Back on April 12th Arthur and I visited Fort Sheridan with my parents. This was their first visit to the site since it had become a Lake County Forest Preserve.
Mom & Dad woodpecker watchin’
The walk itself was rather cold and we didn’t have a huge amount of birds, but my mom was especially delighted to see a number of Brown Creepers, a species she hadn’t seen for a long time.
Brown Creepers were creeping all over the preserve
We also had good looks at a Red-headed Woodpecker, a target species for this preserve.
Red-headed Woodpecker; notice the fresh cavity below the bird
Fort Sheridan has a fun, larger-than-life display of a Red-tailed Hawk nest. It’s like a mini-amphitheater complete with observation telescopes and interpretive signs about avian architecture, Red-tailed Hawk family life, predator adaptations, and more.
Beware: giant Red-tailed Hawk nest ahead
Ginormous nest!
Raptor-eye-view (telescope inside head)
Little amphitheater inside nest
Fort Sheridan is a special preserve with unique habitat along the shores of Lake Michigan. A golf course has been proposed for part of the land for some years, with no firm decision made on the land dispute so far. You can learn more by following this blog or this Facebook page.
2 Responses to Fort Sheridan’s ginormous nest