IRVING PARK — Irving Park neighbors have been captivated this week by what bird experts say is a bald eagle hunting for fish along the North Branch of the Chicago River.
Married couple Brian Holdampf and Amy Rescigno spotted the eagle Saturday afternoon while they were at their home, which sits along the North Branch of the Chicago River opposite Horner Park.
“I thought I’d seen an eagle before Saturday in the area, but [I] said to myself, ‘That’s crazy,’” Holdampf said. “But this time it stayed out for a little bit to stalk a fish and then caught it before a seagull chased it off.”
Staff at Burning Bush Brewery, 4014 N. Rockwell St., have also seen the bird hanging out near the river in the mornings, brewery owner Brent Raska said.
“There’s a big nest that’s right across the river from us, as well,” Raska said.
Between December and March, Illinois becomes a destination for more than 3,100 bald eagles as part of their southernly winter migration, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The regal birds prefer to hunt near water habitats like rivers and lakes because they primarily eat fish. When water systems further north freeze solid, they head to comparably balmy Chicago and the rest of Illinois to continue hunting, said Matt Igleski, Chicago Bird Alliance executive director.
Bald eagles visiting the city during the winter are likely coming here from as far away as Canada’s Yukon Territory or Hudson Bay, Igleski said.
But it’s rare to see bald eagles this far north in Chicago, Igleski said.
During the winter, birders typically see bald eagles hanging around the South Side along the Calumet River, Lake Calumet and nearby Big Marsh Park, he said.
“But right now, after that deep freeze, there’s not a lot of other available open water for them,” Igleski said. “Even some of the other rivers, like the Calumet River, was pretty much frozen over, and so they’re going to stick to where they can actually get to their food source.”
Looking out over the river from the brewery’s deck, Raska said it often feels like he’s not in the middle of Chicago’s North Side because of the extensive habitat restoration that’s been done to the shoreline since 2014 and the variety of urban wildlife that passes by the brewery.
“It’s a cool draw for people,” Raska said. “People who sit down to have a beer can see eagles or a deer and stuff like that. And we have seen at night … a couple coyotes across the river in Horner Park, too.”
About 14 acres of Horner Park’s 55 acreage have undergone an extensive ecosystem restoration since 2014 as part of a $5.6 million project.
Part of that work included restoring the park’s oak savanna habitat, removing invasive species, making landscaping improvements to restore the area’s natural features, improving the riverbank and adding a walking trail along the shoreline.
The restoration work wasn’t limited to Horner Park. In 2018, a 4-foot dam at the confluence of the North Branch and North Shore Channel was demolished by the Army Corps of Engineers to help restore the river ecosystem.
Since then, the Park District has removed invasive trees and other plants to restore the habitat, which has led to neighbors spotting snapping turtles hatching near Horner Park and great blue herons hunting for fish near River Park.
“We see the ecosystem all along the river recovering. Horner Park was one of the first big river restoration projects along the North Branch,” said Matt Freer, Park District assistant director of landscape. “A bald eagle is a keystone species. So we see that as a big indicator that this habitat is in the process of recovery.”
The Park District’s habitat restoration will continue this year with River, Legion, Ronan and Kiwanis parks getting upgrades via funds from the Lawrence/Kedzie TIF District, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
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