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The Magic Hedge

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary lies along a bustling shoreline
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Chestnut-sided Warbler
© Phil Hauck

In the 1950s, the U.S. Army leased land along Lake Michigan, outside of Chicago, to build a fort. They planted honeysuckle bushes to shield it from view. By the ‘70s the army had left, but the honeysuckle stayed. Birds (like this Chestnut-sided Warbler) began to flock to this hedge by the dozens, which gave it its nickname the “Magic Hedge.” In the ‘80s and ‘90s, conservationists and birders worked to preserve this area. Now, as many as 346 different bird species flock here annually.

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BirdNote®

The Magic Hedge

By Ariel Mejia

This is BirdNote. 

I’m on my bike in my hometown Chicago, heading to a spot on Lake Michigan’s shoreline called the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary. 

[Cycling scene tape]: I’ve got about a mile to go...

The story of this place starts in the 1950s, when the U.S. Army leased the land to build a fort, and planted a ton of honeysuckle to shield it from view. By the ‘70s the army had left, but the honeysuckle stayed, and grew. Birds began to flock to this hedge by the dozens, which gave it its nickname the “Magic Hedge.” In the ‘80s and ‘90s, conservationists and birders worked to preserve this area. Now, as many as 346 different bird species flock here annually. 

[Ambient sounds of the sanctuary] 

Aerin Tecesco: They turned it into a sanctuary for birds and it was very intentional what they planted, and then over the years they kept trying to fine-tune that. 

Aerin Tedesco is the vice president of the Chicago Ornithological Society. 

Aerin Tecesco: It’s an amazing place because of the different habitats that it has and how it sticks out into the lake.  

I park my bike and walk along the sidewalk, which transitions into a wooded trail. Hello, Magic.
    
[Scene tape at sanctuary]: A cardinal!  Oh my god a whole family, That was a warbler, for sure! 

The trail circles around an expansive meadow. In the distance is the lakefront, inviting shorebirds like the endangered Piping Plover.

Over the past two years, birders have helped two broods of plovers by guarding them around the clock.

[Piping Plover field recording]

The word “magic” is apt for this special slice of nature along Chicago’s bustling northside lakefront. 

For BirdNote, I’m Ariel Mejia.


                                                             ###
Senior Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Editor: Ari Daniel
Producer: Ariel Mejia
Field Recordings by Ariel Mejia
© 2020 BirdNote   December 2020       Narrator: Ariel Mejia

ID#  montrose-01-2020-12-22    montrose-01

Ariel Mejia
Writer
Ariel Mejia
Narrator
Phil Hauck
Photographer
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Tagshabitat protection shoreline

Related Resources

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary - Learn more at Chicago Park DistrictWatch video of an American Goldfinch at Montrose Point Bird SanctuaryChicago Ornithological SocietyMeet Monty and Rose - the first Piping Plovers to nest in Chicago in 64 years!

Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it.

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