Melrose Park eagle, Montrose Horseshoe folly, delightful puffballs, sandhill cranes: Notes, Chicago outdoors

The Melrose Park bald eagle. | Provided by Terry Saether

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.

WILD OF THE WEEK
Terry Saether had dropped several notes about an eagle around Melrose Park. Well, he took a good photo of it on Oct. 4. Another sign of the resurgence of eagles around Chicgo and elsewhere. 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

DUCKS UNLIMITED
Thursday, Oct 17: North Shore Bar Night, Little Ricky’s, Winnetka. Contact Scott Martin, (312) 961-2908.

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Today, Oct. 14: Your Boat’s Radio, Des Plaines, Chas. Hague, sailnrails@gmail.com
Saturday, Oct. 19: About Boating Safely, Hammond, Rich Persiani, richpersiani@gmail.com

FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, Oct. 15: Deanna Doohaluk, Watershed Planning for Aquatic Life, Arlington Anglers, Poplar Creek Banquets, Hoffman Estates, 6:30 p.m., arlingtonanglers.com.
Thursday, Oct. 17: Mike Hanson on Illinois River walleye and sauger, Fish Tales Fishing Club, Worth Township offices, Alsip, 7 p.m., fishtalesfishingclub.com

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS
Through today, Oct. 14: Youth deer season
Tuesday, Oct. 15: Firearm Deer Permits: Over-the-counter sales of remaining firearm deer permits begin.
Saturday, Oct. 19: Inland trout season begins
Saturday, Oct 19: Fall shotgun turkey season opens
Oct. 19-20: Youth waterfowl hunt, central zone

DALE’S MAILBAG

Waves and water crashing over the Montrose Horseshoe.

``Why would anyone continue walking out to the end?’’ Howard Bass
A: I don’t have an answer, other than too many underestimate the power of water and familiarity with the Montrose horseshoe leads to indifference to danger.

BIG NUMBER
4,588: First fall count of sandhill cranes on Tuesday at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area, southeast of Valparaiso, Ind. Updates at in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3109.htm.

LAST WORD
``Parmesan-encrusted puffballs last night dipped in marina sauce.’’
Jared Gibbs, responding last week to recent fall mushroom finds, it’s that time.

Parmesan-encrusted puffballs.