The Wild Ridge by Carol Flynn
The Ridge once was home to wolves (hunted down until they were all killed), sandhill cranes (lost to habitat destruction), and other species that no longer exist in this setting.
However, other wildlife have managed to adapt to the urban environment.
Here are some pictures of wildlife in the area in the last few months.
So many predators (coyote, owl, eagle) means there has to be a fairly strong prey base. The turkey is prey, but its size helps protect it. Rabbits, squirrels and other rodents, and smaller birds are plentiful around here.
The bald eagle is the national bird. Benjamin Franklin advocated for the wild turkey as the national bird. Here they both are, today, in an urban setting on the south side of Chicago. Considering the bald eagle was at the point of extinction just a few decades ago, seeing them now on local rooftops is just amazing. This one seems to recognize a photo op, posing with the U.S. flag.
Credit to Jamie Anderson for the coyote and owl photos. The photos of the eagle and the turkey were shared from other posts.