But we are glad to hear it, the song of the Henslow's. These birds prefer low grasslands for breeding. That habitat had been an increasingly rare commodity due to changes in agricultural practices and of course, the general loss of prairie-based habitat. But thanks to broad scale preservation projects in key habitat areas like Dick Young Forest Preserve/Nelson Lake, the Henslow's sparrow is showing up with more frequency.
But for years the Henslow's sparrow hung on in the hinterlands of Illinois. I first saw them at Goose Lake Prairie back in the 1970s in the company of the late Bob Horlock, my high school biology teacher and birding pal who dragged his students with him all sorts of places to study unusual plants and birds. I'll never forget the moment he showed me a "sensitive plant" whose leaves curled up when I touched them. Something about that moment changed the way I looked at the whole plant world. That same day we found giant, tall lilies growing next to a railroad track in Elgin. Bob explained that it is serendipitous the plants grew there. The railroad's lack of aggressive maintenance along the tracks enabled prairie plants like that turk's cap lily to hang on. That changed the way I viewed the world as well. I'd always been a fan of walking railroad beds for a variety of other reasons having to do with mischief and curiosity. But knowing there were prairie plots along the railroad made it seem extra special.
So I think of Bob Horlock every time I hear the Henslow's sparrow. Of course I also think of Bob Horlock when I hear a dirty joke, because he loved a ribald laugh once in a while. When birding got slow he would tip back his hat and begin telling yarns. "Did you ever hear of the kee-kee bird?" he'd ask.
"No," I'd reply.
"He only sings when it's 20 below zero. His song goes "kee--kee--kee--keehrist it's cold out here."
Then he'd throw back his head and laugh.
Bob would have treasured the Henslow's sparrows at Dick Young Forest Preserve, I think. He and Dick Young were quite a pair to travel with in the field. Between them they knew every blasted plant and of course, every bird as well. When Bob and Dick would encounter some subtle plant denizen they would often come to a stop to discuss it, Latin phrases flying from their mouths in the botanist's version of "speaking in tongues" until at least one of them was satisfied they had solved the mystery of what we were looking at. If additional plant experts such as Gerould Wilhelm, Roger Hotham or Jon Duerr were present, the plant never had a chance of remaining anonymous. Our region owes much debt to folks such as these, who had the knowledge and the vision to "see ahead" by looking behind, preserving prairies and getting governmental bodies to appreciate something so subtle as a bottled gentian growing in a patch of marsh. A belated thank you to all of them.
I got to participate in my small way. Bob Horlock used his knowledge of prairie plants to start a restoration project at the Great Western Trailhead near Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve. I participated that first year digging up our little section of prairie plots. It helped my enthusiasm for the work that my prairie plot partner was a comely lass prone to wearing low-cut shirts.
We first planted seeds in sandy soil and froze them over the winter. Then we scraped the gray earth and stuck our seedlings into the ground; bluestem big and little, compass plant, prairie dock and wild indigo cream and blue. Those plants are still growing there 35 years later. A small stone marker bears Bob Horlock's name. I say "Hello, Bob" whenever I pass it during my runs and cycling trips.
Now the prairie at Dick Young/Nelson Lake Forest Preserve is also coming into bloom. There among the first blooms of purple coneflower sings the Henslow's sparrow. It's almost like Bob Horlock and Dick Young dragged that bird up from Goose Lake Prairie to breed west of Batavia. You can find the Henslow's by parking at the lot on Main Street one half mile west of Nelson Lake Road. Take the crushed limestone path to the right, go past the shelter and walk the 1/2 mile until you reach the top of a slight rise in topography. The Henslow's are singing on the back of that hill. I remember walking that property in the company of Jon Duerr, who was then executive director of Kane County Forest Preserves. Jon is another Kane County environmental steward, plant and bird expert and long time friend of both Dick Young and Bob Horlock, who passed away in 1993 while conducting a prairie burn at Garfield Farm.
Jon proudly led me up that little hill the county has protected from the clutches of an aggressive developer and said, with wonder and appreciation, "Won't the view from here be tremendous?" The path now crests that rise in the ground. And it is a lovely view. Especially in the company of that little Henslow's, singing his humble song. "Tsi-lick." It's music to my ears, anyway.
0 comments:
Post a Comment