Kane County Forest preserve hosts bird walk

Conditions were not ideal for a bird walk Saturday morning.

The Freeman-Kame Meagher Forest Preserve was partly flooded, and the swampy setting was a haven for mosquitoes.

But the walk through the preserve north of Gilberts did not disappoint. Armed with binoculars and bug spray, seven brave souls were able to spy numerous native birds on a short trek hosted by the Kane County Audubon Society.

Mary Hogan of Elgin got a thrill from watching three egrets nesting in a distant tree.

"These places all have something special," she said. "This place is wild. That's why I like it so much."

When stopped in front of a dead tree, the group enjoyed what Audubon guide Bill Koch termed a "slide show" of birds. Over the next five minutes, a brightly-colored kingfisher, a green heron and a cedar waxwing all perched on the tree's branches.

"It's just being in the right place at the right time," Elgin resident Jane McMillan said.

The bird watchers also spotted a yellowthroat, a catbird and a house wren. Koch calls the house wren the "commercial bird" because its distinctive call is heard on TV and in movies.

"That's the bird that's always in the background," Koch said. "They're real small, but they've got a big mouth."

The Freeman-Kame Meagher Forest Preserve, Koch said, attracts a variety of birds because it combines forest, prairie and swamp.

"It's kind of like a magnet (for birds)," Koch said.

The Audubon Society hosts bird walks twice a month at forest preserves throughout Kane County. To find out about future programs, visit kanecountyaudubon.com.