Archives: Events

Loons of Lake County

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

Register here.

Winter Waterfowl @ Winthrop Harbor (meet at Stateline Beach parking lot)

The polar vortex cancelled our January 18 trip here, but we’re back! We’ll start at the channel just north of Stateline Beach to look for the continuing Harlequin Duck – then we’ll check the water around the Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club and nearby areas for other winter waterfowl and landbirds. Birds and weather depending, we may make other stops nearby with options including Lyons Woods, Bowen Park, Waukegan Harbor/Beach and more – as well as a possible post- or mid-trip donut stop to warm up.

Bring scopes (and hand warmers!) if you have them.

Leader: Cici Birnberg (847) 945-8500

Directions: From Sheridan Road/Route 137 turn east on 7th Street. Follow 7th street toward the North Point Marina. At the stop sign, turn left and follow the road all the way to the end. Then turn right (toward the lake) and park in the Stateline Beach parking lot.

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

 

 

 

Saving the Guam Kingfisher from Extinction – SPECIAL OFFSITE PROGRAM

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.

Saving the Guam Kingfisher from Extinction – SPECIAL OFFSITE PROGRAM

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.

Bad Weather, Good Birding (Sometimes!)

Birders love getting out into the field on a nice day, but bad weather also can yield rich rewards. Storm fronts, wind events and other extreme weather systems can have serious impacts on the birds we might see. Understanding how to read these systems and predict the species impacted can be daunting, but the rewards can be incredible. Join local birder Nathan Goldberg as he shares ways to understand the overlap of bad weather and birding, both on a local scale and nationally as well.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9r_eS2avQDSOYjep5YgO6A

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Day Trip! Sheboygan Winter Bird Spectacular

Join us for a day trip to the Wisconsin lakefront and nearby city and state parks, where species like Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Common and Red-throated Loons can sometimes be seen alongside more common winter waterfowl as well as landbirds like Snow Buntings, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Siskin and Purple Finch. One local park also is known for Great Tit, a European bird that may eventually be countable on the American Bird Association checklist.

We’ll gather at 9 am at Daily Baking Company (211 N Franklin Street, Port Washington), roughly 60 miles north of the Illinois border – then begin our birding at nearby Coal Dock Park. Next we’ll head north making multiple stops including several in Sheboygan and possibly Manitowoc, depending on weather and bird reports.

Dress warmly and bring spotting scopes if you have them.

 NOTE: This trip is weather-dependent; we will advise if it is too cold and windy for good birding.

Email swift.kerry@gmail.com to register with your name, email and phone number. We will arrange carpools if possible.

 

23rd Annual IOS Gull Frolic

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.

‘Little Sit’ and Donuts – North Point Marina, Winthrop Harbor

Join us for a ‘Little Sit’ at the Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club and surrounding area to look for migrating waterfowl, interesting gulls and possible winter landbird arrivals like Snow Buntings (some have shown up already). We’ll check the slips and open water on the south side of the harbor, the waterfront and grassy areas by the Yacht Club (the ‘Little Sit’ part of the morning), and adjacent State Line Beach – then head to the nearby donut emporium for coffee and arguably the best donuts in Lake County.

Bring binoculars, spotting scopes if you have them, and chairs if desired – and dress warmly.

Note: There is no access to the Yacht Club so plan your bathroom stop before arriving.

Directions: From Sheridan Road, turn east on 7th Street. Drive to the end of the road,  then turn left and follow the service drive to the Yacht Club sign. Turn right at the stop sign and park in the lot near the Yacht Club.

Leader: Kerry Swift 847-323-6878

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

 

A Wing and A Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds with Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal

Three years ago, headlines delivered shocking news: nearly three billion birds in North America have vanished over the past fifty years. No species has been spared, from the most delicate jeweled hummingbirds to scrappy black crows, from a rainbow of warblers to common birds such as owls and sparrows. Veteran journalists Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal traveled more than 25,000 miles across the Americas to chronicle costly experiments, contentious politics, and new technologies being implemented to save birds at risk of extinction. Their new book, A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds, offers insight into encouraging breakthroughs that indicate there is still time to change course if we act quickly.

