Roter Kardinal has claimed the trees around Schiller Park as his personal orchestra hall. He's partial to the cardinal — Ohio's state bird, bright red, bold as anything — and considers them kindred spirits. Same hat, more or less.

On any given morning in the park, Roter can be found with his head tilted upward, listening. He can identify nine species of bird by song and will tell you about all nine at length if you give him an opening. He is particularly proud of the cardinals, who he says have better pitch than most people give them credit for. If you sit quietly on one of the park benches near the tree line, you might hear Roter join in. He's not bad.