The Middlefork Savanna Interpretive Trail
The Wildlife Discovery Center is situated on the Middlefork Savanna, which the Nature Conservancy calls the nation’s finest example of a black soil, tall grass savanna. Nestled among the savanna’s 700 acres are pristine wetlands, rivers, vernal and permanent ponds, sedge meadows, open oak islands, prairie and much more. Due to the rarity of this ecosystem, many threatened and endangered species of plants and animals live here. Some, like the Sandhill Crane, live here during the late spring and through early fall as they raise their young. The Bob-O-Link, a rare bird of the prairie, is found in healthy numbers at the Middlefork Savanna. Many raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks, Sharp Shins, Coopers, and even Harriers find this to be a great place to live. Some of the owls at this site include the Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, and even Long Eared Owls. Mink, weasel and other predatory mammals also live here year round.

Of course, we are very proud of our herpetofauna and Eastern and Plains Garter Snakes, Smooth Green Snakes, Red Bellied Snakes, Eastern Milksnakes, Midland Painted Turtles, Common Snapping Turtles, American Toads, Western Chorus Frogs, Green Frogs, Bullfrogs, Northern Leopard Frogs, Tiger Salamanders and Blue Spotted Salamanders are all found here. Two rarities, the Blanding’s turtle and the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake appear to be extirpated from this site and it is our hope to see them make a come back to this area. We hope to see this happen through the cooperative efforts of several organizations including the WDC.

The Middlefork Savanna is owned by the Lake County Forest Preserve District and for the past ten years the Wildlife Discovery Center has been working in collaboration with the county in completing an extensive herpetofauna survey of this site.

The Wildlife Discovery Center manages a special 3-acre portion of the Middlefork Savanna, which has additional hiking trails, interpretive signs, and a wildlife viewing deck giving you a panoramic view of this special savanna.

Animals Along the “Discover the Middlefork” Interpretive Trail:
 

