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Words of the WoodsAuthor: Lake County Forest Preserves
Words of the Woods is a show about nature and history. Written and hosted by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves, it tells local stories about big topics. Season 3 focuses on climate change. While it's a global issue, many of its effectsalong with opportunities to help mitigate and prevent themare local. This season, Brett explores how climate change affects your forest preserves. How wildlife and plants may be adapting. And what the Forest Preserves is doing to make Lake County more climate-resilient. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Special Edition: What a Hoot
Episode 13
Wednesday, 4 February, 2026
Winter is a sleepy time in your Lake County Forest Preserves.Many songbirds have flown south. Snow drifts sand the edges off the landscape. But now is when Lake County’s three resident owl species warm up their voices for breeding season. “As the mercury drops, owl courtship heats up,” said Education Site Specialist Jen Berlinghof. Four more owl species are winter visitors. Let’s learn the hoots of all seven owls. Forest Preserves Mentioned:Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve (LakeForest)Lyons Woods Forest Preserve(Waukegan)Old School Forest Preserve (Mettawa)Pine Dunes Forest Preserve (Antioch)Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve(Grayslake)Winter Sports Area at Lakewood Forest Preserve (Wauconda) Selected Links and Sources:“As Snowy Owls Hang Out Near Montrose Bird Sanctuary, City Limits Access to Area,” Madison Savedra, Block Club ChicagoBarred owl, Cornell Lab of Ornithology“Chicago Park District Limits Access to Snowy Owls, Citing Safety Concerns. Here’s What to Know About the Arctic Visitors,” Patty Wetli, WTTW NewsEastern screech owl, CornellEvery Acre StrongForest Preserves calendarGreat horned owl, CornellHorizons subscriptionsLong-eared owl, CornellMacaulay Library, CornellMontrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Chicago Park DistrictNorthern saw-whet owl, Cornell“Please Give a Hoot,” Chicago Park DistrictShort-eared owl, CornellSnowy owl, CornellSolar-lit trails“‘Utterly unlike other birds’: The inscrutable brilliance of owls,” Shannon Henry Kleiber, To the Best of our Knowledge“What a Hoot: Listening for Owls,” Winter 2025 Horizons“What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds,” Jennifer Ackerman“What is an irruption?”, Project SNOWstorm *** If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign for the Forest Preserves.Your gift will help create a $20 million endowment to protect the forest preserves you love, ensuring every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Forever. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/endowment. Subscribe to Horizons at LCFPD.org/horizons. Have questions or comments? Send them to WordsOfTheWoods@LCFPD.org. This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Jen Berlinghof and Jennifer Ackerman. We used the following recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library: ML22873ML22874ML30889ML48901ML100704ML100705ML100706ML125365ML125371ML137503ML138288ML612361421 Other sound effects and music from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art photo © Justine Neslund. Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.
