Stories by Patty Wetli

On the evenings of Jan. 17 and 18, the planets will appear virtually side by side, in what's called a “planetary conjunction.”

A Chilean flamingo died Jan. 8 and a harbor seal died Jan. 9, with testing confirming highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as the cause, Lincoln Park Zoo officials said.

Allie, one of Brookfield Zoo’s bottlenose dolphins, is expecting a calf in late spring/early summer.

The certification is a validation that the forest preserve district is providing an appropriate home and care for its ambassador animals, officials said. Some animal rights activists disagree.

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors has been responding to an increase in calls for help in rescuing wild birds suffering from avian influenza.

On Monday morning, Chicago Animal Care and Control responded to a report of a coyote at the Humboldt Park Aldi store.

Voting is open online through Jan. 21. Chicago residents can vote for as many as six names, and the top vote getters will represent one snowplow in each of the city’s six snow districts.

On Monday night, the year’s first full moon will pass in front of Mars and cause the planet to momentarily disappear from view.

According to recently released information, bird collision deaths have dropped by as much as 95% at McCormick Place Lakeside Center after bird-friendly window film was installed on the convention center’s glass.

It’s time to un-deck those “live” balsams, Fraser firs and pines. But instead of sending real Christmas trees off to a landfill, there are plenty of recycling options.

More than 3,000 bald eagles make their home in Illinois during the coldest months of the year, the largest population of wintering bald eagles in the continental U.S., according to state wildlife officials.

Admission to Brookfield Zoo is free through Feb. 27 on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The primary reason rats continue to survive and thrive in places like Chicago is because humans provide an endless food buffet.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Agriculture issued a joint statement Friday afternoon, reminding the public to use caution around waterfowl or other wild birds.

The Park District could burn roughly 140 acres of natural areas in the 2024-25 season. Controlled burns help knock back invasive species while promoting growth of native plants.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is hosting First Day Hikes at 15 state parks on Jan. 1.

The massive silos — popular with urban explorers and famously featured in “Transformers: Age of Extinction” — date back more than a century but haven’t been used as grain elevators since the 1970s.

After more than a few false IDs and several tantalizing random hints of an otter-like shoulder or tail, one of the zoo’s cameras finally clicked at the right moment and, for the first time in nearly 15 years, caught an otter in full view.

Submissions are due by Jan. 4 or whenever entries hit 20,000, whichever comes first.

Cloud cover and moonlight are likely to spoil meteor watching Friday night, when the annual Geminids shower reaches its peak.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it was proposing to list the monarch butterfly as an endangered species. A final decision is expected by the end of the year.

For only the third time in its nearly 100-year history, Shedd Aquarium is unveiling a new exhibit in its grand rotunda. “Wonder of Water” is now open to the public.

The U.S. Senate has approved the reauthorization through 2031 of a federal program that provides crucial funding for restoration and protection of Great Lakes ecosystems. Now it’s up to the U.S. House to do the same.

In a first for the Field Museum, the exhibits staff has outfitted four of its dinosaur replicas (OK, three dinosaurs and one pterosaur) in Santa hats to celebrate the festive season.

On Saturday, Jupiter will shine its brightest of the year and will be visible all night as it travels the sky from sunset to sunrise.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the first construction contract for the barrier designed to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.