Hummingbird, pike fishing, diversity, ducks: Chicago outdoors, notes

Notes from around Chicago outdoors.

FIELD NOTES

WILD OF THE WEEK

Emil Baumbach photographed this male ruby-throated hummingbird feeding on a trumpet vine in his backyard in Oak Park.

Wild of the Week, a celebration of wild scenes around Chicago outdoors, runs as warranted on Sundays on the Sun-Times outdoors page. Send nominations by Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email (straycasts@sbcglobal.net).

DALE’S MAILBAG

Q: Where is the best place for pike fishing near Chicago? — Jacob Cayia

A: My initial thought for northern pike was the Chain O’Lakes or the Kankakee River. But JayPee Hey correctly noted the Des Plaines River is best. The Chicago lakefront improves, but it’s hit-and-miss. Some Mazonia lakes are good. It’s a drive, but Hennepin-Hopper might be Illinois’ best.

BIG NUMBER

47.3

Overall duck numbers (in millions) surveyed in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2017 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations. That’s down slightly from about 48.4 million last year.

LAST WORD

‘‘Diversity goes well beyond recruiting. Equity & difference are important & relevant to all our conservation outcomes.’’

— The Nature Conservancy tweet, about the article ‘‘The Relevance of Diversity’’

in the Philanthropy Journal News

WILD TIMES

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Through Monday:Applications for second lottery, fall wild turkey shotgun season, dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/TurkeyHunting.aspx

Through Friday: First-come, first served, free online dove permits, dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/dove/Pages/OnlinePermitApplication.aspx

Through Aug. 31: Applications for free upland-game permits, click here for info

HUNTER SAFETY

(Click here for full package of northeast Illinois hunter safety classes)

Sept. 7 and 9: Newark, (815) 210-4995

Sept. 9-10: Kankakee, (815) 935-2700

Sept. 16-17: Kankakee, (815) 935-2704 . . . Momence, (815) 388-3853

DUCKS UNLIMITED

(Click here for the general list of Illinois DU events)

Thursday: Northwest Suburban Dinner, Cotillion Banquets, Palatine. Contact Lisa Wente at (847) 702-1669 or Jeff Lanaghan at (630) 258–5273. Click here for more information.

Saturday: Chicagoland Speedway 66 Gun Super Raffle, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet. Contact Vicki Mandurano at (847) 553-7565, Wally Klopp at (708) 715-5970 or Ray Dolan at (708) 436-6949. Click here for more information.

PHEASANTS FOREVER

(Click here for general list of Illinois PF events)

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

(Click here for general list of banquets and events)