Chicago outdoors: Osprey and shark, toad tadpoles at Montrose, cicada art

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Paul and Linda Sevcik of Crest Hill, who enjoy wildlife photography, vacationed in St. Augustine, Florida, in February. "I took [photos] of an osprey which was close to the shoreline not far from the pier you visited," Paul emailed. "I am not sure what kind of shark this is, but it sure surprised us and put a smile on our faces." Last Saturday, I wrote about the St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier in St. Augustine. It would take somebody smarter than me to decipher which shark the osprey has.

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

"A few weeks after American toads mated alongside Montrose Pier, thousands of their tiny tadpoles have hatched." Robert Loerzel sent a video on X.

A: Fascinating the things that Loerzel finds in his wanderings around Chicago outdoors.

The video is at below:

LAST WORD

"Artists can be as serious or as silly as they want with this challenge. Realistic, creative, wacky, whimsical, or kitsch – we’re here for it all. We think the cicadas would want it that way.”

Natalie Phelps Finnie, Illinois Department of Natural Resources director, channeling cicadas, on announcing the Cicada Art Contest at Conservation World during the 2024 Illinois State Fair, Aug. 8-18. Register at dnr.illinois.gov/cicada-art-contest.html.

WILD TIMES

SHOWTIME

Friday, May 31-Saturday, June 1: Chicago Yacht Club's In-Water Boat & Tech Show, Monroe Station, register and see details at chicagoyachtclub.org/in-water-boat-and-tech-show

Next Saturday, June 1, to June 2: Celebration of Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area's 75th anniversary, guided hikes, kayak tours, and an evening campfire, see in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/properties/willow-slough-fwa/

CICADA ART

June 16: Deadline to apply to exhibit cicada art at Conservation World during the 2024 Illinois State Fair, Aug. 8-18, junior exhibit (17 and younger) and adult (18 and older), register at dnr.illinois.gov/cicada-art-contest.html

ILLINOIS PERMITS

Next Saturday, June 1, to June 30: First lottery, site-specific dove permits

Through 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

June 29-30: Diamond, (815) 907-7345; diamondtrap@indoor-range.net

Full state listing at dnr2.illinois.gov/SafetyEd/SafetyEdClassByCounty

HALL OF FAME

July 15: Deadline, nominations for 2024 class of Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame, details at ilconservation.org/Who-We-Are/Outdoor-Hall-of-Fame