Lighthouse Beach
Best known to birders as a good place to see waterbirds, especially ducks, loons, and gulls, from late fall through early spring. Often in late fall, a large flock of Greater and Lesser Scaup and Redheads is present in the lake off the beach, and other species regularly join them.
Northwestern University Evanston Campus
Birders and birds of all types have long been attracted to this beautiful campus. It is filled with trees and shrubs, offers a manmade lagoon, playing fields and beautiful lakefront.
Clark Street Beach Bird Sanctuary, Evanston
Located at Sheridan Road and Clark Street, on a narrow strip of land along Lake Michigan, this 2-acre sanctuary was established in 2015. Its intent is to provide a safe rest stop, with food and shelter, for migrating birds.
Perkins Woods, Evanston
This 7.5 acre property at Ewing Avenue and Grant Street in northwest Evanston, is part of the Forest Preserves of Cook County and is likely the most popular birding site in Evanston. A small patch of remnant forest in a residential neighborhood, it attracts an abundance of migrant land birds.
James Park/Mount Trashmore, Evanston
This 4.5-acre park has athletic fields and a good sized man-made hill, known affectionately as Mount Trashmore. Northern Mockingbird and Northern Shrike have been seen in the trees that line the sides of the hill. Long-eared Owls have occasionally spent parts of the winter there.
Canal Shores Golf Course
About half the property is golf course; the other half offers wonderful habitat for birding. There are wooded areas as well as small wetland and open meadow areas.
Ladd Arboretum, Evanston
This narrow strip of land wedged between McCormick Blvd and the west side of the channel runs north and south between Church St & Green Bay Rd. Look for Caspian Terns, Great-blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers and gulls flying above the treetops along the channel.
Harbert-Payne Park, Evanston
This 13.5-acre site has long been a favorite among local birders. A good assortment of waterfowl, waders and gulls can be viewed along the channel.
Ryerson Woods Conservation Area, Riverwoods
This property offers a variety of habitats including prairie, wetland, northern flatwoods forest and most of the floodplain forest left in northeastern Illinois.
Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe
300 acres of lagoons, remnant wooded areas, a recreated prairie, a wildflower-filled woodland walk, and native plantings, plus a total of 27 display gardens.
Skokie Lagoons Forest Preserve – Erickson Woods, Winnetka
In early spring, scan the water for waterfowl; a variety of gulls can be seen overhead. Look for shorebirds along the banks. In April, look for sapsuckers, thrushes, kinglets, sparrows and flycatchers; swallows skim over the water.
The Grove, Glenview
The property consists of 143 acres of undisturbed oak savanna and wetlands, with 3.1 miles of looping trails and boardwalks. Birders can expect to find a variety of flycatchers and forest birds such as tanagers, grosbeaks and cuckoos.
Gillson Park, Wilmette
This 60-acre Lake Michigan lakefront park is popular with birders in all seasons. It offers a harbor, a long sand beach, grassy areas with many beautiful shade trees and evergreens, and a wildflower garden.
Emily Oaks Nature Center, Skokie
The woodland habitat attracts woodpeckers, thrushes, warblers, orioles and bluebirds, depending on the season. Kessem Pond attracts a variety of water birds and waders, such as ducks, sandpipers and herons.
West Ridge Nature Park (Park 568), Chicago
This 21-acre site, opened in 2015, was originally part of Rosehill Cemetery, a wildly overgrown tangle of vegetation around a hidden pond, treasured by birders in-the-know.
Air Station Prairie, Glenview
Located at 2400 Compass Road, Glenview, these 32 acres comprise what natural area remains of the former Naval Air Station Glenview. In 2017 it was designated an Illinois Nature Preserve.