Every fall, the entire North American population of Broad-winged Hawks fill the sky in what is often called “a river of raptors” as they journey thousands of miles to their wintering grounds in South America. In 2012 and 2013, however, monitoring data suggested a population decline of 10 to 40% in some Eastern states. The next year, to better understand the threats to this forest-nesting raptor, biologists at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania began tagging adult and juvenile birds with transmitters to track them year-round. Dr. Laurie Goodrich, Director of Conservation Science at the sanctuary, will join us to discuss what’s been discovered about the bird’s migration patterns, stopover habits, nesting behavior, and other data that can help set conservation priorities for this species.

Many birders shy away from shorebird identification because they think “all shorebirds look the same.” With spring migration just around the corner, award-winning local birder Geoff Williamson will dispel that notion by illustrating the importance of shape, structure and proportion in identifying major types of shorebirds as well as in differentiating between similar-looking species. In fact, plumage features come into play only to decide between two or three species. Geoff’s program will be followed by a short walk outside at dusk to see American Woodcocks display. (Bring binoculars!)

The arrival of spring waterfowl is the first sign of spring for local birders as loons, pelicans and multiple duck species drop into Lake County lakes on the way north to their breeding grounds. Lake/Cook’s annual multi-stop spring waterfowl trip begins at Diamond Lake in Mundelein, with additional stops and directions that will be provided at Diamond Lake based on our scouting to find the most productive sites. You can leave at any time but try to stay until mid-morning because one of the highlights is a stop at the north end of our route that is usually filled with dozens of Common Loons and American White Pelicans.

Dress warm and bring scopes if you have them. Carpooling is optional when we meet at Diamond Lake.

Directions: Meet at Gale Street Inn parking lot, 935 N. Diamond Lake Rd., Mundelein.

 Leader: Beau Schaefer 847-337-3602

Please register for the Loons of Lake County trip HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Our closest state park is a migrant trap that has recorded nearly 250 species, thanks to a rich habitat mix of riparian edges, oak woodlands, conifer stands, open lakes and mudflats. Early migrants that typically show up in mid-April range from assorted waterfowl, shorebirds and sparrows to Brown Thrasher, Brown Creeper, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Rusty Blackbirds and Yellow-rumped Warblers

Directions: From I-94 tollway, exit IL-173/Rosecrans Rd, turn left on Rosecrans, drive 13 mi, turn left on Wilmot Rd.. then left into park. Meet at the pull-out/overlook on the right side of the entrance road.

Leader: Beau Schaefer 847-337-3602

Please register for the Chain o’ Lakes bird walk HERE so that we can get a headcount 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 attract the first wave of spring warblers, vireos and sparrows. 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.

Leaders: Charlotte Pavelka and Doug Reitz 847-347-8416

Please register for the Ryerson trip HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

This former farmland was preserved as open space in the 1960s and restored by the Lake County Forest Preserves over the years, leaving a blend of marsh, woodland, prairie and grassland habitats that can yield 40-50 species on a good day in late April. eBird reports at the same time last year included a nice selection of early sparrows, warblers, orioles and other landbird migrants.

Directions: Cuba Marsh is located at 24205 W Cuba Rd. Take Lake Cook Rd. west, turn north on Ela Rd. and west on Cuba Road to the preserve parking lot.

Leaders: Wanda Supanich 224-433-1675 and Maureen Marsh 352-317-5130

Please register for the Cuba Marsh bird walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

An hour from the north suburbs, Muirhead Springs Forest Preserve is 757 acres of newly restored prairie and wetlands in Kane County and one of the newest birding hotspots in Chicagoland. In the spring the ponds boast a variety of waterfowl as well as shorebirds such as Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, various sandpipers, and others as they stop on their way to breeding grounds up north. Grassland possibilities include species like Vesper Sparrow, Lapland and Smith’s Longspurs, American Pipit, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Eastern and occasional Western Meadowlarks, early Bobolinks and more.

