Chicago outdoors: Home Depot nesting duck, goslings and invasive red swamp crayfish
Rachel Egly holds an invasive male red swamp crayfish, trapped fromt he North Shore Channel during a study in 2020.
Dale Bowman
Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
LAST WORD
“Red swamp crayfish compete aggressively with native species for food and habitat, and they’ve been known to cause structural damage to property. In fact, they are considered one of the most invasive species of crayfish in the world. These crayfish spread by escaping from live crawfish boils and from fishermen who illegally use them as bait.”
Illinois Conservation Police Officer Brandon Fehrenbacher, who oversees the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement Invasive Species Unit on red swamp crayfish, which are illegal to possess live in Illinois
WILD OF THE WEEK
Bill Buchhaas messaged that "this mama mallard decided to nest on a greenhouse nursery cart at the Home Depot in Shorewood, sitting on a brood of eggs and about six feet off the ground."
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. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside). or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).
DALE'S MAILBAG
"[The goslings] were born Monday. They happened to pop out when I took the picture." Dave Kozlowski email on Wednesday
A: It's been an odd year for goslings. I saw my first ones on April 17, some good-sized goslings swimming at DuSable Harbor.
WILD TIMES
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, May 14: Panel discussion Steve Statland, Chris Otto and Mike Vodicka, moderated by Frank Loye, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies, Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m., chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp
Tuesday, May 14: Coast Guard representative on cold-water safety, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com
ARCHERY
Next weekend, May 18-19: 3D archery shoot, Illinois-Chicago chapter of SCI and Kishwaukee Archers, Sycamore, sci-illinois-and-chicago-chapter-3d-archery-shoot
CHALLUNGE ON THE CHAIN
Next Saturday, May 18: Muskie tournament by Fox River Valley chapter of Muskies, Inc., Chain O'Lakes, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/631311859122724?ref=newsfeed for information, register at https://foxrivermuskies.com/2024-challunge-on-the-chain-registration/
ILLINOIS SEASONS/PERMITS
May 2-8: Fourth season, north zone
May 2-9: Fifth season, south zone
May 9-16: Fifth season, north zone
Monday, May 13, to June 30: Second lottery, deer firearm & muzzleloader
Through July 1: First lottery, fall shotgun turkey season
HUNTER SAFETY
June 29-30: Wilmington, https://islandparkdistrict.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs
Full state listing at dnr2.illinois.gov/SafetyEd/SafetyEdClassByCounty
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Tuesday, May 14: Suddenly in Command, Naperville, Don Goff, dgoff6547@gmail.com
Next Saturday, May 18: Boat America, Chicago, Dan O'Connell, cgaux.doc@gmail.com
Next Saturday, May 18: Boat America, Fox Lake, Winston Tumaneng, jugodan52@aol.com
May 19: Boat America, Chicago, Jennifer Angone, uscgaux3511@gmail.com
HALL OF FAME
July 15: Deadline, nominations for 2024 class of Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame, details at https://ilconservation.org/Who-We-Are/Outdoor-Hall-of-Fame