Following is a listing of our upcoming bird and wildlife programs. To receive notice of future programs and field trips, please sign up to receive our email newsletter (click link). You can also join our Facebook page.
To provide the greatest diversity of program options, our programs will be a mix of in-person and Zoom presentations. In-person programs are held at Heller Nature Center at 2821 Ridge Road in Highland Park, Illinois 60035 (directions) unless otherwise noted. All programs are open and free to the public unless noted. Membership is not required to attend these programs. If you like our programming, here are ways to support our organization.
In the calendar below, please click the “+” to expand the view. Once expanded, click “Read More” for more event detail and map.

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.

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.

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.

If you think shorebirds are difficult to identify, you’re not alone. Many species look similar, they are often seen only at a distance, and they appear in our area sporadically during migration so we often don’t get a lot of ID practice. Red Hill Birding’s Adam Sell will discuss what to look for – from shape and size to bill length and more – to provide some tools for identification in the field. He’ll also touch on when and where to find these fascinating birds in northern Illinois, and show you why shorebird migration is a highlight of the birding experience.
Keep checking back for updates to our program schedule.