Birding Sites

These Evanston local and nearby birding locations are particular favorites of ENSBC members. Habitat improvement work is ongoing at several of them, ensuring that they will continue, and even improve, attracting birds. The club leads bird walks at many of these locations. We recommend that you visit them on your own as well. Check out these hotspots on ebird.org for recent sightings and an up-to-date list of birds seen there.

Also see the City of Evanston Guide to Bird Watching Locations.

Beyond these, the Chicago region offers countless locations for excellent birding any time of year. Rather than trying to list them all, we suggest you visit the eBird website hotspot page, and go exploring. Explore Hotspots – eBird

We also recommend A Birder's Guide to the Chicago Region by Joel Greenberg & Lynn Carpenter; and the Chicago Region Birding Trail Guide (PDF)

Evanston Lakefront Sites

Birding Sites ALL
Lighthouse Beach
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.

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Northwestern University Evanston Campus
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.

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Clark Street Beach Bird Sanctuary, Evanston
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.

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Evanston Woods and Parks

Birding Sites ALL
Perkins Woods, Evanston
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.

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James Park/Mount Trashmore, Evanston
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.

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North Shore Channel

Birding Sites ALL
Canal Shores Golf Course
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.

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Ladd Arboretum, Evanston
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.

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Harbert-Payne Park, Evanston
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.

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Birding Beyond Evanston

North and Northwest of Evanston

Birding Sites ALL
Ryerson Woods Conservation Area, Riverwoods 
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.

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Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe
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.

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Skokie Lagoons Forest Preserve – Erickson Woods, Winnetka
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.

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The Grove, Glenview
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.

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Gillson Park, Wilmette
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.

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Air Station Prairie, Glenview
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.

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West of Evanston

Birding Sites ALL
Emily Oaks Nature Center, Skokie
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. 

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South of Evanston

Birding Sites ALL
West Ridge Nature Park (Park 568), Chicago
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.

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