European Goldfinches are stunning birds that are obviously native to Europe, but they began showing up in Lake County as early as 2001, presumably because they were released cage birds. By 2024, they were so common in pockets around the U.S. including Illinois and Wisconsin that they were added to the countable Illinois and American Birding Association checklists. Louise Bodt, a PhD candidate in the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago and a scientific affiliate at the Field Museum, will explain how this happened and its relation to her research into how introduced species can serve as a model for understanding how species change in new environments.

Please register here if you are participating in the potluck dinner so that we can get a headcount for table setup.

Hundreds of state-endangered Black-crowned Night Herons nest in the Lincoln Park Zoo, creating what is believed to be the largest remaining single-species BCNH breeding colony in Illinois. The number of nests, the squawk of the birds and their newly hatched chicks, and the fact that they are breeding in the middle of a busy urban neighborhood create a magical viewing experience as well as a wonderful conservation learning opportunity. Amy Lardner, founder of the Chicago Black-crowned Night Heron Project, will show us the rookery, explain its significance as well as the project’s conservation efforts, and then accompany us to the zoo’s Nature Boardwalk to discuss the zoo’s broader urban conservation involvement. Optional brunch at Café Brauer on the Nature Boardwalk overlooking South Pond to follow.

Meet outside the zoo’s West Gate entrance on N. Stockton Drive. ARRIVE EARLY TO FIND STREET PARKING. (The zoo parking lot costs $35 or more unless you are a member.)  Carpool if possible to make parking easier.

Please register for the tour and the optional brunch here – we need a headcount for both.

The Newberry Library has just opened a temporary exhibit called Winging It: A Brief History of Humanity’s Relationship with Birds that collates illustrations, woodblock prints and other media from the Newberry’s collection to demonstrate how birds in Europe and the Americas have persisted through the centuries – often despite human interference. This private tour by local birder, filmmaker and library communications director Bob Dolgan, who curated the exhibit, is open exclusively to Lake/Cook members with a maximum attendance of 15. Email renabird3@gmail.com to register for a digital lottery that will be held in early July to select attendees. Winners will be selected at random through a digital app. Lake/Cook membership is required to participate in the lottery. Please attend ONLY if you receive an email confirmation.