Register here.

Birding 101

If you’re just getting into birding and trying to figure out where to go, when to go, what to bring, and how to identify the birds you see, this program will provide both direction and inspiration.  Matt Igleski, Executive Director, Chicago Bird Alliance, will discuss field guides, phone apps, weather patterns, bird identification, birding terminology, and other topics to equip you with a quick start guide to all things birding.

Register to attend here.
NOTE: This program will be recorded. Registered attendees will be emailed a link to access the recording.

For the Love of Seabirds: Project Puffin & Hog Island Audubon Camp

For over 50 years, most of his adult life, Dr. Stephen Kress worked to bring back extirpated Atlantic Puffins to their once established colonies of Eastern Egg Rock Island and other islands off the coast of Maine. Brenda Hente studied under Dr. Kress at Maine’s Audubon Camp during the summers of 2015, 2016 and 2017. In this presentation, Hente will describe the causes of this seabird’s disappearance, the struggles and obstacles that Dr. Kress faced while restoring Atlantic Puffin and other seabird colonies to where they once lived, and how this difficult task of seabird restoration is teaching others about successful seabird restoration and conservation efforts throughout the world.

Register to attend here.
NOTE: This program will be recorded. Registered attendees will be emailed a link to access the recording.

Pine Dunes Forest Preserve, Antioch

The rolling topography of this preserve is filled with multiple wetlands, making it a magnet for migrating waterfowl and reclusive marsh residents like Wilson’s Snipe. The large open space can also offer great views of migrating raptors, and special late October sightings over the last few years have included Purple Finch, American Pipit, Snow Bunting and Northern Saw-whet Owl.

BONUS: Stay after the walk for hot cider and donuts plus a discussion about the history and restoration of Pine Dunes Forest Preserve.

Directions: From US-41 N, exit west on IL-173, drive 1.5 miles to Hunt Club Rd., turn north. Preserve is on the east side. We will meet in the main lot.

Leader: Nancy Tikalsky 773-655-0269

Please register for Pine Dunes Forest Preserve here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

 

Carruthers Preserve Viewing and Restoration Day

Join us to view the new trails and boardwalks as well as do some light conservation work at Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s Carruthers Preserve (formerly 770 Westleigh), where Lake-Cook Chapter is in its fourth year of a collaborative project to help restore a property that used to be one of the last working farms in Lake Forest.

Activities will include planting a few shrubs and seedlings and doing some light seed collecting, followed by a walk and a demonstration of the Purple Martin nesting system.

Snacks and drinks will be provided.

To register, email Maureen Marsh at firefeats@hotmail.com or call 352-317-5130

Directions: From  Rte 41, head west on Westleigh Rd.  After the stop sign at Ridge Rd, take the first right on Stable Lane and park along curb.

Lyons Woods – Waukegan

The trails in this Lake County Forest Preserve move from pine grove to prairie to oak woodland, providing diverse habitats for migrants as well as resident birds. Species seen here at this time last year range from a few late warblers and thrushes to Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, assorted sparrows on the way to their wintering grounds, and even Tufted Titmouse not typically seen in our area.

 Directions: The preserve is located at 10200 Blanchard, Waukegan. The entrance is on Blanchard Road, just west of Sheridan Road, north of Bowen Prak and south of Yorkhouse Road.

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

Please register for Lyons Woods -Waukegan here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.

Skokie Lagoons/Erickson Woods, Winnetka

This Cook County forest preserve is one of the top migrant hotspots in the northern suburbs, with the extensive woodland trails and the shoreline by the restored lagoons attracting 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 still 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.

Leader: Maureen Marsh (352) 317-5130

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