NOTE: The paths are a mixture of crushed limestone and cut grass that can be wet and muddy, weather depending. Please dress appropriately. Bring scopes if you have them.

Directions: The parking lot entrance is at 42W855 Bahr Road. (Do NOT go to the Rohrsen Road address.) From the north suburbs, take I-294 south, drive 12 miles to exit 40B to take I-90 west to Rockford. Drive 30 miles to exit 47 for IL-47 south. Continue for 6.8 miles, turn left onto Bahr Road, and turn right into the parking lot.

 Leaders: John Sprovieri and Regina McNulty 630-347-5991

Please register for the Muirhead Springs bird walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

One of the top migrant hotspots in the northern suburbs, this Cook County forest preserve boasts extensive woodland trails and a shoreline by the restored lagoons that attract 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 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 the Skokie Lagoons/Erickson Woods bird walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Birding at IBSP South Unit takes you through marsh, dune, swale, oak woods and Lake Michigan beach habitats, providing a rich mix of passerines, waterfowl and raptors. The park should be hopping with a rich variety of warblers and other migrating songbirds, along with a handful of shorebirds and harder-to-find species like Sedge Wren and European Goldfinch.  This is also the only reliable spot in Lake County for Brewer’s Blackbirds, which are rare summer residents in Illinois.

Directions: IBSP South is located between Bowen Park in Waukegan and North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor. From Sheridan Road (IL 137), turn east on Wadsworth Rd. a few blocks north of Emily’s Pancake House and drive 2 miles into the park. Park in the Nature Center parking lot. (Be sure you go to the South Unit – also called Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park – and not the North Unit at 7th Street.)

Leader: Donna Kenski 847-347-3474

Please register for the IBSP South Unit bird walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Pack a picnic dinner and join us for a 5 pm bird walk at the height of spring migration in one of the birdiest forest preserves in Lake County. Daniel Wright Woods and Half Day Forest Preserve are linked by a footbridge over the Des Plaines River, providing crucial habitat for songbirds that utilize the river as a rest stop on their migratory journeys and often yielding over 20 species of warblers on a good day. We’ll bird first, then gather at the picnic tables near the Wright Woods parking lot to eat and socialize.

Directions: From Waukegan Rd., turn west on Everett Rd. in Lake Forest, drive to the end (St. Mary’s Rd), and turn left (south) into the parking lot. Meet in the parking lot at Everett and St. Mary’s Roads.

Leader: Todd Katz 847-409-7355

Please register for the Daniel Wright Woods bird walk and picnic HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

In addition to being one of Lake County’s birdiest forest preserves during migration, Daniel Wright has become a reliable spot for Pileated Woodpecker – a species that was largely absent from the county just a decade ago. Daniel Wright Woods and Half Day Forest Preserve are linked by a footbridge over the Des Plaines River, providing crucial habitat for songbirds that utilize the river as a rest stop on their migratory journeys and often yielding over 20 species of warblers on a good day.

Directions: From Waukegan Rd., turn west on Everett Rd. in Lake Forest, drive to the end (St. Mary’s Rd), and turn left (south) into the parking lot. Meet in the parking lot at Everett and St. Mary’s Roads.

Leaders: Charlotte Pavelka and Doug Reitz 847-347-8416

Please register for the Daniel Wright Woods bird walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

NEW! Located along a segment of the North Branch of the Chicago River, Linne Woods in Morton Grove has become a favorite hotspot of top local birders. Paved and unpaved trails run through a mix of bottomland forest, upland woods, prairie openings and streamside habitat in this Cook County forest preserve, sometimes yielding up to 21 species of warbler in a single morning during peak migration along with a rich of mix of other birdlife.

Directions: Linne Woods is located on Dempster Street just 1.2 miles west of the Edens Expressway just east of Lehigh Avenue. Meet by the picnic shelter at the far north end of the parking lot.

