Snowy Owls, River Otters Highlight Forest Preserve’s ‘Buzz’ Nature Show

A new season of “The Buzz,” the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s monthly nature show, kicks off in 2023 by highlighting animal survival tactics in winter, migration patterns of snowy owls, and the comeback story of river otters.

The show debuts at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 25, on the Forest Preserve’s Facebook and YouTube pages. The show also will be televised at 9 p.m. on Friday, January 27, and 11 a.m. Saturday, February 4, on WJYS TV, courtesy of funding from The Nature Foundation of Will County. Local cable stations also carry the show in Joliet, Naperville, New Lenox, Romeoville, and Tinley Park.

During the program’s first segment, program host Suzy Lyttle, a Forest Preserve District program manager, will discuss all the ways animals have adapted to survive in winter, including hibernation and migration. Lyttle also will discuss the winter coping strategies of insects.

“Insects do a little bit of everything, from sleeping to staying active inside a cozy hive, to taking flight,” she said.

The show’s second segment will feature Lyttle’s favorite bird, the snowy owl.

“Snowy owls migrate to our area for their winter vacations,” she said. “This owl is very special to me, as it is the bird that hooked me into the birding hobby. I have only seen two, and it took effort to track them down.”

January’s Buzz Bit tells the successful conservation story of the river otter.

“About 30 years ago, they were on the state endangered species list,” Lyttle said. “Now, they have made a comeback and are common in every county in Illinois, including our Will County waterways and the Chicago River.”

For more information on the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.