North Park Village is a hidden nature oasis on the north side. This Chicago Park District nature preserve contains 46 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and grassland. The Nature Center is located within the North Park Village campus, a former tuberculosis sanitarium that now includes an apartment complex and offices in the original buildings—including Chicago Bird Alliance’s office.
Garfield Park is the westmost part of the Chicago Park and Boulevard System. It features a large set of lagoons with marshy borders, an island, and shrubby areas. The best areas for birding are around the western lagoon. The famous Garfield Park Conservatory is two blocks north on Central Park Boulevard.
Arguably, the best single birding spot in the Chicago area, the promontory and adjacent dune habitats contain what is probably the region’s most heavily birded site: the famous “Magic Hedge.”
Located on the eastern bank of the Des Plaines River, Thatcher Woods has miles of unpaved walking trails through woodlands and floodplain forest. Birding highlights are spring and fall migration as birds migrate along the Des Plaines River Valley. Visitors to the Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum of Natural History will discover displays of live native animals, colorful wildflower gardens, information about local wildlife and their habitats, and more.
A large variety of migrant songbirds, as well as cuckoos, veeries and other breeding species, use this 400-acre wooded area on Salt Creek.
11500 Ogden Avenue, Western Springs, IL60558
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