- Unless otherwise noted, there is no charge for participation. Some trips have participation limits with prior registration required and are identified as such. At times, members may receive priority due to participation limitations. But you do not have to be a member of Illinois Audubon Society or the Lake Cook Chapter to participate in most of our events. Good deal, huh? If you like our field trip programming, here are ways to support our organization.
- Young people who can participate without supervision are welcome. For field trips and programs geared for budding young birders and naturalists we recommend investigating the Illinois Young Birders
- Learn about membership in the Lake Cook Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society here.
- If you wish to be notified about upcoming field trips and programs please register to receive email updates. Field trip details listed on this website are subject to change.
- Please! Leave your pets at home.
In the calendar below, please click the “+” to expand the view. Once expanded, click “Read More” for more event detail and map.
The trails in this Lake County Forest Preserve move from pine grove to prairie to oak woodland, providing varied habitat that makes it an ideal location to look for spring migrants as well as birds that will stay to nest like Blue-winged Warblers. One eBird checklist from the same time last year counted 59 species including 17 types of warblers.
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: Donna Kenski 847-347-3474
Please register for the Lyons Woods field trip here so that we can get a head count 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 head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Every year since 1972, volunteers have participated in this one-day count across the entire state of Illinois to help measure bird populations. If you’re interested, contact Adam Sell (adamwardsell@gmail.com) for Lake County assignments or Alan Anderson (casresearch@comcast.net) for Cook County assignments, or to join an existing group.
Start your Mother’s Day with a (bird)song! 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: Geoff Williamson 773-485-5217
Please register for the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Part of the original grove of oak and hickory trees for which Long Grove was named, this small preserve is an oasis of calm that can yield a nice series of migrants on a good day. It offers easy walking through woodland trails and borders an inland lake that houses resident populations of waterfowl and herons.
Directions: Reed-Turner is located at 3849 Old McHenry Road, ½ mile south of Rte. 22 / Half Day Rd in Long Grove.
Leader: Jerry Hampton 630-400-0755
Please register for the Reed-Turner Woodland Preserve field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Birders at Lake County’s largest forest preserve 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: Donna Kenski 847-347-3474
Please register for the Lakewood Forest Preserve field trip here so that we can get a head count 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.
Leader: Dan Ellig 224-456-8011
Please register for the Crabtree Nature Center field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Mid-May at IBSP North is a great spot for migrating warblers, vireos, flycatchers and other passerines, including star skulkers like Mourning and Connecticut Warblers. We’ll be taking the North Unit South Trail beginning in Winthrop Harbor, winding through shrubland, marsh, grassland and other habitats as well as beachfront.
Directions: We will meet at the north end of IBSP in Winthrop Harbor (NOT at the 17th 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.
Leader: Nancy Tikalsky 773-655-0269
Please register for the Illinois Beach State Park North Unit field trip here so that we can get a head count 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 field trip here so that we can get a head count 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: Rena Cohen 847-971-1107 and Susan Lamberts
Please register for the University of Saint Mary of the Lake field trip here so that we can get a head count 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.
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 field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions
NEW! 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 (as many as 20 were counted here in late May last year) as well as Henslow’s Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark and more.
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 southwest (left) on IL-59 on 1.4 miles, turn west (right) on Algonquin Rd, Il-62, 1.0 miles, and then north (right) on Old Sutton Rd., 0.8 miles. Enter the forest preserve and proceed to the parking lot by the barn (see Google maps pin above).
Leader: Kerry Swift 847-323-6878
Please register for the Horizon Farm field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions
Migration is winding down, but late May can still be hopping at this hotspot along the Des Plaines River corridor. 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.
Leaders: Todd Katz 847-409-7355 and Ethan Ellis 773-218-9288
Please register for the Ryerson field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Come bird with us on Memorial Day morning! With woodland, savanna and wetland habitats, Sedge Meadow is a great place for birders to look for lingering 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).
