Bird Rehab
Most of the dozens of patients treated during the first two weeks of the city’s newest hospital were out-of-towners injured in collisions. None had to worry about filling out insurance forms or medical bills.
That’s because these patients were of the feathered variety. They included 28 brown creepers, 12 yellow-bellied sapsuckers, 12 Northern flickers, 11 American woodcocks, and a few golden-crowned kinglets and hermit thrushes.
Most had collided with buildings during their annual migration, and probably would have died if not for Chicago’s Bird Rehabilitation Center that opened April 1 in a Chicago Park District building at 1400 S. Lynn White Drive on Northerly Island. Located east of Chicago’s massive skyline, the 91-acre peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan contains lush open prairie and parkland once occupied by the Meigs Field airstrip.
The center started with six volunteers and plans call for adding another six or so before summer’s end, said Dawn Kelly, director of Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc.
“We’re there daily, but we’re not publishing hours because we have no set hours.”
Flint Creek, a not-for-profit with a primary location in Barrington, has an agreement with the Park District to operate the facility.
But if you find an injured or abandoned bird in Chicago, don’t just head over to the bird hospital, Kelly said. First, call the Flint Creek number: 847-602-0628.
Animals are accepted by appointment only. “The reason for this is that we want to encourage people to have a dialogue with us about the animal,” Kelly said. “That way, we still have the opportunity not to interfere with nature.”
Many people jump the gun when it comes to taking in injured, fallen or seemingly abandoned birds, Kelly explained. In many cases, the mother birds are nearby. It’s much better to allow them to come to the rescue.
“If a bird is not in any immediate danger, it’s best to leave it alone, but certainly if a bird is on the sidewalk and there’s the threat of it getting crushed, it’s good to put it in a box and keep it in a dark, quiet place,” she said.
Of the 80 or so birds taken in during those first two weeks, most suffered head trauma. Only a few had broken wings or legs. Some were well enough to be on their way in just a couple of days.
“We released at least one bird a day, sometimes as many as a dozen in one day, depending on how quickly they recovered,” Kelly said. “One morning I was releasing a brown creeper. I had just released several brown creepers earlier. He made his beautiful brown creeper sound, and brown creepers started calling out to him all around the peninsula. So he got to be with his buddies.”
June brings the stragglers from most migrating species and several warblers, including Tennessee warblers, common yellow-throated warblers and others known for their brilliant plumage and beautiful songs. “As we progress through the migratory season, the composition of those we treat will change,” Kelly said. “It’s kind of nice that they grace us with their presence for a while,” she said.
To learn more visit flintcreekwildlife.org.
— Susan DeGrane
Recycle & Ride
If Hans Fedderke has his way, people will be able one day to trade empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans for credit toward Chicago Transit Authority fares. The Recycle and Ride program he’s proposing would enable CTA riders to gain credit on CTA cards for up to 5 cents per can or bottle, just by chucking the items into a machine and inserting a fare card.
Fedderke, a 25-year-old green development consultant and licensed Realtor, envisions two test facilities in high-traffic locations, one on Chicago’s North Side and one on the South Side, but if not there, then perhaps two at high-traffic L stops in the Loop.
“This would go along with making Chicago, as Mayor (Richard) Daley says, ‘the greenest city in the nation,’” Fedderke said. “It promotes the use of mass transit and recycling in a much more dynamic way than when you just recycle or turn your can in for a nickel at your grocery store.”
The greatest stumbling block, however, seems to be access to CTA property for placement of machines and retrieval of cash and recyclables.
Even so, Fedderke remains undaunted. He said he has received encouragement from representatives of the CTA and City of Chicago, along with nibbles from an array of waste companies. Also, a recycled vending-machine operator in Wisconsin is willing to supply two machines.
“I think it will happen,” Fedderke said. “I’m optimistic.”
— CC
Fishy Business
During June — National Rivers Month — you can get a fish-eye view of the Chicago River.
From a fish’s perspective, the stretch of Chicago River that crosses Chicago’s Magnificent Mile is a bit of a desert. There are no special plants, no nooks and crannies, stumps or submerged trees or special hiding places that fish prefer. It’s a barren environment typical of many urban rivers.
That’s why last year — not far from big-name places like the Chicago Hilton and the Drake — Friends of the Chicago River built a special hotel for fish with the idea to make the Chicago River more fish-friendly.
The fish hotel closed last fall for the winter season, but it is scheduled to reopen with several improvements just in time for the June 10 opening of the new McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & River Museum located at the southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.
The museum is actually located inside of an old bridge house and part of the lower bridge structure. The view of the city from the bridge house is “panoramic,” according to Margaret Frisbie, executive director of the local river group. “The display offers a historic perspective of the river from pre-settlement times to present day.”
The suggested museum donation of $3 will go to the Friends of the Chicago River group. However, viewing the Fish Hotel is free, and can offer museum-goers great entertainment while waiting in line, Frisbie said.
Constructed as a floating garden, the hotel resembles a sort of pontoon boat and measures 42 by 10 feet. Underwater cameras allow visitors to watch what fish are doing.
To name just a few of the guests the Friends of the Chicago River expect to see checking in: black buffalo, black bullheads, bluegill, brook silversides, coho salmon, fathead minnows, gizzard chad, largemouth bass, green sunfish, largemouth bass, white perch and white suckers.
The river museum and fish hotel remain open until Oct. 1. For more information, visit chicagoriver.org.
— Susan DeGrane
Celebrate the Mighty Mississippi
The 1,600 miles separating Itasca, Minnesota and Venice, Louisiana share one thing in common: the Mississippi River.
This month, the One River Mississippi (ORM) project will bring these cities closer together in celebration of the river. Cities along the river will participate in site-specific performances at 7 p.m. June 24. Each of the seven sites — Itasca; Minneapolis; the Quad Cities, Iowa; St. Louis; Memphis, Tenn.; New Orleans and Venice — will include choreographic teams, visual artists and musicians presenting works for the public.
The goal of ORM is to create awareness of the interdependent ecosystem of the river. Recent devastation in New Orleans has increased the organization’s drive to highlight the physical link created by the river. The Mississippi receives and distributes water throughout 31 states and two Canadian provinces.
“We are hoping to bring beauty to the river and joy to the communities, and increase awareness of becoming better stewards of our resources,” said ORM Artistic Director Marylee Hardenbergh. “The Mississippi is a bridge, one unified ecosystem. If you love the river, you will want to take better care of it.”
The seven sites will be connected by radio simulcasts, live audio and visual interaction to emphasize the connection of the dances performed on the riverfront. Each performance is unique to each local community. For example, Itasca will celebrate with Native American drumming and singing, while the Quad Cities will incorporate rowers and water skiers.
Participants also include dancers, environmentalists, artists, sailors, tugboat pilots, city council members, activists, kayakers and local organizations. The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, is playing a role in the project and has been a supporter since the idea was proposed in 2005.
“All too often we forget that our connection to the Earth is a connection to each other,” Nagin said.
For more information, visit onerivermississippi.org.
— Taylor Swanson
