Forest Preserves of Cook County 2024 Spring Brochure

Image by John D. Sather, Sandhill crane-adjusted. Spark a Life-Long Hobby Spring Skies Shimmer with Birds h S 14 Just as a single spark can start a fire, for many individuals a single bird sighting can ignite a passion. For Jessica Becker, a program specialist with the Forest Preserves’ Conservation & Experiential Programming Department, her “spark bird”—a term used by birders to describe that special bird sighting—is the sandhill crane. During a trip to see a sandhill crane migration stop-over, Jessica describes the feeling of witnessing tens of thousands of sandhill cranes with one word: spectacular. “It kind of felt like you were just part of a much larger world, but it was outside of your human experience,” she says. “Here, you’re just existing as a part of the environment because this is happening without any human intervention. To me, seeing these thousands of sandhill cranes was a good connection back to the natural world.” A premiere birding destination in the Midwest, the Forest Preserves of Cook County play host to hundreds of different bird species throughout the year—which means there are hundreds of opportunities to spot your spark bird. Although each season welcomes unique bird species, the spring and fall migrations bring a remarkable array of birds to our 70,000 acres of greenspace. Today, Jessica uses her passion for birding to help spark others’ love for birdwatching and the natural world. This season, consider joining us for a guided Image by John D. Sather, Sandhill crane-adjusted. 14 Spark a Life-Long Ho by Spring Skies Shimmer with Birds Just as a single spark can start a fire, for many individuals a single bird sighting can ignite a passion. For Jessica Becker, a program specialist with the Forest Preserves’ Conservation & Experiential Progra ming Department, her “spark bird”—a term used by birders to describe that special bird sighting—is the sandhill crane. During a trip to see a sandhill crane migration stop-over, Jessica describes the feeling of witnessing tens of thousands of sandhill cranes with one word: spectacular. “It kind of felt like you were just part of a much larger world, but it was outside of your human experience,” she says. “Here, you’re just existing as a part of the environment because this is happening without any human intervention. To me, seeing these thousands of sandhill cranes was a good connection back to the natural world.” A premiere birding destination in the Midwest, the Forest Preserves of Cook County play host to hundreds of different bird species throughout the year—which means there are hundreds of opportunities to spot your spark bird. Although each season welcomes unique bird species, the spring and fall migrations bring a remarkable array of birds to our 70,000 acres of greenspace. Today, Jessica uses her passion for birding to help spark others’ love for birdwatching and the natural world. This season, consider joining us for a guided