Calendar

Feb
16
Sun
23rd Annual IOS Gull Frolic @ Gull Frolic at Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club
Feb 16 @ 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
23rd Annual IOS Gull Frolic @ Gull Frolic at Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club | Winthrop Harbor | Illinois | United States

Sponsored annually by the Illinois Ornithological Society, the Gull Frolic is a unique winter event at North Point Marina. Bring your binoculars, scope and cold weather gear, and join birders outside of the yacht club to enjoy close study of some of our harder-to-find winter species such as Iceland (Thayer’s and Kumlien’s), Glaucous, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A variety of waterfowl typically make an appearance – including scoters and other diving ducks – along with the occasional raptor, owl or winter finch.

Birders wearing bright orange hats will help answer questions along the “boardwalk” – helping you sharpen your gull ID skills – and you can warm up inside whenever you need a break from the cold.

Registration is required and the event sold out quickly but you can register to be on the wait list  at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/23rd-ios-gull-frolic-2025-tickets-1018522276547. The event costs $30 for IOS members and $40 for non-members, including food and a presentation by Amar Ayyash, local birder and author of the brand new The Gull Guide: North America.

 Lake/Cook Audubon provides support for this event.

Mar
8
Sat
Saving the Guam Kingfisher from Extinction – SPECIAL OFFSITE PROGRAM @ Brookfield Zoo
Mar 8 @ 10:00 am
Saving the Guam Kingfisher from Extinction - SPECIAL OFFSITE PROGRAM @ Brookfield Zoo | Brookfield | Illinois | United States

Guam kingfishers, or sihek as the birds are known by Guam’s indigenous Chamoru people, went extinct in the wild due to invasive brown tree snakes introduced to the island during World War II. A rescue effort was launched in 1980 to bring 28 sihek in the care of zoos, including Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo, with the goal of one day reintroducing the species back into the wild. Last August, 36 years later, nine sihek were flown to the Palmyra Atoll and placed in pre-release aviaries as a prelude to a trial reintroduction effort. One of those birds originated at Brookfield Zoo. Cody Hickman, the zoo’s associate director of avian care and conservation, will share the story and explain the zoo’s involvement.

Space is limited; registration is required with priority to Lake/Cook members. Email renabird3@gmail.com to register.

Park in the South parking lot and go to the South Gate entrance; zoo personnel will have a list of registrants direct you to the correct building.  Free zoo admission.

Mar
30
Sun
Loons of Lake County @ Diamond Lake
Mar 30 @ 8:00 am
Loons of Lake County @ Diamond Lake | Mundelein | Illinois | United States

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 provided at Diamond Lake based on leaders’ scouting to find the most productive sites. Dress warm, bring scopes if you have them, and get ready to greet what is usually dozens of Common Loons and American White Pelicans at one of our favorite inland waterways.

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

Leader: Jeff Sanders 847-675-7172 (landline)

Contact day of trip: Rena Cohen 847-971-1107

Apr
14
Mon
Texas Hill Country and Big Bend
Apr 14 – Apr 23 all-day
Texas Hill Country and Big Bend

Texas Hill Country and Big Bend Led by Red Hill Birding

Texas Hill Country and Big Bend National Park are must-visit U.S. destinations for avid birders. Highlights include Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, two endangered migratory songbirds that breed exclusively in south central Texas; Colima Warbler, a montane species found nowhere else in the U.S.; and stunners like Painted Bunting, Painted Redstart, Lucifer Hummingbird, Greater Roadrunner and many more – plus the spectacle of millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats leaving their roosting cave in a small town 90 minutes west of San Antonio in the evening.

Red Hill’s last trip here tallied 181 species, including the Elf Owl that was voted #1 bird of the trip. The lodge at Big Bend is scheduled to close for renovations at the end of the season, so this will be the last opportunity to make the trip for several years.

Email renabird3@gmail.com for a detailed itinerary and pricing. Space is limited; Lake/Cook members have priority.