A New Old Hotspot: Riis Park
words and photos by Jorge Garcia
Earlier this year, the Riis Park Advisory Council reached out to the Chicago Ornithological Society to host a bird walk. Riis Park is a great inland birding hotspot that fits nicely between the forest preserve systems to the west and the boulevard park system, river, and lakefront all to the east. It sits at the intersection of the Belmont-Cragin and Montclare neighborhoods, best accessed along Fullerton Avenue, west of Narraganset Avenue.
Riis Park is perhaps the best park that is underbirded in the city, but COS hopes to help change that. Becoming a part of the Chicago Parks District in 1934, Riis is a 57-acre park that boasts a natural area designed by Alfred Caldwell and a glacial ridge that is great for sledding, but historically marks the Park Ridge Moraine, the remnant shoreline of glacial Lake Chicago. We were delighted to have our inaugural field trip at this special spot in collaboration with the advisory council and community members.
July 30, 2023 was a bright Sunday, with temperatures in the mid-70s. Laura Renata García of the Riis PAC got us started, as the crowd met at the park’s northwestern corner. After a round of introductions, and with just under 20 birders, the group split in two and began to walk into the park’s designated Natural Area around the lagoon. Edward Warden and Robyn Detterline took one group, Stephanie Beilke and Jorge Garcia took the other.
The first birds we saw on our way to the lagoon were Chimney Swifts as they hovered above. They were shortly followed by a Warbling Vireo, a species the groups had many opportunities to get good looks at, and to hear their characteristic warbling. We spotted a Spotted Sandpiper foraging along the northern end of the lagoon.
Traversing through the area, we spotted many House Sparrows, American Robins, and more swifts. Things picked up once we made it to the peninsula near the southern lagoon. There we spotted two domestic Mallards hanging out in the pond, a common sight at Riis.
The southern lagoon was the most fruitful, both in terms of the birds and with a surprise apple tree that has survived in this urban park. There was plenty of wild fruit present as well, with the Serviceberry and other fruit trees providing an opportunity to watch foraging Cedar Waxwings, including a juvenile.
One of the groups arrived at the lagoon earlier than the other and spotted the Black-crowned Night Heron just a few feet away. Once the bird saw us observing them, they flew away. It wouldn’t be until the end of the walk, after the groups met up for a photo, that the heron would become apparent, ironically perched just behind the group, up in a tree. It was a great way to end our morning, and we wrapped up with a total species count of 19.
The walk was a great opportunity to explore the park and realize that it needs a little TLC. So on October 22, 2023, the Riis PAC followed up with a community event to clean up and plant native flora. The Riis PAC, along with Chicago Parks, the 30th Ward, and local community members planted a mix of Obedient Plant, Black-eyed Susan, New England Aster, and Wild Oats along the lagoon. A small patch, but one that is sure to beautify the park in time.
Be sure to stop by and add to the eBird Hotspot here. It’s great year-round and should be on any birder’s list of sites