eBird Hotspot Gillson Park, Wilmette, Cook County, IL, US
At 800 Gillson Park Drive, 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. Ducks and geese are often present in the harbor and along the shore, while during migration many varieties of song birds are seen. The shoreline here juts fairly far out into the lake, making it a favorite spot for offshore waterfowl viewing during migration. Parking in the park is open during the winter months but restricted to pass holders during the summer season. Street parking outside the park, on Michigan Avenue along the west side of the park, is free.