The Sanctuary At Jelke Creek Stock Image

This sanctuary is home to a variety of birds and provides a needed resting place for others that are migrating. The Kane County Audubon Society spotted the following birds in the Sanctuary in 2010: Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitcher, Mourning Dove, Downey Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Kingbird, Swallows, Black-capped Chickadee, House Wren, Robins, Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, Indigo buntings, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch, and House Sparrows.The 50 acres are a restored wetland complex finished in 2000. Dundee Township completed this restoration without the use of public funds through a lease arrangement with a private contractor who received wetland mitigation credits in exchange for the restoration and trail construction. The quality of the restoration met Army Corps standards for this type of project. The lease has ended and the site is now under Township Management. A bridge over the creek connects the wetland to a brand new trail system created in 2009 during the restoration of the gravel pit area. Using grants from IDNR and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Township was able to completely restore the mined-out areas in the old pit and improve the water quality and flow here at the Jelke Creek Bird Sanctuary.