ILLINOIS PERMITS
DALE’S MAILBAG
“I saw this cardinal near Beck Lake. It seemed more red than normal. Does the color of the bird change in winter?”
Ray Adams
A: Color is an interesting side to male cardinals. From NestWatch on allaboutbirds.org (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), “The intensity of a cardinal’s redness is related to what he’s been eating. So when females see a bright male, it’s a signal that he’s healthy and holds a good territory.”
Cardinal near Beck Lake.
BIG NUMBER
5: Members of the 2021 of the Illini Muskies Alliance’s 2021 Hall of Fame Class
The weather has been warm enough to allow anglers to sit on a bucket outside on the ice, as these guys were Friday evening at Channel Lake; even with ice reaching depths of 18 inches in spots and weeks of heavy snow cover, significant winter fish kills are not expected around the Chicago area.
Dale Bowman
Homeowner groups sometimes ask fisheries biologist Frank Jakubicek if having ice rinks will help prevent fish kills. It helps.
In the old days, kids and parents were more apt to clear snow from ice for skating or hockey games. By doing so, they unwittingly helped prevent winter fish kills by allowing sunlight in to help oxygen levels.