In 2024, Tarik Shahzad broke the Cook County Big Year birding record by logging 294 unique bird species including the first-ever confirmed sighting of a Short-tailed Shearwater in Illinois – all while working full-time as an environmental policy advocate for The Nature Conservancy. The quest took him all over the county and to all sorts of settings, from forest preserves, city parks, lakeside sanctuaries, a cemetery and a retention pond behind a CVS to a boat on Lake Michigan where he spotted a Long-tailed Jaeger. Tarik will share the highlights of his effort, the motivation behind it, and how it connects to his concerns over declining bird populations.

It’s shorebird migration time, and the Techny Basin Conservation Area can have excellent shorebird habitat under the right conditions. We’ll begin at “Techny North” – located on the North branch of the Chicago River – which is among the best non-lake shorebird spots in the area. It also offers grassland habitat to the east, where species like Dickcissels nested two summers ago (thanks in part to initiatives by local birders to prevent mowing during the breeding season), and a view of the Willowhill Golf Course to the west that can yield raptors and other species.

After birding Techny North, time permitting, we’ll drive five minutes to the second Techny Basin area – just south of Willow Road – to look for other shorebirds and landbirds.

Join us for coffee/breakfast afterward.

Scopes are helpful to view the shorebirds – please bring scopes if you have them.

Directions: Drive west on Willow Road past Waukegan Road and turn right (north) at the light at Pinstripes, which is Founders Drive. Turn left at the Sheraton Chicago Northbrook and park in the farthest west lot overlooking the basin.

Leader: Kerry Swift 847-323-6878

Please register for the Techny North walk here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

With woodland, savanna and wetland habitats that include the Des Plaines River, Sedge Meadow is a great place to look for warblers, flycatchers, vireos and other early fall arrivals as well as resident species. The trail is an easy loop that takes about 2-1/2 hours to complete, with the multiple habitats frequently yielding a rich diversity of 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: Stephen Hurst (224) 804-4030

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

Whether it’s a group of Sanderlings scurrying along the beach, Wilson’s Snipe lurking in a wet area of the dunes, or flocks of fall warblers staging at the inland park on the same property, the Waukegan Beach area is a favorite birding destination just after Labor Day with great habitat for migrating shorebirds, waterfowl and songbirds. A surprise Whimbrel even showed up on a field trip one year.

Be prepared to walk on sand, and bring a spotting scope to scan the beach and lake if you have one.

 Directions: Follow Route 120 EAST (Belvidere Rd.), drive to the lake, turn left on Market St/Pershing Rd. right on E Clayton, left on Sea Horse Drive, and bear right to beach parking lot.

Leader: Adam Sell (847) 910-7813

 Please register for Waukegan Beach and Pines 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. Early September arrivals at this special hotspot can include virtually every warbler species that shows up in our area – including possible Connecticut and Mourning – as well as migrating sparrows, flycatchers, kinglets, cuckoos and more.

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 – NOT the North Unit at 7th Street.)

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

Please register for the IBSP South Unit walk here so that we can get a head count 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 nearly 50 species on a good day in mid-September. eBird reports at the same time in 2024 included noteworthy sightings ranging from Golden-winged, Connecticut and Bay-breasted Warblers to Brown Thrasher, Philadelphia Vireo, Marsh Wren, Green-winged Teal and more.

 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.

 Leader: Scott McKinney 630-364-0603

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

Join us to look for fall migrants as well as resident birds like Pileated Woodpecker at 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. Both preserves can be equally productive, providing a two-in-one opportunity for a great birding morning.

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: Jerry Hampton 630-400-0755

Please register for the Wright Woods walk here so that we can get a head count 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 the 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 may 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: Pieter Bonin (540) 454-9394 and Jeff Bilsky (801) 842-4013

 Please register for the Skokie Lagoons walk here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

With a long history that includes a stint as a tree nursery, this Lake County Forest Preserve moves from pine grove to prairie to oak woodland to provide a rich variety of birdlife. Migrating warblers, thrushes, vireos, kinglets, grosbeaks and sparrows should be present along with resident species as fall migration continues.

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.

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

Please register for the Lyons Woods walk 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, 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.

Leaders: Ed and Rebecca Rice (847) 420-0734

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

Join us to bird one of the most important sites for biodiversity in Illinois, named for the waterway known as the Middle Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River that transects the property. Featuring a rare tallgrass savanna ecosystem as well as wetland, woodlands, prairies and open fields, this preserve is a prime spot for viewing fall migrants like Fox, White-crowned and Lincoln’s Sparrows as well as Sandhill Cranes, Wilson’s Snipe, Northern Harrier and a variety of migrating waterfowl. Special mid-October sightings in recent years have included Harris’ Sparrow, Purple Finch and the spectacle of hundreds of undulating Pine Siskins swooping over the fields. European Goldfinch are also becoming increasingly common sightings here.

Directions: The preserve is located at 1401 Middlefork Dr in Lake Forest. From Route 60, take Route 43 north to Westmoreland Dr./Middlefork Dr. Turn left to the parking lot.

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

Please register for the MIddlefork Savanna walk here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

NEW! The 61-acre Jean and John Greene Ravine is a Lake Forest Open Lands property that contains rare ravine, bluff and lakeshore natural communities. It is home to seven state endangered and threatened native plant species and provides important resting habitat for migratory birds along the Lake Michigan flyway, including resident Red-headed Woodpeckers.

NOTE: In addition to land birding, we will be taking the stairs to the beach to check for waterfowl. Those with mobility issues can continue to bird along 1.7-acre trail.

Registration is required and limited to 15 cars due to limited parking. Please register here to confirm your spot.

Directions: The Greene Nature Preserve is located at 797 Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, directly north of the Fort Sheridan Preserve cemetery entrance and US Army Reserve base. Look for the stone pillars. NOTE: the entrance is gated but the leaders will meet to let you in.

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

Any time is a good time to bird this jewel of a preserve, but fall birding here provides the bonus of an organized hawk watch that has been in operation since 2013 to monitor the migration of raptors along the western shore of Lake Michigan. From the savanna in the center to the bluff and lakefront on the east, historic parade ground on the south and military cemetery on the north, early October can be filled with birdlife. Be prepared to walk the preserve as well as hang out at the hawk watch to look for raptors with birders who can identify approaching buteos and accipiters when they’re just specks in the sky.

Directions: Access the Preserve from Sheridan Road at the stoplight at Old Elm. Follow the access road to the stop sign and turn left (east). Continue east to Gilgare Lane. Turn left and continue to the parking lot. Meet at the Hawk Watch picnic tables at the west end of the parking lot.  (Map)

Leaders: Pieter Bonin (540) 454-9394 and Rena Cohen (847) 971-1107

Please register for the Fort Sheridan trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.