CHICAGO -- The stars arrived early. There was an eastern bluebird bright as the summer sky, a palm warbler with a jaunty chestnut-brown cap, and a snow-white great egret standing 3 feet tall.
All touched down at the Eggers Grove forest preserve on the Southeast Side in the hours before a Tuesday news conference kicking off the fall birding season.
In a clearing surrounded by thick foliage and clumps of goldenrod, local leaders including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle celebrated the annual southern migration of millions of birds through the Chicago region — now already underway. And officials urged citizens to get out to county forest preserves and enjoy the show.
