The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee was the first bee in the continental U.S. to be added to the federal endangered species list, following an 87% population decline since the 1990s. Its natural range in the U.S. has plummeted from 28 states to just 13, including sporadic sightings in Illinois. That includes the Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford, where environmentalists have tried to use the bee’s presence to stop the expansion of the Rockford Airport, and multiple sightings in Lake County forest preserves.
In this program specially created for Lake/Cook Chapter, Lake County Forest Preserve District restoration ecologist Dan Sandacz and wildlife ecologist Kathryn McCabe will discuss this important pollinator and how restoration and management affect pollinator diversity.
Either before or after the program, check out the special Managing Healthy Landscapes exhibition highlighting several of the forest preserve’s restoration success stories.
Admission is $6 for Lake County residents ($3 for 62+) and $10 for non-residents ($6 for 62+).
Pre-registration is required. Email renabird3@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
Search for winter waterfowl and landbirds beginning at the fisherman’s lot at North Point Marina and continuing on the same property to the Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club and Stateline Beach. Birds and weather depending, we may make other stops nearby with options including Lyons Woods, Bowen Park, Waukegan Harbor/Beach and more.
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 right and then, almost immediately, turn right into the “Fisherman’s” parking lot.
Eastern Whip-poor-wills are declining, and one reason may be a simultaneous decline in the nocturnal insects on which they feed. University of Illinois PhD student Grant Witynski and other members of the Ward Lab of Ornithology have conducted hundreds of hours of insect trapping using ultraviolet-light traps on Whip-poor-will breeding grounds. By using fecal DNA metabarcoding to detect prey species consumed by Whip-poor-wills, Witynski is seeking insights into their foraging ecology that provide clues to their falling populations and suggest future directions for conservation efforts. This program will be followed by a weekend field trip to Illinois Beach State Park to hear the bird call its name and hopefully catch a glimpse at nightfall.
Pileated Woodpecker populations declined in the 19th and early 20th centuries because of a loss of forest habitat, and even 10 years ago they were scarce in northeastern Illinois. Today, with their flaming red crests and awe-inspiring size, they are making a comeback across large portions of their range and are regularly seen in many local preserves – much to the thrill of local birders. Chuck Rizzo, wildlife biologist with the Forest Preserves of Cook County, will explain what’s happening, why Pileateds are a keystone species, and some of the habits of this charismatic woodpecker.
Join Lake/Cook members to help Lake Forest Open Lands plant trees and shrubs at Carruthers Nature Preserve (formerly Westleigh Meadow) as part of our partnership in helping LFOLA develop this future preserve!
We will be planting 98 shrubs into pre-made holes, backfilling, and mulching – all selected to help attract birds and provide food and habitat for nesting. We may also be installing deer guards around them. It will be straightforward and not very difficult work. And the weather should be perfect! The material was donated by Mariani.
Tools will be provided, but bringing your own gloves may be a good idea. Sturdy boots are also recommended, although that area has been fairly dry this summer.
Directly following the planting, LFOLA will be hosting a thank-you lunch for all volunteers at 350 Waukegan Road.
RSVP to Maureen Marsh (firefeats@hotmail.com) for planting and optional lunch.
Directions: From Edens Expressway/Route 41, exit WEST on Westleigh Road. Drive two blocks to Stable Lane, turn right, and park on Wallace and 315 Stable Lane.
Every year, the regular migrations and movements of the birds around us happen like clockwork. But every year, it’s not just the expected that happens, but also the unexpected. In this presentation, long-time local birder, regional eBird reviewer and Illinois Ornithological Records Committee head Geoff Williamson will take us on a tour of the rarities that have appeared in the greater Chicago area over the last four seasons. There were more than 30 of them, drawn from nearly two dozen species and representing about 20 different families of birds.
Denis Kania, former natural areas manager for the St. Charles Park District, has seen 226 of the world’s 360+ hummingbird species in his international travels, and he continues to be in awe of these tiny pollinators because of their diversity as well as their unique behaviors. They can fly upside down and backwards, have adapted to disparate habitats and climates, have a fascinating relationship with plants, and more. Denis will discuss hummingbird biology and behavior and also share many of the images and stories he has gathered in his quest to see as many as these dazzling fliers as possible.