Leaders: Charlotte Pavelka and Doug Reitz 847-347-8416
Please register for the Sedge Meadow field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Wyalusing Treasures @ Wyalusing State Park, Wisconsin
Just four hours from Chicago’s north suburbs, Wyalusing State Park at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers is one of Wisconsin’s top birding spots as well as one of its most picturesque. The forests and waters provide abundant habitat for a wide variety of species, with potential lingering migrants as well as summer residents like Cerulean, Prothonotary and Yellow-Throated Warblers. We’ll meet about halfway there on Friday morning to bird at a spot in Janesville, spend Saturday at Wyalusing with a local guide who knows the park well, and bird Sunday at another spot along the Mississippi before heading home.
Our motel is small (just 8 rooms) so we have limited capacity and are reserving participation to Lake/Cook members. You can also camp at Wyalusing or find your own accommodations. Email Kerry Swift (swift.kerry@gmail.com) for details.
Note: Please let Kerry know if you have a canoe or kayak. If so, there may be an option to bird the river where it’s easiest to see Prothonotary Warblers.
Catch the end of spring migration and the beginning of nesting season at Lake County’s best spot for grassland and marsh birds, including Bobolink, Henslow’s Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark and sometimes Dickcissel. With 1,216 uninterrupted acres, the habitat includes prairie, wetland and an oak grove that plays host to passerines. Rollins is also one of the few places in the county to find Trumpeter Swans, which have nested here for several years.
Bring a spotting scope to scan the large wetland if you have one.
Directions: Meet at the Drury Lane parking lot on the north side of the preserve. From I-94, exit Grand Ave. west to Rollins Rd., then turn left (west) on Rollins and south on Drury Lane Drive .3 mile to the parking lot on left.
Leader: Beau Schaefer 847-337-3602
Please register for the Rollins Savanna field trip here so that we can get a head count 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. Special sightings can include Brewer’s Blackbirds, which are uncommon nesters in Lake County, and Blue Grosbeak, which have been seen at this site for the past several years. Other possibilities range from hard-to-find species Sedge Wren to European Goldfinch as well as late migrants and resident and nesting birds.
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 17th Street.)
Leader: CiCi Birnberg 847-945-8500
Please register for the IBSP South Unit field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Located on the Fox River, the McHenry Dam area adjacent to Moraine Hills State Park is one of McHenry County’s top birding hotspots and usually a reliable place to find special birds like nesting Prothonotary, Pine and Yellow-throated Warblers as well as other uncommon local nesters like Yellow-throated Vireo. We should also see resident Bald Eagles and much more with trails that wind through wetlands, easy walking trails, and scenic views all the way.
Directions: From I-294, exit Rt. 176 and drive west 17 miles to River Rd. Turn north, drive 2.5 miles to the entrance. Meet at the south end of parking lot.
Leader: Mark Fritzmann 815-382-0055
Please register for the McHenry Dam field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Southern California: Sea, Mountains & Desert
Led by Red Hill Birding’s Steve Huggins, this trip will begin in Los Angeles, end in San Diego and take us out of the cold Chicago winter to varied (and much warmer!) habitats including the Pacific Ocean Coast, high mountains, vast deserts and bird-rich wetlands. We’ll see many of the common and widespread specialties of California like California Scrub-Jay, California Condor, LeConte’s Thrasher and Mountain Quail; endangered species like California Gnatcatcher; endemic species like Yellow-billed Magpie and Island Scrub-Jay; uncommon species like Lawrence’s Goldfinch; coastal Pacific specialties like Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Bran’s and Pelagic Cormorants, and Pacific Loon; and much more. We’ll also look for pelagic species on our boat ride to Santa Cruz Island. Maximum 7 participants.
Priority to Lake/Cook Chapter members.
Email renabird3@gmail.com if you are interested in a complete itinerary and cost.
Southern California: Sea, Mountains & Desert
Early May (exact dates TBD)
Led by Ron Martin, the leader on our 2023 North Dakota trip who has since relocated to North Carolina, this trip will take us from Raleigh to Hatteras for a pelagic trip to the Outer Banks. Target species range from landbirds like Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson’s Warbler, Brown-headed Nuthatch and Bachman’s Sparrow to coastal specialties such as Sandwich and Gull-billed Terns as well as multiple pelagic shearwater and storm-petrel species. We will also include stops of historic significance at The Wright Brothers Memorial and the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Maximum 14 participants.
Priority to Lake/Cook Chapter members.
Email renabird3@gmail.com if you are interested in a complete itinerary and cost.
Keep checking back for updates to our field trip schedule.