A Cooper's hawk in flight at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Photo by Mason Fidino.

Many bird species are adapted to urban environments. Pigeons, house sparrows and robins exploit niches within urban ecosystems and are more abundant because of it. In some aspects of life these urban adapters may be a bit of an irritation—leaving droppings on your freshly cleaned car or nesting near the window next to your bedroom.

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A frosty update from Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo—yesterday’s survey turned up these raccoon tracks on the ice. Things have slowed down for the season, but there’s still activity to spot out here!

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If you’ve recently strolled around Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo, you may have noticed its icy disposition. Specifically, oddly configured, jagged chunks of ice positioned near plantings surrounding the South Pond. What’s up with that?

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Its radio transmitter visible, a painted turtle swims in the pond at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo.

It has been more than two years since Urban Wildlife Institute biologists introduced painted turtles equipped with radio transmitters to the pond at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Since then, we’ve been tracking the movements of these individuals as well as a few snapping turtles that we’ve gotten the opportunity to transmitter.

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Have you ever seen a black squirrel around Chicago? This squirrel, photographed by one our motion-triggered cameras, is not a rare species but rather an eastern gray squirrel with melanism.

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