We are pleased to announce that one of our favorite forest preserves is growing by 80 acres! The Winnebago County Forest Preserve District has acquired 80 acres of farmland that is adjacent to Deer Run Forest Preserve.
This is the location where we spent a year doing surveys and discovered that in one calendar year 145 species of birds used the protected land.
We are super excited as this is an area we had dreamed about the county purchasing. It brings the total acreage of the preserve to 675 acres, a nice amount considering this is part of the much larger Kishwaukee River Corridor.
Tractor on the land that was acquired
Henslow’s Sparrow is quite regular at Deer Run
Barred Owls are relatively easy to find here
Note: Is anyone familiar with such a reddish-brown Barred Owl?
Read the story from the Rockford Register Star.