6:15 pm (NOTE TIME CHANGE – WOODCOCK WALK FOLLOWING THE PROGRAM)
Birding by ear is an essential skill for bird identification, especially during the spring when birds sing to signal that they are looking for mates. David Rupp, Owner/Guide of IndiGo Birding Nature Tours, will help us sharpen our skills in this interactive program that uses mnemonics and other strategies to help us learn to identify birds by ear. The program will be immediately followed by a walk at Heller Nature Center to see American Woodcock doing their aerial flight displays at dusk. Bring binoculars for woodcock watching!
Watch the brief video:
From rainforests to Arctic tundra, Alaska has a bird list well over 500 species, some very poorly known and difficult to find. Sulli Gibson, a Northfield native now living in Anchorage, will join us via Zoom to discuss the vast numbers and diversity of Alaska’s birdlife, the impact of climate change, and the experiences (and occasional logistical nightmares) he has encountered as the Tour Manager for St. Paul Island Tour, an ecotourism company based in the Central Bering Sea.
Rodney Stotts is the author of Bird Brother: A Falconer’s Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife – the story of how Stotts escaped the tough streets of Southeast Washington, D.C. in the late 1980s and a later arrest on drug charges to become one of the nation’s few Black falconers. Today, through his Rodney’s Raptors organization, Stotts creates interactive and educational programming to share the healing power of nature with inner-city children. NOTE: This program will be a Q&A discussion with Stotts, so please read the book if you can (it’s just 200 pages!) and bring your questions about his experiences, the birds he has worked with, and how he is mentoring others through his educational work.
British Columbia-based nature photographer Liron Gertsman won the Grand Prize at the 2023 Audubon Photography Awards after sweeping the youth category of the 2018 Audubon Photography Awards at the age of 17. Gertsman’s presentation will focus on the Pacific Northwest’s coastal ecosystems above and below the surface, featuring the stories behind his photographs of the annual salmon run and spectacular bird and wildlife gatherings that follow suit. Check out Liron’s stunning photography at https://www.lirongertsman.com/ – then join us for a behind-the-scenes look at his work.
NOTE: This program was originally scheduled as part of a potluck dinner, but we have cancelled the potluck because of the proximity to Thanksgiving.
In-Person OR Zoom
6:30 pm (room opens at 6 pm if attending in person)
Registration required for both in-person and Zoom participation
Everyone loves puffins, but this charismatic species faces mounting threats from fossil emissions and climate change. Derrick Z. Jackson, a national award-winning journalist who is also co-author and photographer of Project Puffin and The Puffin Plan about the world’s first restored Atlantic Puffin colony off the coast of Maine, argues that environmentalism and environmental justice are intimately intertwined – and that curbing pollution for families in places like southeast Chicago with nearby toxic industries will help calm the climatic conditions that drive fish away from puffins half a continent away.
This program is part of the Compelling Voices in Birding and Conservation Series sponsored by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Chicago Ornithological Society and the Chicago Audubon Society. Lake/Cook Chapter and Illinois Audubon Society are visiting sponsors for this speaker.
Register for either in-person or Zoom participation at this link
Join us for the second lecture brought to you by CAS, COS, and the Nature Museum with support from Lake Cook Audubon & Illinois Audubon
Just added!
We had a great time last year watching the Chimney Swifts swoop down into their roost at City Hall in Highland Park for the night, but we’ve discovered a new location west of the train station with a lower chimney and even better views. Binoculars recommended.
Directions
Join us for ice cream and socializing from 6:30 pm at Dairy Queen (600 Central Avenue) OR meet at the Metra west train station parking lot at 1716 1st Street at 7:20 pm. The swift spectacle will continue until shortly before 8 pm.
Video of Chimney Swifts entering chimney in Highland Park
NEW! We’ll explore the trails and wetlands of one of Lake County’s newer preserves looking for both landbirds and waterfowl.
Leader: Jerry Hampton 630-400-0755
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.)
Double-header Daniel Wright Woods/Half Day Forest Preserve trip at one of the best migrant traps in Lake County, thanks in part to the Des Plaines River.
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.
Leader: Jerry Hampton 630-400-0755
