Exploring Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary
When I saw the words “bird sanctuary” here in Chicago, I definitely got excited. I love birds, to the point of a slight obsession. Give me a good egret, cardinal even a house sparrow and I will get excited about seeing it. So I headed over to Montrose Beach to visit the Sanctuary.
Now I come from the suburbs and we have a lot of conservation areas that house not only a lot of bird species but other wildlife and plants too. The Sanctuary definitely has the same vibe as a conservation park. It was really exciting though to see that even in the city we have areas like this. You feel like you are deep in a forested trail but in reality are two minutes from the lake.
It’s a really pretty spot with lots of little trails and shaded spots. I love how it led off to the lakefront and even Montrose Beach. The view of the skyline was gorgeous and took my breath away. I had a great time even photographing the wild flowers and trees. They had some interesting bark patterns and were quite lush.
While super excited to see birds, I knew we were going off season and mid day, so I didn’t know exactly what we were going to see. We did probably see more squirrels and chipmunks than birds. However, I did spot a couple of cardinals and warblers, and while I didn’t see much you could definitely hear them. You never realize how unique and intricate bird calls are till you are surrounded by so many different birds. Some people come really prepared, with bird seed, binoculars, and telephoto cameras. Next time I will be bringing some binoculars.
I really did enjoy myself even if I didn’t see that many birds. It is a really peaceful and chill place and you truly feel like you stepped out of the city. I will definitely be going back to see what new type of birds I can find.
~Sienna