eBird Hotspot: Ladd Arboretum/Grady Bird Sanctuary, Evanston, Cook County, IL, US
This narrow strip of land wedged between McCormick Blvd and the west side of the channel runs north and south between Church Street and Green Bay Road (2024 McCormick Boulevard.)
Look for Caspian Terns, Great-blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers and gulls flying above the treetops along the channel. Green Herons and Black-crowned Night Herons are often seen along the banks. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and passerines abound among the deciduous trees, conifers and shrubbery in the park.
A bike trail and a walking path run through the Arboretum. There are various planned gardens in the southern portion; the more natural plantings are located north of Bridge Street. The Evanston Ecology Center and the Grady Bird Sanctuary are in this section. The Grady sanctuary was designed with a small water feature, which sadly has not been operating in recent years. Twiggs Park and Butler Park, which run along the opposite (east) side of the channel, can be worth a look, if time allows.