All events

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FIELD TRIP: Perkins Woods CANCELLED

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Thursday mornings at Perkins Woods. Look for warblers and other migrants (and also a great display of spring wildflowers. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the corner of Ewing Ave. and Grant St. Park along Ewing Ave.  Leader: John Bates and/or Josh Engel.

 

FIELD TRIP: Ryerson -- NEW TRIP! CANCELLED

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

 New Trip. Meet at 8:00 AM at Brushwood Center Parking lot for Ryerson woods spring migration walk. Leader:  John Leonard


FIELD TRIP: Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary CANCELLED

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Join us for a morning at Montrose.  Meet at 8:00 a.m. at handicapped parking. Leader: Wayne Svoboda.

 

 

 

 

FIELD TRIP: Northwestern University Campus CANCELLED

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Saturday mornings at Northwestern University. This area is a stopover for migrants of all kinds heading north in spring.  Meet at 8:30 a. m. Park on the lake side of the upper deck of the south parking lot off of Sheridan Rd. and Clark St., north of Clark St. beach, at 8:30 a.m.  Leaders: Libby Hill. Nancy Halliday (May 2) and other possible dates and leaders TBA..

 

FIELD TRIP: Skokie Lagoons CANCELLED

Friday, May 1, 2020

These Friday trips pack a great list of warbler species during spring migration. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Erickson Woods Forest Preserve parking lot. Turn north into the parking lot from Willow Rd. just east of the Edens Expressway. Leader:  Lynne Carpenter.

 

PROGRAM: POSTPONED Tamima Itani and Louise Clemency: How Monty and Rose took Chicago by Storm - Piping Plovers in the Great Lakes

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

In the spring of 2019, a pair of endangered Piping Plovers nested on Montrose Beach, the first such event in Chicago since 1955.  They and their chicks weaved themselves into the hearts of birders and non-birders alike, becoming stellar ambassadors for their species.  Over a period of ten weeks, they were monitored by volunteers from sunrise to sunset, affording a unique opportunity for observation and learning.  Tamima Itani, Volunteer Coordinator and Board Member, Illinois Ornithological Society, and Louise Clemency, Field Supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Chicago Field Office, will describe Piping Plover life history and how the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort is bringing these birds back. They will share anecdotes from their Chicago experience.   

FIELD TRIP: Air Station Prarie and Techny North CANCELLED

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

 We will look for early migrants including shorebirds, especially Wilson's Snipe there and at Techny. Meet on the  deck of the interpretive center at 8 a.m. Leader: John Leonard.

 

Field Trip: LooneyTrip! CANCELLED

Saturday, April 4, 2020

 

Looney Trip!  Meet at Diamond Lake, Gale Street Inn Parking Lot at 8:00 a.m.Carpooling and lunch out at local eatery. We generally see approximately 100 loons or more.  Ends at approximately 2:00 p.m. Limited group size. Reservations required.  Leader: David Johnson, djohnsoda@comcast.net.

 

PROGRAM: Erika Hasle: The Role of Cities in Monarch Butterfly Conservation

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Conservation has long been viewed as a battle between wilderness and cities. However, a growing wave of conservationists are now viewing cities as a refuge for some species, such as pollinators. Over the last three years, the Field Museum has worked with partners to understand the important role cities play in providing habitat for monarchs. Erika Hasle, Conservation Ecologist at the Field’s Keller Science Action Center, will present results on Chicago's existing monarch habitat and the potential for urban areas to play a significant role in monarch recovery. Additionally, Erika will share results of a 2019 pilot community science program around backyard milkweed

PROGRAM: John Bates: A Year in Perkins Woods

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Perkins Woods has always been a popular Evanston birding spot, particularly for Spring and Fall migration.  Since 2015, John Bates, Curator of Birds at the Field Museum, has been the Cook County Forest Preserve Bird Monitor for Perkins, which means he tries to do 2 or more bird surveys there each month.  He will present on what he's seen in Perkins across the seasons from the perspective of the birds and other aspects of the natural history of this North Evanston hotspot”

Waukegan Christmas Count

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

To participate, contact organizer: Joel Greenberg, joelrgreenberg@gmail.com. Compiler, Adam Sell.

: Chicago-North Shore Christmas Count

Saturday, December 28, 2019

58th  Chicago-North Shore Count

ENSBC Post-Count Potluck dinner at Libby Hill’s house, 2715 Woodland Rd, Evanston.  Arrive any time after 4 pm. Contact Libby Hill at 847-475-2096 or libbyhill@comcast.net for more information about the dinner.

Organizer: John Leonard, Co-organizer: Joel Greenberg. To participate, contact joelrgreenberg@gmail.com

To participate in the Feeder Count, contact Joel Greenberg to make sure you are in the Count Circle.

