You know, I think the thing that's really great about birding as a sort of a pursuit or an interest

is that it does keep you busy for like your whole lifetime.

Hey, it's Jesse Dukes, editor for Curious City.

We got a question from a listener asking about the best spots to go bird watching in Chicago.

And it turns out there are a lot of options.

You might not realize it, but Chicago is an incredible place for birds.

Because it seems unlikely, you know, because it's a city.

This is Judy Pollock.

I'm the president of the Chicago Audubon Society and active in bird conservation locally.

Judy has been birding since the 80s, and as she explains, Chicago is perfectly placed for migratory birds.

During migration, you know, there's this big river of birds that's going right up

through the middle of the country.

And so Chicago is like the closest city to it.

And so we really have some of the best migration anywhere.

Over 250 species of birds migrate through Chicago each year as they head north and south

to breed in winter and warmer climates. As a result,

there are world-renowned places to go birding in Chicago, including places like Montrose Point

Bird Sanctuary, Jackson Park. But we were curious about less well-known places, so we actually

asked you, our listeners, and Judy was just one of several who responded. Judy spoke to reporter Andrew

Meriwether about one of her favorite unexpected places to see birds, a stormwater retention

area in a northern suburb, Northbrook. It's behind a hotel. This is Tecne Basin, and we're in the

part of Tecne Basin that's north of Willow Road.

...