Updates on efforts in River Forest, Illinois, to certify our community as a National Wildlife Federation 'Community Wildlife Habitat.' We intend to document our own progress towards this goal, while also gathering inspiring and useful information on ecological gardening, habitat gardening, prairie restoration, and large-scale ecological mangement of habitat characteristic of northeastern Illinois, the Great Lakes, prairie-oak savanna, and tallgrass prairie that once covered the landscape.
The Red-Headed Woodpecker may be the most spectacular resident bird in our area. Spotting one in the woods is always a treat. On this occasion, I was lucky enough to observe a breeding pair with their offspring. They were clearly enjoying themselves on a fine September morning, the adults spiraling together from one snag to another in a clearing, before occasionally rejoining with the juvenile.
The Wildlife Habitat Project