Chicago Lakefront Christmas Count

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Chicago Lakefront Christmas Count

To participate, contact organizer: Joel Greenberg at joelrgreenberg@gmail.com

Urban Christmas Bird Count

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Sunday: 54th Chicago Urban Count

To participate, contact organizer/compiler:  Jeffrey Sanders, yellowstart5@yahoo.com 847-675-7172.

 

Jeff Sanders’ Fall Specialty Trip! North Shore lakefront.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

50th Annual Jeff Sanders’ Fall Specialty Trip. North Shore lakefront – Northwestern, Gillson Park, Maple Park, Tower Road Park, Park Ave., Rose Beach in Highland Park, and other areas as time permits. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at Northwestern’s north parking lot for the Walter Athletics Center. Turn east off of Sheridan Road onto Lincoln St. and follow the curve around the north garage to the Walter Athletics Center parking lot. We will carpool from there. Bring scopes and dress for cold lake wind. Leader: Jeff Sanders, yellowstart5@yahoo.com., 847-675-7172.

PROGRAM:Bethany Barratt, “Birding in Wonderland: Yellowstone

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Yellowstone may be the antithesis of a birding paradise: despite its rich biodiversity, in few American settings are birds more likely to be eclipsed by larger terrestrial fauna. Yet there are few places on the continent where birds have more to teach us: as one of the largest (mostly) intact temperate ecosystems in the world, the Park is a vast natural laboratory for studying species interactions, climate change, disease pathology, and more. Bethany Barratt, who is on the faculty at Roosevelt University, has volunteered for the National Park Service in various roles that have included thought provoking, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious opportunities to consider future relationships between humans and other species in our National Parks.

Please note the meeting location: Levy Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, in the Linton Room, 7:30 pm.  Also, this is the 3rd Tuesday of the month.

PROGRAM: Bill Tweit: "Citizen Science: a Personal History"

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Bill Tweit was first exposed to citizen Science through ENSBC as a preteen growing up in Wilmette, when he met Joel Greenberg, Bob Russell and Kim Eckert, who introduced him to birding on a bigger scale.   After graduating from high school, he moved to the Pacific Northwest where pelagic birding and mountains have kept him enthralled ever since.  He is now responsible for managing the salmon fisheries in the Columbia River and representing Washington on the Council that oversees the groundfish harvest in the rich waters off Alaska.  Birding has remained a constant in his life, both as a relief valve and as a way to contribute to conservation.  He is a regular contributor to a broad range of citizen science projects: Christmas Bird Counts, Breeding Bird Surveys, eBird, COASST (monitoring beached birds), Westport Seabirds (counting birds offshore since the 1970s), and he was one of three authors (including our Septemher speaker, Steven Mlodinow) of Birds of Washington, published in 2005.  Bill will compare three very different approaches to citizen science, providing an instructive overview of the benefits that it provides for conservation.

Come at 7 for refreshments provided by the family of Bob Russell, our April speaker, in his memory. Bob passed away this summer.

 Fifth in a series of special programs celebrating ENSBC's 100th anniversary year.

FIELD TRIP: Perkins Woods

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Look for fall warblers, thrushes and other migrants.  Meet at 7:30 a.m. corner of Ewing Ave. and Grant St.  Leaders: Josh Engel and/or John Bates

PROGRAM: Steven Mlodinow, "Stop and Smell the Butterflies"

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

An increasing number of birders are expanding their interests into other arenas of natural history, particularly entomology. Steven Mlodinow joined ENSBC in 1972 at age 10, and with the club’s help, published Chicago Area Birds in 1984.  He also coauthored America's 100 Most Wanted Birds and Birds of Washington (with next month’s speaker Bill Tweit) as well as serving as an editor for North American Birds for over 20 years. His photos have appeared in numerous field guides and have been used by Nature Conservancy, Pronatura, National Audubon, and even the U.S. State Department and NASA, to promote conservation. After a long tenure practicing family medicine in the Seattle area, he continues his work as a doctor in Colorado, where he also spends time observing and photographing nature’s ever-present surprises. Steven will share his journey from backyard birder to naturalist through vivid images and entertaining anecdotes, many of which involve members of the ENSBC, past and present.

Fourth in a series of Special Programs celebrating ENSBC's 100th anniversary year.

FIELD TRIP: Northwestern University campus

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The NU campus has long been a stopover for migrants of all kinds headed south. Park on the lakeside of the upper deck of the south parking lot off of Sheridan Rd. and Clark St., north of Clark St. beach, at 8:30 a.m. Leaders: Libby Hill and Sarah Flax.

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