Research the site you plan to visit for wildlife and wildflower checklists, brochures, maps or trail guides and habitat information. Contact the site before your visit to learn which hunting seasons may be open and take appropriate precautions such as wearing blaze orange clothing during the hunting season.
While all sites described in this guide are open to the general public, many wildlife and wildflower havens are privately owned. Respect the rights of these landowners. Ask for their permission before entering their property to view wildlife or wildflowers.
You can view wildlife year round in Illinois but often spring and early fall offer the best opportunities for spotting a wider variety of birds and animals.
Head out early in the morning to view birds actively feeding and nocturnal mammals going to their day-time retreats. Late evening brings bats, flying squirrels, owls, coyotes, foxes, whip-poor-wills and nighthawks. Afternoon tends to be a quiet period but look for turtles, lizards and butterflies.
Sit quietly in one place for extended periods. Observe an animal from a distance. Always keep the wind in your face so the animal can't smell you. Hide from view in an observation blind, viewing tower or simply stand behind a tree or bush. Leave pets behind as they will frighten away wildlife. If you must talk, whisper. When on an outing with children, allow for periods of absolute silence.
Wear soft, earth toned cotton or wool. Avoid brightly colored or noisy clothes like nylon windbreakers. Wear long sleeves and tuck socks into long pants to avoid poison ivy, ticks and chiggers.
Don't leave without an Illinois State Highway Road Map or the Illinois Atlas and Gazetteer by DeLorme Mapping. Binoculars are also a valuable viewing aid.
Binoculars come in various sizes. The most common are 7X35, 8X40 and 10X50. The first number means how enlarged an object is compared to viewing it with the unaided eye. The higher the number the more amplified the hand movements which makes sighting objects more difficult. For example, it is easier to find a warbler high in a tree using 7X35 pair of binoculars than a 10X40. However, the image of the warbler through the 7X35 will appear smaller.
The second number in the couplet refers to the size of the objective lens, the larger of the two lenses which point at the object of interest. The diameter of the objective lens is measured in millimeters. Larger lenses let in more light. The larger the second number, the easier it will be to view wildlife during evening hours or in deep shade.
Most animals cannot detect red light. For night viewing, put red cellophane over a flashlight and cast the beam about in search of eye shine. Deer eyes shine bright green, while raccoon eyes shine yellow-gold. Both red and gray foxes have green or gold eye shine. Cottontail rabbits, opossums and bullfrogs have pink eye shine. The eyes of your resident skunk do not reflect light so watch out!
Never chase, flush or harass wildlife. This may cause them to use up valuable energy needed to breed or for survival. Avoid nesting sites and active dens and respect resting periods of wildlife. Always leave an Illinois nature area in better condition than you found it in.
White bread, popcorn, crackers and cheese puffs do not supply a nutritious diet for wildlife. Feeding wild animals can be harmful to them as they develop a dependence on hand-outs, lose their fear of people or become aggressive to people and have to be removed by site managers.
Wild baby animals may look cute but they don't make good pets. While baby animals may appear to be abandoned, their parents are usually watching quietly and cautiously from nearby cover. When you leave, the parents often return. Avoid disturbing a mother with her young. Don't approach an animal who appears sick. Instead, report it to the site manager.
Four snakes in Illinois are venomous. The cottonmouth is found in southern Illinois swamps. The copperhead lives in rocky forested areas in the southern part of the state. The massasauga is a small type of rattlesnake that lives in open woodlands along prairie rivers. The largest of the four is the timber rattlesnake found in wooded river bluffs along the Mississippi River and in southern Illinois. Nonpoisonous snakes have round pupils in their eyes while all the venomous snakes in Illinois have vertical slits for pupils. This feature may be obscured with duckweed, mud or forest litter.
Respect the rights of other outdoor users. Avoid spoiling their outdoor experience by keeping your voice low, not approaching featured wildlife too closely and not slamming your car door or making loud noises or sudden movements when you arrive on site.
Participate in guided hikes and educational programs offered at many sites. Talk with other visitors or staff naturalists about what you are looking for and share your discoveries with other.
Note the date, time, weather conditions and specific habitat in which you found an animal or plant. Include observations about an animal's behavior and physical characteristics or about the blossoming state of a wildflower. Review your journal at a later date to plan outings for the coming year.
Don't be disappointed if you can't find the plant or animal you were hoping to see. Appreciate the many other natural events, plants and animals you did see. Learn to recognize the signs which many wild animals leave behind such as a twig nipped cleanly off at an angle, a small sapling with bark rubbed off, an empty nut shell with tiny tooth marks, a shed antler and many others which can give you clues to the types of wildlife that were here before you arrived.
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