Wooded Island within Jackson Park is a bird-watcher's paradise for spring and autumn migrants. More than 250 species of birds have been identified as either permanent residents or migrants passing through this special area.  Birdwatching at Jackson Park was featured on Geoffrey Baer's Beautiful Places in Chicago in December, 2023.

Park on the south side of the Museum of Science and Industry after driving on the east side of the building. Meet at the parking lot at 7:30 a.m.

Leader: Dick Young

Register with libbyhill@comcast.net

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day! Join one of the many events hosted by ENSBC, Evanston Public Library, Ecology Center, and Levy Center:

ENSBC Field Trips--see details on ENSBC website under Field Trip dates of May 7,8,9,10,11

EPL Robert Crown Branch- all week  May 6-11th activities with Craft kits, kid's storytime, and "Why Birds Need Bugs" film; see full listing of events at https://evanston.libnet.info/event/10635583

Ecology Center - 9:30 am-11:am Birding by Boat May 11, contact Ecology Center to register at 847.448.8256

Levy Center- 1:30pm-3:30pm Drawing Birds with the Field Museum

This program will be a special treat for artists and would-be artists. Be inspired by looking closely at real bird specimens.  John Bates, Field Museum Life Sciences Curator, will tell of each bird’s travel and family experience, and Peggy Macnamara, Artist-in-Residence at the Field, will give you simple tips on how to represent each bird correctly.  Art supplies will be provided.  All ages are welcome.  Children under 18 must come with an adult chaperone. The program is free, but registration is required. To register call the Levy Center at 847.448.8250, and provide program code 11359.

Perkins Woods is a hotspot for warblers and other migrating birds. Look for spring wildflowers, too.

Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the corner of Ewing Avenue and Grant Street; park along Ewing Avenue.

Leader: John Bates and Josh Engel

Look for early spring warblers and other migrants in one of Evanston's newest ecologically managed sites along the North Shore Channel.

Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the parking lot at the intersection of Bradley Place and McDaniel Avenue, enter from Main Street.

Leader: Judy Pollock

Illinois State Spring Bird Count (SBC) is an annual bird census performed by volunteers in each county, on the first Saturday in May.

To learn more about this effort see https://spring-bird-count.inhs.illinois.edu/.  To join the effort for Cook County, see the contacts for county compilers at https://spring-bird-count.inhs.illinois.edu/county-compilers/.  Additional guidance can be found at https://chicagobirdalliance.org/new-events/2024/5/4/illinois-spring-bird....

Let's get out and count those birds!

Perkins Woods is a hotspot for warblers and other migrating birds. Look for spring wildflowers, too.

Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the corner of Ewing Avenue and Grant Street; park along Ewing Avenue.

Leader: John Bates

In person at Robert Crown Community Center, 1801 Main St., Evanston NOTE DATE CHANGE!

Chris Whelan, University of Illinois at Chicago: "Nests and Nesting Ecology"

The amazing diversity of bird species on Earth is matched by the diversity of nests that birds build, and the unique nesting ecology of each bird species. While some nests share certain characteristics (e.g., open cup, platform, pendulous, among many others), the nest of each species is unique. Many bird species are master builders -- to verify this, just try to construct a nest out of grass clippings and twigs yourselves. There are exceptions to this of course -- many species simply create a shallow scrape, and the familiar mourning dove builds nests so flimsy that they often do not last through the entire nest attempt. In this presentation, we will consider the diversity of nests, review what is known about bird nest-construction behavior, and highlight the importance of nesting ecology in the life history of birds. We will consider how human activity has affected nesting ecology, both for the good and for the bad.  Chris Whelan, in the Biology Department, University of Illinois at Chicago, will share techniques for studying and quantifying bird nesting ecology, and some of the controversies surrounding some of these techniques. The overall goal is to develop a greater appreciation for this amazing and critical aspect of bird biology and natural history.

Big Marsh is an extensive urban wetland for water-loving birds including familiar species like Great Blue Herons,Great Egrets and Mallards, as well as lesser-known and highly secretive marsh birds like Virginia Rail, Least Bittern and Common Gallinule.

Meet 7 a.m. at the Ford Calumet Environmental Center.

Register with libbyhill@comcast.net

Leader: Carl Giometti 

Join David Johnson for another of his special trips around the Lake County lakes looking for loons, pelicans, ducks, and anything else we can find. 

Meeting at 8:30 a.m., Gale Street Inn, parking lot, Mundelein.

Register with David Johnson, djohnsoda@comcast.net

Leader: David Johnson