Banner Photo: Willow Flycatcher Brady Karg/Audubon
The Chicago area, and in particular the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), are fortunate to have several different types of natural habitats that birds need to thrive. This is the second in a series highlighting those habitats, as featured in Partnering for Birds, a free publication created by the Chicago Bird Alliance in collaboration with the FPCC, using data from the Bird Conservation Network and eBird. The four different habitats detailed are grasslands, shrublands (highlighted here), woodlands and savannas, and wetlands. Birds of concern found in these habitats are listed, with charts and maps showing the number of species of concern found in each area. The publication answers several questions: Where can we find these different habitats, what kinds of birds can be found there at different times of the year, and what efforts are required in those habitats to ensure a continuing supportive environment for birds?
Shrublands
Shrubland birds have adapted to habitats that can change from year to year, depending upon the frequency and intensity of fires. They are resourceful and flexible in selecting shrub clumps for nesting locations. Grasslands and woodlands can often include shrubland bird habitat areas such as shrub prairies, edges, shrubby savannas and woodland openings. Dense shrub clumps surrounded by grasslands are preferred by some, while others use the edges between fields and woods or the shrubby understory in the interior of woods. Unfortunately these areas are in decline. As buckthorn, honeysuckle and other invasive plants spread, our native shrub layer diminishes. In addition to invasive plants, deer threaten the rehabilitation of shrub layers in some areas. Agricultural and housing or business development conversion of grasslands have also reduced the numbers of shrubland birds.
Breeding birds of concern found in FPCC shrublands include Black-billed Cuckoos, Loggerhead Shrikes, Northern Bobwhites, Brown Thrashers, Willow Flycatchers, Field Sparrows, Yellow-breasted Chats, Bell’s Vireos, Blue-winged Warblers, and Eastern Kingbirds.
The map below shows Blue-winged Warbler sightings in Cook County reported to eBird during the 2012–2017 nesting seasons. All but three sightings were in forest preserves, highlighting the importance of the preserves to specific birds of conservation concern.
Blue-winged Warbler sightings in Cook County reported to eBird in the 2012–2017 nesting seasons. Almost all sightings were in the Forest Preserves.
Partnering for Birds includes examples of successful restoration work in the FPCC, as well as guidance detailing best conservation practices.
Ongoing habitat improvement projects in northwest Cook County include work by the FPCC and volunteers at Spring Creek’s Bluebird Field and Steeplechase areas. Copses of nonnative shrubs are gradually being transformed to native shrubs to improve the habitat for the shrubland birds that already use it, such as Eastern Kingbirds, Brown Thrashers and Field Sparrows.
Eastern Kingbird Robert Bunch/Audubon Photography Awards
At the Jens Jensen Land and Water Reserve, within the 624-acre Jens Jensen Forest Preserve (also known as Deer Grove-East), part of the site’s restoration included a restored savanna that was planted with native shrubs, where one can sometimes find Willow Flycatchers. At the Orland Grassland Land and Water Reserve in southwest Cook County, woody invaders were removed from two long-standing patches of native shrubs and small trees. Yellow-breasted Chats and Bell’s Vireos have been seen nesting in these restored shrubland patches.
Bell’s Vireo Brady Karg/Audubon
Experimenting with different restoration methods, the FPCC, Audubon Chicago Region, and Bird Conservation Network mowed dense areas of buckthorn in two different patterns of shrub clumps in an attempt to inexpensively create shrubland bird habitat. The experiment in McGinnis Slough and another shrubland at LaGrange Road and 107th compared the different mowing patterns to solid brush in the control areas. Brown Thrashers and Field Sparrows were found to prefer shrub clumps in areas that had several clumps compared to mowed areas with only a few clumps.
Illustration of McGinnis Slough and mowing patterns.
The information in Partnering for Birds is informed by the work of the Bird Conservation Network and its 21 member organizations, other birders and bird monitors, researchers, conservation partners, and the ecologists and stewards of the Forest Preserves of Cook County and the broader Chicago region. The work to restore these areas to become prime bird habitats involves many organizational partners, along with volunteers working alongside area stewards. If you’d like to become involved, please find a list of opportunities on the FPCC site.
Resources
Bird Conservation Network, Breeding Bird Trends of the Chicago Region (1999-2020)