Next Field Trips
Join us on our next bird watching field trip. Unless otherwise noted, there is no charge for participation. Some trips may require prior registration or are prioritized for Lake Cook Audubon members. This will be noted in the field trip description.
This Cook County forest preserve is one of the top migrant hotspots in the northern suburbs, with the extensive woodland trails and the shoreline by the restored lagoons attracting virtually every species of warbler seen in the Chicago region as well as migrating thrushes, flycatchers, vireos and more. Ospreys nesting on the west side of the preserve should also still be present, along with multiple waterbird species and flyover raptors.
Waterproof shoes are advisable in case the woods along the lagoons shoreline are wet.
Directions: Meet at the Willow Rd. entrance just east of the Edens Expressway (the sign says Erickson Woods). From the north, take the Edens southbound and exit at Tower Road. Turn left (south) on the Frontage road to Willow Road. Turn left (east) on Willow and cross over the Edens to the Erickson Woods entrance. Park at the north end of the parking lot.
Leaders: Ed and Rebecca Rice 847-420-0734
Please register for Skokie Lagoons/Erickson Woods here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
This hotspot along the Des Plaines River corridor is a great migrant trap that can be filled with fall warblers, lingering flycatchers and other landbirds winging their way south at this time of year. Resident Pileated and Red-headed Woodpeckers and Barred and Great-horned Owls are other possible highlights at this site, which is both an Illinois Nature Preserve indicating its ecologically high-quality land and a Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Directions: From Deerfield Rd., turn north on Riverwoods Rd., drive to Ryerson entrance. Enter preserve and follow the signs to Brushwood Visitors Center. Meet in the Brushwood parking lot. NOTE: The gates open at 6:30 am.
Leader: Beau Schaefer (847) 337-3602
Please register for the Ryerson trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Next Programs
Our programs are open to the public and free. Most are offered at Heller Nature Center in Highland Park. Some may be presented on Zoom. This will be noted in the program description. Many past-programs can now be viewed on YouTube here.
Our program year 2024-2025 is in development and programs are being published when set up.
Every year, the regular migrations and movements of the birds around us happen like clockwork. But every year, it’s not just the expected that happens, but also the unexpected. In this presentation, long-time local birder, regional eBird reviewer and Illinois Ornithological Records Committee head Geoff Williamson will take us on a tour of the rarities that have appeared in the greater Chicago area over the last four seasons. There were more than 30 of them, drawn from nearly two dozen species and representing about 20 different families of birds.
For decades, no one knew what waterbirds could be found offshore in Lake Michigan beyond the reach of spotting scopes in the fall and winter. Leaders of the Wisconsin-based Lake Michigan Bird Observatory decided to find out, both to gain insights into offshore bird habitats and to help prevent any future wind turbine projects from being placed in key foraging sites. A team conducted offshore and nearshore waterfowl surveys in a twin-engine aircraft for five years, flying parallel transects between the shoreline and 15 kilometers from shore in rectangular survey blocks from Door County to the IL/WI state line. The surveys detected thousands of waterfowl, including over 25,000 Long-tailed Ducks on a single day. Bill Mueller, a driving force behind the survey and now the observatory’s Director Emeritus, will join us to discuss the findings and their importance for waterfowl conservation.
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Who We Are
We are a gathering of people who enjoy bird watching and studying birds and wildlife. We welcome people of all ages and skills to join us on our field trips, programs and other events. Most of our monthly programs are bird-oriented, but we also address environmental and natural history topics.
The Illinois Audubon Society is the state’s oldest conservation organization that functions as a land trust to protect and enhance Illinois’ unique habitats and to educate the public about them. Organized in 1897, Illinois Audubon is not affiliated with the National Audubon Society.