This large piece of prairie is owned by The Nature Conservancy. Unlike almost every other birding spot I know about, here you’re encouraged NOT to stay on the trails. In fact, except for a short semi-mowed path that goes about a quarter mile out from the parking lot, there are no trails.
I got to the end of this stretch when I realized I’d dropped my pedometer somewhere. I turned around and walked slowly the entire way back to my car without finding it. I turned around again and walked back to where I had been and still didn’t find it.
I gave up and headed off through the sometimes-ankle, sometimes-waist-high grass. There were a lot of birds around, and I saw almost everything I was looking for.
My list: American Robin, Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Mallard, Turkey Vulture, American Goldfinch, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Meadowlark, Henslow’s Sparrow, Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel, Common Yellowthroat, Field Sparrow, Eastern Kingbird, Bell’s Vireo, Lark Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Tree Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, Orchard Oriole, Canada Goose, Barn Swallow, Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Willow Flycatcher.
In addition to stunning scenery, I saw a lot of spectacular flowers and butterflies.
I spent about two hours walking about. And oh, on the way back to my car, I somehow found my pedometer in the grass about 300 yards out from my car.
This is what much of Northern Illinois looked like once upon a time, and there are very few prairies this big anywhere around. It’s also got some great birds.