• Squirt
  Eastern Screech Owl, Otus asio
  The Eastern Screech-Owl is found in nearly every habitat throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. A commonly heard but seldom seen bird of prey of the Middlefork Savanna, this raptor uses a variety of vocalizations including the sound of a horse “neighing” in the dark. Although very diminutive in size, they are fearless hunters of small rodents and are very adept at catching fast moving prey due to their special feathers that create no sound when in flight. The screech owl’s first form of defense is camouflage – they can literally disappear when perched on a tree! “Squirt” was found on a backyard porch in Lake Forest when he flew into a patio window. Despite surgery and many attempts to rehabilitate this owl for release, the damage was too severe and he is blind in one eye. Now, he is a wonderful ambassador for the WDC!
• Curly
  Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
  One of the most widespread hawks in North America, these “buteos” (meaning “broad wings”) are oftentimes seen perched along highways and roads in trees looking for any small animal it can catch which includes snakes, mammals, and birds. These birds love to soar and can oftentimes be seen in county preserves and other natural areas. Like all birds of prey, they use their razor sharp talons and strong feet to quickly subdue prey. We have a number of red-tails on the Middlefork Savanna. Curly came to the Wildlife Discovery Center in 1998 after being stolen from his nest to be raised and sold on the black market. Because he had imprinted to humans and never learned to hunt, he was un-releasable. Through a special training technique, Curly has been trained to free-fly outside of his cage, which gives him the opportunity for additional exercise.
• Humble
  Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus
  Called the “Tiger of the Sky”, these solitary hunters only come together during the mating season. One of the most efficient predators in North America, these large owls hunt a variety of prey including skunk, possum, raccoons and any other nocturnal animal they can subdue. Contrary to popular belief, owls cannot turn their head all the way around but are able to turn it approximately 240 degrees due to the many small vertebrae in their neck. Humble was found near Illinois Beach State Park where her parents were found dead due to illegal hunting. Humble was sent for rehabilitation and was deemed un-releasable due to a torn tendon in the back of her leg. Humble is very shy around people but at night, she fills the night air with her soft hooting.
• Navaho
  Harris’ Hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus
  Found throughout the S.W. U.S. and southward into Chile and Argentina. One of the only raptors on earth that use cooperative hunting techniques to catch prey. Commonly used in Falconry, there are populations now found in Great Britain but these are most likely escaped birds. “Navajo” was born at the Los Angelos Zoo in 1982 and spent much of her time at Zoo Atlanta where she performed in front of thousands of people as part of a free flying raptor show. We are now starting to fly Navajo and hope she can return to her old form.
• Boris
  Bobcat, Lynx rufus
  A wildcat that can be found throughout most of Illinois, the bobcat’s full geographical range includes southern Canada, most of the United States, and Mexico. The bobcat is often confused with the Lynx, but has some unique features that help identify it. Even though the bobcat’s tail is “bobbed” it is still longer than that of the lynx and has a black bar on the upper side. The bobcat also has shorter and more slender legs with smaller, less furred paws. The bobcat’s ear tufts are also less visible than those of the lynx. Bobcats are about twice the size of a domestic house cat, standing about 20-23 inches at the shoulders and weighing from 10 to 40 pounds. Boris, WDC’s resident bobcat, was relinquished by circus performers on the east cost. He was born in May, 2009.
• Aussie and Harriett
  Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae
  A native of eastern Australia, these comical birds are the largest members of the Kingfisher family. We have our own native Kingfisher here on the Middlefork Savanna called the Eastern Kingfisher. This small bird perches on limbs overhanging water and will dive for fish and other aquatic animals. Unlike our native Kingfishers, the Laughing Kookaburra does not dive into water but rather hunts terrestrial life forms such as rodents, birds, snakes, lizards and insects. What really makes these birds unique though is their outlandish calls. Many of the jungle movies of the 1970’s that had chimpanzee sounds as the background noise were actually Kookaburras! If you spend enough time around our birds, you’ll hear for yourself. Our pair is a male and female and we hope to have little hatchlings one day.

Main Exhibit Hall
This exhibit room features crocodilians, turtles and tortoises, lizards, and snakes including rarities such as the Crocodile Monitor, the Gila Monster, and Beaded Lizards.

Animals on Exhibit:

• Dwarf Caiman, Paleosuchus palbebrosus
• American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis
• Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macroclemys temminckii
• Blanding's Turtle, Emydoidea blandingii
• Midland Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta marginata
• Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina
• Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus
• Henkel's Leaf-tailed Gecko, Uroplatus henkeli
• Crocodile Monitor, Varanus salvadorii
• Rhinoceros Iguana, Cyclura cornuta
• Gila Monster, Heloderma suspectum
• Beaded Lizard, Heloderma horridum
• Utila Island Spiny Tail Iguana, Enyaliosaurus bakeri
• Black-throated Monitor, Varanus albigularis ionidesi
• Black Ratsnake, Elaphe obsoleta
• Coachwhip, Masticophis flagellum
• Bullsnake, Pituophis melanoleucus
• Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platirhinos
• Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis
• Jungle Carpet Python, Morelia spilota cheynei
• Green Tree Python, Morelia viridis
• Burmese Python, Python molurus bivittatus
• Indian Python, Python molorus molorus
• Tiger Ratsnake, Spilotes pullatus
• Eastern Indigo Snake, Drymarchon couperi
• American Toad, Bufo americanus
• Tiger Salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum

We also have quite a few animals that reside in our off display exhibit area including: Boa constrictor, Ball Python, Speckled Kingsnake, Sinaloan Milksnake,Western Fox Snake, Eastern Milk Snake, Red Milksnake, Western Hognose Snake, Transpecos Ratsnake, Sumatran Water Monitor, Blue Tongued Skink, Leopard Gecko, Australian Knob Tailed Geckos, and several tarantula species.