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 one field trip.

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.

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.

Leaders: Ed and Rebecca Rice 847-420-0734

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.

This hotspot along the Des Plaines River corridor is a great migrant trap that can be filled with fall warblers, lingering 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.

Leader: Beau Schaefer (847) 337-3602

Please register for the Ryerson 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! Oak Openings Nature Preserve is a Libertyville Township-managed open space in Grayslake that is becoming one of the newest birding hotspots in Lake County. The recent removal of drain tiles has created a broad vista of grassland/prairie, and water management has produced a series of small linked ponds – all offering excellent habitat for migrants, waterfowl and resident birds. This is the first fall since the resculpting of the landscape, and we’ll explore the preserve on an easy grass trail that connects to a gravel trail.

Directions: The preserve is located on Route 45 between Route 137/Peterson Rd and Route 120/Belvidere Rd. Access the parking lot from northbound Route 45 north of Peterson Rd.

Leaders: Wanda Supanich (224) 433-1675 and Susan Lamberts (847) 204-1678

Please register for the Oak Openings trip 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 gravel trail that winds around wetlands, woodlands and open prairies, this Lake County Forest Preserve offers ample opportunities to spot migrating passerines including late warblers and early sparrow arrivals as well as waterfowl and shorebirds depending on water levels. The entrance to the preserve features a Black Angus bull statue atop a stone tower, marking the property’s former use as a farm that bred and raised beef cattle.

Directions: Ray Lake Forest Preserve is located at 23275 W Erhart Rd in Grayslake. From Route 22/Half Day Road heading west, turn north on Route 83, drive 0.8 miles to Gilmer Road and turn left, then 8 miles to Erhart Rd. Bear right on Erhart. The preserve entrance and parking lot are located on Erhart Road between Gilmer and Fremont Center roads.

Leader: Donna Kenski (847) 347-3474

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

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. Late September can be hopping with late fall warblers, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes and wrens, as well as early fall sparrows, scattered shorebirds and other bird “magic.”

 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: David Rupp (812) 679-8978

Please register for the Montrose 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! A former golf course connected to the now-shuttered Highland Park Country Club, this preserve opened to the public in June 2022 and is rapidly becoming a popular north suburban birding destination. Mature trees, pond and wetland overlooks, a trail along the North Branch Chicago River watershed, and the adjacent Skokie River Woods property with a Great Blue Heron rookery provide a variety of bird-friendly habitats with easy walking and good possibilities for lingering migrants as well as resident species.

Directions: The preserve is accessed from the parking lot of the Recreation Center of Highland Park (1207 Park Avenue West), just east of Route 41. Meet in front of the Recreation Center building.

Leader: Josh Engel (224) 213-2280

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

Never birded before? We’ll loan you a pair of binoculars. Not up for a 3-mile bird walk? Grab a chair and see what you can see while hanging around a small pond at Lake Forest Open Lands’ Middlefork Farm, accessed through the Middlefork Savanna parking lot.

Photo credit: Carolyn Lueck

Co-sponsored by Lake/Cook Audubon and Lake Forest Open Lands and designed for novice and experienced birders alike, this Big Sit is an opportunity to share the camaraderie of birding, begin or advance your birding knowledge, and help the group find as many species as possible while staying in one place. Last year we spotted 52 species from warblers to finches and hawks to herons.

Viewing will take place from 7am-5pm. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Dress in layers appropriate for the weather. Keep in mind that you won’t be moving around very much.

Newer birders: Arrive any time and stay as long as you want. No experience necessary!

Experienced birders: Contact Maureen Marsh (firefeats@hotmail.com or 352-317-5130) or Wanda Supanich (wandadata@att.net or 224-433-1675) to sign up for two-hour shifts.

Directions:  Located off of Waukegan Rd (Rt 43) in Lake Forest, north of Deerpath Road.  Enter at Middlefork Drive. Park at Elawa Farms/Middlefork Savanna parking lot.  Cross the field/playground to the north and look for green sign to Middlefork Farm.

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 are 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 with 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)

Leader: Jeff Bilsky (801) 842-4013

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.

With 1,216 uninterrupted acres, Rollins Savanna is one of Lake County’s largest forest preserves. The habitat ranges from prairie and wetland to an oak grove that plays host to migrating passerines. Fall birding here can include Trumpeter Swans, migrating waterfowl and occasional shorebirds in the largest wetland to nearly every fall sparrow that passes through the Chicago area along with raptors and the occasional Rusty Blackbird or Short-eared Owl.

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

Take advantage of the Columbus Day holiday 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 late 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.

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.

Leader: Jerry Hampton (630) 400-0755

Please register for the Middlefork Savanna 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: Wanda Supanich 224-433-1675 and Susan Lamberts 847-204-1678

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

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.

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.