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 Avenue and Grant Streets.  Park along Ewing Avenue.  Leader: John Bates.

Annual Spring Bird Count.  To participate, email Alan Anderson at  casresearch@comcast.net

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 Avenue and Grant Streets.  Park along Ewing Avenue.  Leader: John Bates and/or Josh Engel.

Walk the south bird loop at Canal Shores Golf Course. Meet at 7:30 a.m. by the 18th hole green on Lincoln St, Evanston, just east of the canal. There is four hours of free parking on Lincoln in that area. eRgistration Reqired: email  Matt Rooney matthewarooney@gmail.com

Josh Engel, “Understanding Bird Migration” Just in time for Spring Migration

Spring and fall are prime birding times in the Chicago area, thanks to the vast number of birds migrating through during those periods. But how does migration work? Josh will try to untangle some of the complexities of bird migration, discussing how birds migrate, how they know when and where to go, and giving some examples of the astounding migrations that some birds make on a twice-annual basis. He will also explain how eBird--whether you have an account or not—can help you better understand migration and to inform your own birding. 

Visit us at our booth at the Evanston Ecology Center as the community celebrates Earth Day.  John Bates will join us with bird specimens from the Field Museum collection.

Come out to see the spectacular aerial displays of the American Woodcock at dusk!  The Air Station Prairie in Glenview is a great location for these displays, and we may even spot a woodcock on the ground. Meet on the deck of the interpretive center at 6:45 p.m.  The parking lot is across the street on Compass Road. Registration required.  Register with libbyhill@comcast.net. Leader: Jeff Sanders.

As birders we may think that we all know what we mean when we talk about species, and in the field of biology there are few ideas that impinge on more research than the concept of species.  Species are the currency with which we do our studies as biologists and they are the currency of our birding life lists as well.  Species are how we convey what we learn as biologists and what we see as birders.  We also have laws enacted that protect species.  Yet, it turns out that defining species isn't all that simple, and that there are innumerable ways to define species, and that these different concepts have different utilities as well.  Some of the changes that you see to your life list through lumping and splitting are in part due to different definitions and philosophies being applied to understand and describe avian biodiversity.  Jason Weckstein, Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University,  will talk about species concepts, what are they, how do they differ in their utility, some examples of how they are applied, and what they tell us about the birds that we all love.