A Nest for Two?
Friends has been working to help this Illinois state-endangered species thrive in our area by installing nesting platforms along the river north and south. Since an osprey's diet consists nearly entirely of fish, the appearance of this pair in as excellent indication all of the progress that has been made restoring the health of the Little Calumet River and the adjacent forest preserve. Friends' conservation programs manager, Maggie Jones, .
Easy to identify, osprey are large raptors which are a deep, glossy brown on their upper parts and predominantly white on the head and under parts. Their heads have a distinctive black eye stripe that goes down the side of their faces and they have short tails and long, narrow wings with four long, finger-like feathers, and a shorter fifth feather, which give it a very distinctive appearance.
This achievement is possible due to the efforts of many organizations in providing stewardship and community engagement at Beaubien Woods, including:
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Calumet is My Backyard (CIMBY)
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Centennial Volunteers
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Chicago Public Schools
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Community volunteers
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The Field Museum
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Forest Preserves of Cook County
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Friends of the Forest Preserves
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Little Calumet Underground Railroad Project
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Mighty Acorns
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Openlands
