By Peter von Buol
Special to Inside
Chicago’s lakefront parks are considered by many birding enthusiasts to include some of the best spots for bird watching in Illinois and the Midwest. Unfortunately, local birdwatchers and wildlife biologists say they are dismayed by chronic criminal activity that continues to be reported at what is perhaps the city’s premier bird watching location. Located east of Lake Shore Drive, at the north end of Montrose Harbor, the location is popularly known as the Magic Hedge. This week we look at the ecological importance of this site; next week we'll bring to light the extensive, shocking criminal behavior that goes on there despite its proximity to families at the beach.
Veteran bird watchers say the Magic Hedge and its surrounding area continues to serve as a place where male prostitution is alleged to be commonplace. Despite police stings and arrests, organized criminal activity is reported to take place around the clock.
Birders also say they are not only upset about the criminal activity but they say they have also documented the serious environmental damage caused by what seems to be a constant flow of visitor traffic from those seeking the services of male prostitutes. Discarded condoms litter the ground.
Birders say these “visitors” do not care about the environmental damage caused by their excursions and often trample recently planted native shrubs, bushes and grasses. When these plants are less than healthy, they fail to attract the birds seeking a place to feed, forage and rest.
Interestingly, what today is known as a prime spot for bird watching was once the location of a U.S. Military missile installation that was built and maintained during the height of the Cold War period. Bushes, shrubs and trees were first used by the military to hide the missile base from the view of the public. Soon after it was installed, birds found the quiet trees and shrubbery (despite the missiles!) a great place to stop during the migratory seasons, says Thomas P. Gnoske, an ornithologist with the Field Museum of Natural History.
After the military removed the missiles in the 1970s, the greenery remained and it was not long before the former missile base became known as an unmatched spot for local bird watchers. At least 300 species of birds have been spotted at the hedge and its surrounding area.
According to local wildlife author Sheryl DeVore, 75 percent of all birds known to have occurred in the state have been recorded at Magic Hedge. DeVore is the author of "Birding Illinois," which was published in 2000.
Serious bird watchers collect a list of verified bird-sightings, known as “life-lists,” and the Magic Hedge has rewarded many Chicago-area birders.
In her book, DeVore writes that the Magic Hedge is known for attracting not just its regular seasonal migrants, such the many Warbler species that fly through Illinois, but also one-of-a-kind migrants. These include the rare Black Rail, a secretive bird that while able to fly long distances prefers to walk along marsh lands, and the Red-necked Grebe, a water bird that superficially resembles a duck but is unrelated to ducks.
According to the Field Museum’s Gnoske, the Magic Hedge is unique because it is an anomaly along Lake Michigan’s lakeshore. While migrating, many birds fly parallel to the lake shore. The land on which the Magic Hedge is located is essentially an oasis of trees and scrub within an area where there should actually be just Lake Michigan or the beach. The Magic Hedge gives birds an opportunity to make a “pit stop” without veering off their path of migration, says Gnoske.
This is an important site for observing wildlife—not "wild life." For it to serve its purpose as a bird sanctuary, it needs to be maintained in such a way that anyone can study birds and enjoy the nature there. Next week, Inside will expose the distressing behavior that currently plagues the Magic Hedge.
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