Leader: Pieter Bonin 540-454-9394

Please register for the Linne Woods walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

This lakefront park features an abundance of trees and shrubs where warblers and other landbird migrants can feed and rest on their way north, plus a harbor, beach and expansive views of Lake Michigan that can yield waterfowl and shorebirds. Last year’s spring trip here was exceptionally birdy, thanks to east winds that pushed warblers into the trees on the western edges of the park for easy eye-level-or just-above views.

Directions: Park on Michigan Avenue by the main (south) entrance to the park off Sheridan Road and wait for the group to gather there. (Parking inside the park is limited to Wilmette residents.)

Leader: Rena Cohen (847) 971-1107

Please register for the Gillson Park walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

This Cook County forest preserve has a rich mix of woodland, wetland and prairie habitat, offering ample opportunities to see a variety of both migrating and resident birds. Possible sightings range from warblers, vireos and other passerines to rails, waterfowl and Black-crowned Night Heron. Note that trails are unpaved and can be muddy depending on weather.

Directions: Crabtree is located at 3 Stover Road in Barrington. Take Willow Rd./Palatine Rd. west, turn north into preserve (Stover Rd.) one mile west of Barrington Rd. Meet in the main parking lot. NOTE: The gates don’t open until 8:00 am so park in the lot across the street if you’re early.

Leaders: Wanda Supanich 224-433-1675 and Maureen Marsh 352-317-5130

 Please register for the Crabtree Nature Center walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

With its Lake Michigan beach and “Magic Hedge” bushes serving as a welcome stopover for birds migrating along the Mississippi Flyway, Montrose is a world-famous birding hotspot that has attracted more than 300 species – including some of the rarest birds ever recorded in the state. Mid-May should be hopping with warblers, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes, wrens, sparrows, shorebirds and other bird “magic” – hopefully including the latest generation of Piping Plovers descended from Monty and Rose.

Directions: From Lake Shore Dr. take the Montrose Ave. exit east, turn right at the Bait Shop at Montrose Harbor Dr., park near the sanctuary entrance and feed parking meters OR park on Montrose before or after Bait Shop for free.

Leader: Rena Cohen 847-971-1107

Please register for the Montrose walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Migration should be in full swing at this hotspot along the Des Plaines River corridor, where the right weather and wind conditions can yield a wide variety of migrants. This has been one of the few places in Lake County to find nesting Hooded Warblers for the last several years. 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: John Leonard 847-845-5563

Please register for the Ryerson walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

With woodland, savanna and wetland habitats, Sedge Meadow is a great place to look for warblers, flycatchers, vireos and other spring migrants (one previous chapter walk here yielded a Brewster’s Warbler, a hybrid Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warbler that is rarely reported in the Chicago area) as well as resident species.

Directions: The preserve is located on Wadsworth Rd., just east of US 41. Meet at the Sedge Meadow entrance, which is the first parking lot east of US 41 (NOT the canoe launch lot).

Leader: Donna Kenski 847-347-3474

Please register for the Sedge Meadow walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

This underbirded location is a beautiful seminary campus featuring a hard surface road that loops 3.2 miles around a large lake, plus woods surrounding the lake with excellent habitat for migrants.

Directions: The seminary property is located on Route 45 between Route 176 and Winchester Rd. Enter at the stoplight on Route 45. Park in the Purple Lot.

See pin – USML Purple Parking Lot and Package Delivery

Leaders: Wanda Supanich 224-433-1675 and Susan Lamberts

Please register for the University of Saint Mary on the Lake walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Limit 15 participants. If you register and are not able to attend, please text or call the trip leader at least 24 hours in advance to open your spot for another birder.

Hello, grassland birding! Horizon Farm, a former equestrian estate, is one of Cook County’s newest forest preserves and a welcome addition to the scarce grassland habitat in the Chicagoland area. The property covers nearly 400 acres and features meadows, wetlands and small streams as well as open habitat for grassland species including Bobolink (we counted more than 30 here on our trip last year) as well as Henslow’s Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark and more. Our friends from Kane County Audubon will be joining us for the fun.

