The Evanston North Shore Bird Club

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PROGRAM: ” Know Those Birds!” John Bates

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

John Bates will provide an interactive primer on bird identification, how to have fun using a variety of approaches and tools to get better and check your work. 

This program will be particularly useful as you prepare to identify those spring migrants that will soon be on their way.

John is well known to ENSBC members for his previous wonderful talks and his bird walks at Perkins and Emily Oaks.

He is  Curator and Section Head, Life Sciences at the Field Museum of Natural History.

7 :30 p.m. on Zoom

 

 

Program: “Saving Chicago’s Nighthawks” – Edward Warden

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Once a common sight devouring insects at every night game, the increasingly un-common nighthawk is now in steep decline. Despite being one of the fastest disappearing birds in North America, very little data exists on why and how to stop it. In 2021, Chicago Ornithological Society launched a volunteer monitoring program to fill the gap, one of the only such efforts in the country. This presentation will highlight what the deal is on these birds, what’s been learned so far, and how to ensure Chicago remains a haven for these mysterious creatures.

 

Edward Warden is a lifelong Chicago resident, birder, and urban naturalist.  Over the last 20 years he has worked with organizations across the Chicago region to foster community and appreciation for the urban environment through stewardship, conservation action, social media, and interpretive programs. He currently serves as President of the Chicago Ornithological Society and works as the Stewardship Program Manager at the Chicago Park District.  Nightjars are a particular passion of his and he is the founder of the Chicago Nighthawk Project, a community science project launched in 2022 to help track and observe them.

 

Location: This program is in person at the Ecology Center, 7:30pm.

 

 

 

PROGRAM: How We Broke the Cook County Big Year Record: Tarik Shahzad and Owen Woodhouse

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

In 2024, Tarik Shahzad broke the Cook County Big Year record after only two years of birding experience. Tarik is a born and raised northwest side Chicagoan who currently works for The Nature Conservancy's Illinois chapter as an environmental policy advocate. Owen Woodhouse, an ENSBC member and guide and Tarik's main 'Big Year' birding mentor, was instrumental in helping him break the record. Owen is a 17 year old birder and bird photographer based in Wilmette. He is an avid fan of observing any form of visual migration, including lakewatching, hawkwatching, and morning flight counts. Owen completed a Cook County Big Year in 2022 at the age of 13.  

What’s it like to embark on a Big Year, how did they work with others to set the new record, where did they travel, what did they see, and what did they learn? Owen and Tarik will entertain us with answers to these questions and their experiences along the way to their Big Accomplishments.  Join Owen and Tarik for an exhilarating and fun evening.

In person, Ecology Center, 7:30

Note: April 28 is the ENSBC brief Annual Meeting where we vote on new members of the Board.