THE SCENE
Open grasslands surrounded by upland forests; numerous marshes, a heron rookery

Highlights
Grasslands and restored wetland are breeding home to many rare bird species

Stats
1,800 acres, miles of unmarked footpaths

Behind the scenes
The Forest Preserve District is considering removal of drain tiles to restore further wetland acreage

Getting there
From I-90 westbound, exit north on Roselle Rd. Turn left/west at Central Road. Go approximately 1.5 miles and then turn right/north into parking area labeled "Grassy Ridge Meadow."

Summer 2004

Many grassland birds and wetland species call this preserve home; marsh restoration has also brought returning native plants

Cook County, Illinois

Birders have long known Paul Douglas Forest Preserve for its grassland birds. Located in the northwestern corner of Cook County in Hoffman Estates, the 1,800-acre parcel of former cropland has large stretches of treeless territory for birds to breed in, free from the danger of hidden raptors.

But since the restoration of a large wetland near Poplar Creek three years ago, many open-wetland species can now also call the preserve home. Pied-billed grebes (see page 27), state-threatened ruddy ducks, and state-endangered yellow-headed blackbirds have returned to nest in this newly resurrected habitat. Nesting platforms erected in the marsh at the south end of the preserve have attracted a dozen or more great blue heron pairs.

Yellow-headed blackbird. Photo by Art Morris, Birds as Art.

In fall of 2001, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County completed the first stage of this project, installing a water control structure on a tributary of Poplar Creek. The device was designed in part to mimic the effect that beaver dams provided some years and not others. Since the marsh would frequently dry up, vegetation wasn't able to establish itself, and neither were nesting wetland birds. The Forest Preserve District can now raise and lower water levels as needed to mimic the optimal conditions for this "hemi-marsh" (a marsh where plants are interspersed with open water). Since the structure's completion, the wetland has started to recover, and native plants (including some sedges from the seedbank) have returned.

According to local birder Carolyn Fields, the preserve's main wetland with its heron rookery is close to the parking lot, making it a convenient and popular spot to see numerous wetland birds (visitors should stay at least a few hundred feet from the rookery during nesting season, March through midsummer). But those who want more immersion should head northwest of the main wetland, to one of the preserve's larger grasslands. Here, bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks, sedge wrens, and Henslow's and savannah sparrows forage and nest in the grasses and goldenrod. With a little luck, a visitor may spot a coyote hunting in one of these fields. During the winter months, this is a good location to find rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, and the occasional northern shrike.

For a break from the summer sun, head toward one of the wooded areas surrounding the grassland. Majestic oaks, up to 100 years old, provide a home to raccoons, great-horned owls, and songbirds. Look for remnants of the old farming days along the way: aging fence posts and barbed wire, overgrown with vegetation, are scattered across the preserve along with some interesting old farm equipment.

The preserve was named after Paul H. Douglas, an Illinois senator and conservation hero who fought for land preservation in the 1950s and helped to preserve the Indiana Dunes. It is open daily one hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset. All trails are unmarked. Contact the Forest Preserve Volunteer Resource Center at (773) 631-1790 for volunteering opportunities.

— Thomas Bentley

Related article:
Ruddy Ducks, Other Birds Converge on Restored Wetland