Google Maps directions

Directions: Horizon Farm is located at Old Sutton Rd., south of Otis Rd. From the north suburbs, take Lake Cook Road to N. Quentin Rd., Turn south (left) on Quentin, drive 1.1 mile to Dundee and turn west (right). Drive 5 miles and turn south (left) on IL-59, west (right) on Algonquin Rd Il-62, and then north (right) on Old Sutton Rd.

Leader: Pieter Bonin 540-454-9394

Please register for the Horizon Farm walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Come bird with us on Memorial Day morning at Lake County’s largest forest preserve! Birders have reported 229 species here, thanks to habitat that includes a mixture of oak woods, wetlands and fields. The first-ever state record of Painted Redstart was reported here in 2023, drawing scores of birders from around the state to see this stunning black and red warbler far from its home in the southwestern U.S.

Directions: From westbound Route 176, turn left (south) onto Fairfield Road. Within a 1/4 mile turn right (southwest) onto W. Ivanhoe Road. Do NOT turn left into the Lakewood Forest Preserve parking lot. Continue southwest on Ivanhoe Road about 1/4 mile to the first road on your left (past big white house on corner). This road is gravel and unnamed. Drive down this road to a small parking lot and public toilets. (Map)

Leader: Stephen Hurst 224-804-4030

Please register for the Lakewood Forest Preserve walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

With spring migration winding down, the restored tallgrass prairie, open wetlands, creeks and large reservoir of this underbirded Lake County Forest Preserve offer easy sightlines that make it a good spot to look for grassland and wetland species that will stay to nest.

Directions: Drive to the intersection of Lake Cook Rd. and N. Arlington Heights Rd. Turn north on Arlington Heights Rd., then west on Checker Rd. Park in the parking lot at 18163 Checker Rd. (This is the preserve’s east parking lot and larger than the one on the west.)

Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve – Main Parking Lot

Leader: Jerry Hampton (630) 400-0755

Please register for the Buffalo Creek walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Once a campground and daily farm, this Lake County Forest Preserve features a mix of habitats including a large glacial lake, scattered wetlands, and oak and hickory groves that support a variety of birdlife. Timber Lake separates the two sections of the preserve. We’ll be birding Raven Glen East, which is accessed from Route 45.

Directions: The main entrance is at 41080 North U.S. Highway 45 (Route 45 south of Route 173 and north of Miller Rd.)

Leader: Kerry Swift 847-323-6878

Please register for the Raven Glen walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Once home to a large evergreen nursery with many of the trees still standing today, this Lake County Forest Preserve provides varied habitat ranging from pine grove to prairie and oak woodland. It is one of the few places in our area that has hosted nesters like Blue-winged Warblers in recent years, and late May should also yield other breeding birds as well as lingering spring migrants.

Directions: The entrance to Lyons Woods is located at the corner of Blanchard and Sheridan Roads, north of Bowen Park and south of York House Road.

Leader: Nancy Tikalsky 773-655-0269

Please register for the Lyons Woods walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

With its mix of shrubland, marsh, grassland, black oak savanna, dunes and beachfront, the North Unit is a great spot to see lingering neotropical migrants as well as breeding birds. Special sightings here at this time of year have included Yellow-breasted Chat, Dickcissel, Bobolink, Henslow’s Sparrow and Sedge Wren. Note that we’ll be taking the South Trail beginning in the North Point Marina area at Winthrop Harbor (not the main park entrance in Zion).

Directions: We will meet at the north end of IBSP in Winthrop Harbor accessed from 7^th Street (NOT at the 17^th Street entrance in Zion). From Sheridan Road/Route 137, turn east on 7th Street. Follow 7th Street toward North Point Marina. At the stop sign, turn right and then, almost immediately, turn right into the fisherman’s parking lot.

Leaders: Charlotte Pavelka and Doug Reitz 847-347-8416

Please register for the walk HERE so that we can get a headcount and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.