Egret, Snowy
Description: This state-endangered bird, with bright yellow feet like the great egret, may rarely be seen flying over, or possibly wading in the shoreline.
Egret, Reddish
Description: This rare southern visitor may be spotted on mudflats or in shoreline habitats.
Egret, Great
Great egret: (Ardea alba) Graceful, white wader
The great egret’s elegant flight and bright white plumage belie its harsh croak when it takes off from a marsh. It was this bird’s beauty that nearly led to its demise at the turn of the twentieth century—when these and other waders were hunted for their feathery plumes that women wore in their hats.
Egret, Cattle
Description: These egrets are rarely seen on the shoreline or sometimes perched in a low tree or shrub.
Eagle, Bald
Description: This bird is rarely seen flying over the Garden on migration. It was recently found nesting in Cook County, so summer observations are possible.
Dunlin
Description: This small- to medium-sized shorebird is seen most often on shorelines or mudflats around the Dixon Prairie.
Duck, Wood***
Description: A colorful duck, the wood duck is commonly visible in lakes with its tail end sticking up, perched in trees, or using nesting boxes in the Barbara Brown Nature Reserve.
Duck, Ring-necked
Description: This is a water-loving black-and-white diving duck that may be found on any of the lakes, mostly in spring.
Duck, American Black
Description: A very rare, non-diving duck, it resembles a dark female mallard, and may be seen on Garden lakes or in the Skokie River.
Dowitcher, Short-billed
Description: This is a medium-to-large shorebird often spotted on the shoreline or the mudflats south of the Dixon Prairie.