Chicago outdoors: Inevitable winter, short-eared owls, Cooper’s hawks, bald eagles

One of the short-eared owls photographed at Indiana’s Kankakee Sands. | Bill Peak

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors with the help of readers.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Bill Peak photographed short-eared owls at one of the prime viewing spots near Route 41 and County Road 400 at Indiana’s Kankakee Sands.

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 Saturday. Send nominations to @BowmanOutside on Twitter or Instagram, to Dale Bowman on Facebook or email BowmanOutside@gmail.com.

WILD TIMES

SHOWTIME

Thursday, Jan. 16 to Jan. 19: Northern Illinois Sports Show, Lake County Fairground & Event Center, Grayslake, ilsportsshow.com

Friday, Jan. 17 to Jan. 19: Muskie Expo Chicago, Pheasant Run, St. Charles, muskieexpo.com/chicago/

Friday, Jan. 17 to Jan. 19: Greater Chicago RV Show, Schaumburg Convention Center, greaterchicagorvshow.com

Today, Jan. 12: Final day, Chicago Boat, RV and Sail Show, McCormick Place South, ChicagoBoatShow.com

Today, Jan. 12: Final day, All-Canada Show, Pheasant Run, St. Charles, allcanada.com

Today, Jan.12: Final day, Lake Home & Cabin Show, Schaumburg Convention Center, lakehomeandcabinshow.com

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday, Jan. 14: Lake Vermilion guide Luke Ronnestrand, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m., chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp

Tuesday, Jan. 14: Rob Wendel of Lake Michigan Angler, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com

Thursday, Jan. 16: ``Chef Todd’’ on ice fishing LaCrosse, Wis. and recipes, Fish Tales Fishing Club, Worth Township offices, Alsip, 7 p.m., fishtalesfishingclub.com

MIDEWIN LECTURE SERIES

Wednesday, January 15: Frank Pascoe, Professor of Biology at St. Francis, ``Spider Watching at Midewin,’’ Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Welcome Center, Wilmington, begins 7 p.m., registration required at (815) 423-6370 or SM.FS.Midewin_RSVP@usda.gov.

SHEDD FREE DAYS

Thursday, Jan. 16 to Jan. 20: First free days of 2020, Illinois residents. Click here for details.

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Through Monday, Jan. 13: Applications, spring turkey hunting, second lottery

Wednesday, Jan. 15: Pheasant, quail and partridge hunting, south zone, ends

Thursday, Jan. 16: Canada goose season, north zone, ends

Friday, Jan. 17 to Jan. 19: Second late-winter antlerless and CWD seasons

DALE’S MAILBAG

Cooper’s hawk in Wicker Park.

``Enjoyed your article in [Saturday’s] paper! This hawk has been hanging out in our Wicker Park backyard.’’ Kati Rooney

A: Rooney was one of many to send photos and stories of Cooper’s hawks around Chicago.

BIG NUMBER

27: Percent increase in bald eagle nests in southeastern Wisconsin during the Wisconsin DNR’s annaul aerial survey of known nest locations, flown since the 1970s. Click here for more on the survey.

LAST WORD

``Waiting for winter to show up. I’m 64-65 and I’ve never seen us miss a [blankety-blankety winter] yet.’’

Greg Dickson, proprietor of Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch on Tuesday, on the wait for real winter and sustained ice fishing to begin