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The Feathered City Pigeons aren't the only species seen by birdwatchers in the Chicago area.
STORY BY JOHN ALLEN
When it comes to popular outdoor recreational activities, most of us think first of hunting and fishing. But there's another outdoor activity we seldom mention that is enjoyed by more people than all the hunters and anglers combined. That activity is birdwatching. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, in 1996 there were 35 million anglers and 14 million hunters in this country. That same year, 42 million people watched birds near their homes, and another 17 million traveled elsewhere to watch them. Sixty-two million people, or 31 percent of the population age 16 and over, fed, observed or photographed wildlife that year, the last one in which the survey was conducted. "Birdwatching is the number one outdoor sport in North America," said Vern Kleen, Avian Program manager for the Department of Natural Resources. "It's fun, easy to do and can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want. All you need are a pair of binoculars and a field guide, though some people spend lots of money on other equipment such as cameras, waders or specially equipped vehicles." Kleen recommends that beginners join a local birdwatching organization to tap into the expertise of other members. "Belonging to these organizations is helpful because they provide mentoring and other activities," he said. "If you want to leam, they're willing to help you." Doris Johanson, information hotline chairperson for the Chicago Audubon Society, has been a birdwatcher for 40 years. She said the CAS offers field trips and bird walks to introduce newcomers to the art of birdwatching, and that
the Society's newsletter, "The Compass," lists upcoming events. Johanson's group is one of many in the Chicago metropolitan area, which offers some of the best bird- watching opportunities in North America. The Chicago area is part of the Mississippi Flyway, one of four bird migration corridors in the U.S. (The others are the Eastern, Central and Western flyways.) Kleen said that as many as 300 of North America's approximately 800 species of birds can be seen in the metropolitan area in any given year. "Cook County had 190 species in the recent spring bird count," Kleen said. "As many as 200 have been recorded in other years. "Lots of birds find the shoreline of Lake Michigan a natural corridor," he said. "Because habitat in the city is so scarce for them, they concentrate in all the parks along the lakefront."
Indeed, one of the best places for birdwatching in Chicago is the so-called "Magic Hedge" at Montrose Harbor on the city's north side. Located on top of a hill east of the boat harbor, it's the only brush in the area and attracts hundreds of birds during spring and fall migrations. Other lakefront areas that attract birds are Navy Pier (loons and snowy owls); Wooded Isle in Jackson Park, south of the Museum of Science and Industry (migratory birds, including a large variety of spring and fall warblers, herons, nesting swallows, various ducks, colonies of feral monk parakeets, and more familiar birds such as cardinals); Illinois Beach State Park (hawks); and Lake Calumet (gulls and shorebirds). Johanson pointed out the lakeshore isn't the only place to see birds in the metropolitan area. "It depends on what you're looking for," she said. "The forest preserves have perching and nesting birds, Lake Calumet has shore birds, the Palos area has warblers and raptors. Some migratory birds go right through and you can only see them as they pass." Other notable inland bird-watching locations are Lake Renwick near Plainfield (herons, egrets, cormorants); Fermilab in Batavia (waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds, sparrows); the Morton Arboretum in Lisle (owls); Baker's Lake near Barrington (herons, ducks); the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe (252 different species have been sighted there); Mallard Lake near Bloomingdale (loons, gulls, ducks, grassland and forest birds); the DuPage Airport in West Chicago (meadowlarks, dickcissels, sparrows); O'Hare ponds (shorebirds); Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills (sandhill cranes, waders, ducks); the Ryerson Conservation Area in Lincolnshire (warblers); Elsen's Hill in West Chicago (warblers, herons); Bartel's Grasslands in Matteson (grassland birds); and Nelson Lake Marsh near Batavia (ducks, marsh birds and woodland birds). "People don't realize how many birds stay here and nest," Johanson said. "Indigo buntings, scarlet tanagers and cuckoos are hidden in the
forest preserves, so you have to look for them. Some birds are always on the ground, others in trees. For example, the bells vireo is a tiny bird a lot of out-of-towners look for. There aren't that many. It nests here, but it isn't easy to find." The Audubon information line run by Johanson—(847) 299-3505—tells people where to look for certain species of birds. She is quick to point out that it is not the Rare Bird Alert—(847) 265-2118—that also is operated by the Chicago Audubon Society. "Our bird alert lets you know if there's a rare bird in the area," she said. "Rare birds generally are sighted just before or after winter. Some don't come through in big numbers. But when a rare bird does come in, a lot of people will want to see it." Johanson explained that birds migrate in "waves." Waterfowl arrive in March, followed by early perching birds in April and May, then shore birds later in May and early June. "A good birder can see over 300 species a year in the Chicago area," she said. "Just to see a species you haven't seen before is quite a thrill. It's like an addiction. It gets in your blood." Johanson estimates that she has seen from 300 to 400 species of birds between Chicago and her son's home in Canada. She's unsure of the exact number because she is more interested in observing bird behavior than chronicling species. Part of the attraction to bird-watching is keeping lists of species sighted. "Most birders, probably 90 percent, are list keepers," she said. "Among the men, it's probably 100 percent."
A note pad and pencil to note field markings or sketch a bird, a good pair of binoculars and a field guide are all that a birdwatcher needs, Johanson said. She recommends Birds of North America, by Chandler S. Robbins, or A Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies, by the late Roger Tory Peterson, as good books for beginners. "When I started there weren't too many books on birding," Johanson said. "Now there are many, even books on local areas. They're cheap too, about $10 at any book store." Another inexpensive way to leam is to join a club. An introductory membership to the CAS is only $20 ($15 for students and senior citizens). The fee includes memberships in both the Chicago and National Audubon Societies, subscriptions to both the national Audubon magazine and local Compass newsletter, and free field trips and birding workshops. The CAS is one of five chapters of the National Audubon Society in the metropolitan Chicago area. The others and their phone numbers for more information are: Thorn Creek Audubon Society in Homewood, (708) 672-5494; Prairie Woods Audubon Society in Arlington Heights, (847) 622-5321; DuPage Audubon Society in Winfield, (630) 682-8349; and Lake County Audubon Society in Libertyville, (847) 362-5897. A separate organization, the Illinois Audubon Society, also has five chapters in the Chicago area, including Fort Dearborn Audubon Society, downtown, (773) 794-2557; Lake-Cook Audubon Society, Highland Park, (847) 405-0443; McHenry County Audubon Society, Woodstock, (815) 459-6069; Kane County Audubon Society, St. Charles (630) 584-8386; and Will County Audubon Society, Joliet, (815)725-2934. Most of these groups, as well as several we haven't mentioned, are members of the Bird Conservation Network, a coalition of organizations with an interest in the conservation of birds in northeastern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwestern Indiana. The BCN is headquartered in Skokie and can be reached at (847) 965-1150.
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