in Illinois year round, but right in the city? Was this guy wild, a pet, or had he escaped from a local pollos vivos storefront? I will never know. One thing is certain, it was a bitter cold day and I wished him the best of luck as I watched him make his frantic departure.

Revisiting Old Friends

The rabbits of Chicago never left during the winter. But now that it's sunny out they're popping up in some pretty extreme places. I spotted this one on my daily walk home from work, hanging next to interstate 94. A work crew came a couple weeks later and mowed the lawn. Haven't seen the rabbits since but I bet they'll be back.

More Geese

I don't want this to get repetitive, but this Goose shot was too fun to pass up.

WTF: The Birds

Some of the winged creatures look more like sea birds. What kind is this?

Red Wings

The variety of bird life I have found has been remarkable. We don't normally think of northern regions as areas that host colorfully feathered creatures. But the reality is that many of these birds are quite striking.

Mother Goose

On my walk to work I would always passed a goose sitting on her nest in the Chicago river. Then one day her eggs had hatched.

Wood Cock

Next came this strange looking Wood Cock to prove that the seasons were changing.

Great Lakes

The melting of Lake Michigan confirmed my suspicion.

Then One Day

Jeany found a strange looking bug in our apartment. Sadly, she killed it because it was "gross." I hadn't seen a bug in months, and I knew that even though the bug was dead, Spring was on its way.

Other times

Other times they weren't even really animals.

Sometimes

Sometimes I had to go to restaurants just to see them.

In the Winter

In the winter the animals were hard to find.

Lady Cardinal

There is a colony of beautiful cardinals in Millennium Park, Chicago. I've gone down there a couple times to try to get some really good pictures. So far, the clouds have been heavy each time and I'm still not satisfied with what I've come up with. Nevertheless I'll throw this picture of a female cardinal up because I am getting pretty desperate for pictures to show you.

Desolation and the Snow Dog

On a particularly frigid Sunday Jeany and I decided to visit Lake Michigan. The shore line presented a blasted landscape on which nothing seemed to live. The surf of the lake had been frozen in mid air, then broken into thousands of ice shards by the arctic winds. Out of this desolation came a Gray Ghost, an ice-dog who counted only the clouds and the current as his family and master. We tried to warm him with our kindness but he was inconsolable, barking and bearing his teeth as he retreated towards the water. Soon he had disappeared completely into an otherworldly haze where the land meets the glacial lake.

The Mollusk

Did you find it in the sandy ground?
Does is emulate the ocean sound?
So go the classic Ween lyrics from their hit album "the Mollusk." In my case I would have to answer no on both counts. This morning I discovered this snail half frozen in the ice of the Humbolt Park lagoon. He was big and meaty and his shell looks much like those that come as escargot. Sadly the cold weather had caught him and it looked as if he would probably not be revived. Still, my discovery of this snail was a happy event. The day was cold an blustery and I was beginning to lose hope of finding any wildlife pictures. Coming across the mollusk serves as a reminder that we are always surrounded by creatures. Very rarely have I gone out searching for pictures and returned empty handed. But even when I don't capture an animal it's not because they are not there. They are always there.

For more pictures, along with a dime for scale click here.

The Canadian Question

A regular reader, one "RageKage," pointed out in my last post that some birds wintering in frigid Illinois might in fact have migrated from an even colder clime. In fact, RageKage was exactly right. But what types of demented fowl would consider sub zero weather to be an inviting change of pace? You guessed it, CANADIAN ones. The land that brought us Ice Wine, Poutine, and The War of 1812 is now foisting off its laziest geese on our fair city. But really, what can you expect from the country that popularized Raelianism and The Flesh Eating Disease?

I kid, I kid. Actually, I used to live in Canada. It's a country I love deeply, and these geese really are tough as nails. They summer almost all the way to the arctic and they've been known to fly to Northern Europe and Siberia. But there is a disturbing trend here. Recently some of them have stopped migrating. They're just hanging out here all year round, a bunch of Canadian free loaders. The jury is still out on whether they are attracted to the U.S. because of our world-class health care or our incorruptible political culture, but the birds look like they're here to stay. So where's the border security when you need it?

First Robin of Winter

The more I stalk around the parks and forests of the North the more I realize how lazy some birds can be. Think of a bird like a person except with wings, a great voice, and a lot of free time. Now if I were in that situation I think I might fly my ass somewhere nice. (Probably not Florida as I hear it's "Rudy Country.") But this robin, in defiance of all logic and tradition, has chosen to hang out in sub zero Chicago and pop berries in his mouth in Wicker Park. I have to admit their laid back way of flinging the berries up in the air and catching them with there beaks was pretty cool. Not quite Wicker Park cool, but still cool. A few more pictures here.

There is (gross) life underground

I have mentioned that creatures are harder to come by in the winter months. My first solution was to LOOK TO THE TREES for winged wildlife that stays in the frozen north year round. But there is another way. A tenacious naturalist may want to do a little digging to find new animal friends UNDERGROUND. As you can see from this picture there are some disgusting forms of insect wildlife that live out their tortured and corrupt existence year round underneath logs and stones. Even in the coldest of January weather I came across this slimy little millipede. He was only about an inch long, nothing like the UNGODLY MONSTER PEDE I found in Texas, but he still gets points for being gross and toughing it out through the cold!

The Power of Camoflage, Deer Edition

On my birthday we were walking in "Harm's Woods." After getting lost I realized that a deer was stalking us. He was almost invisible from behind the thick layer of brambles. Can you find the deer in this picture? I promise you he is there. For a closer shot click here.

Contemporary Art

A while ago I went to the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art to see a show on "rock and roll art." It was a confused exhibit, basically featuring any form of visual or video composition inspired by or related to rock bands. The only thing that many of the pieces had in common was the pervasive and sickly feel of celebrity worship and the assertion that rock and roll is really really cool. No shit.

So imagine my pleasure when I walked down to the basement level of th museum and saw that they had a FISH POND RIGHT INSIDE THE MUSEUM. This wavy carp was probably the most thought provoking work on display.