Here are a couple links to articles defending non-native species. Perhaps we’ve gone overboard when we consider that all non-native species are bad for the environment and must be removed.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129621.400-loving-the-alien-a-defence-of-nonnative-species.html#.VQhFp2bN4Tk
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140724-invasive-species-conservation-biology-extinction-climate-science/
All photos were taken in Hyde Park (Chicago) during the last few weeks. Habitat destruction at Wooded Isle photos are at the end of this post

Bohemian waxwing

Bohemian waxwing

male and female white-winged scoter
Female red-breasted merganser with a few white-winged scoters

moonrise over Lake MIchigan


sunrise over Lake Michigan


mystery track with 2 inch red ball for scale

common merganser showing off red foot

lots of healthy trees cut down


middle of the wooded isle


near Osaka Garden

lots of very old, very big trees were cut down, dogs for scale

wood chips from all the trees cut down, dog for scale

Poplar trees cut down from bobolink meadow

brush cut down, lots of habitat for nesting birds removed





Young oak tree–all replacement trees are going to be 3 inches wide

red oshier dogwood taken out too. Don’t know why it was on the hit list, native and not invasive