Wildlife

Coyotes and Wildlife

Many of the coyotes in our area have been tagged with expensive radio collars by the McGraw Foundation. If you find a dead or injured animal with a radio collar please call McGraw at (847) 741-8000. It is important to know that the Forest Preserve District has placed coyotes here to help control the deer population. They do serve an important purpose in wildlife management. If you are concerned about the safety of your family or pets, the Cook County Urban Coyote Research Project has excellent information that can help.

Forest Preserves of Cook County

Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2023-2024

The Complete Illinois Wildlife Code

Birds

Per our neighborhood by-laws, lighting should be pointed down and not toward other homes in the vicinity. When installing lighting on your property please consider your neighbors, including birds in the area. Light pollution creates problems for migrating birds, causing disorientation and making them more susceptible to collisions with buildings.

Please consider the following guidelines:

1. Turn off non-essential lights from 11 PM until 6 AM during critical migration periods.
2. Turn off or dim atrium lights.
3. Turn off or dim interior home lighting, or draw blinds to prevent light escaping.
4. Turn off decorative landscape lighting.
5. Turn off lights before leaving the home or office.
6. Be sure outside lights are aimed down and well shielded.
7. Install motion sensors on outside lights to minimize use.
8. Prevent daylight collisions with bird-friendly products for windows

For an interesting article on the “Lights Out” movement to help bird migration, please see the following article from BirdCast:

Lights Out