Next Field Trips
Join us on our next bird watching field trip. Unless otherwise noted, there is no charge for participation. Some trips may require prior registration or are prioritized for Lake Cook Audubon members. This will be noted in the field trip description.
Search for winter waterfowl and landbirds beginning at the fisherman’s lot at North Point Marina and continuing on the same property to the Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club and Stateline Beach. Birds and weather depending, we may make other stops nearby with options including Lyons Woods, Bowen Park, Waukegan Harbor/Beach and more.
Bring scopes (and hand warmers!) if you have them.
Leader: Cici Birnberg (847) 945-8500
Directions: From Sheridan Road/Route 137 turn east on 7th Street. Follow 7th street toward the North Point Marina. At the stop sign, turn right and then, almost immediately, turn right into the “Fisherman’s” parking lot.
Please register for the Winter Waterfowl trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Sponsored annually by the Illinois Ornithological Society, the Gull Frolic is a unique winter event at North Point Marina. Bring your binoculars, scope and cold weather gear, and join birders outside of the yacht club to enjoy close study of some of our harder-to-find winter species such as Iceland (Thayer’s and Kumlien’s), Glaucous, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A variety of waterfowl typically make an appearance – including scoters and other diving ducks – along with the occasional raptor, owl or winter finch.
Birders wearing bright orange hats will help answer questions along the “boardwalk” – helping you sharpen your gull ID skills – and you can warm up inside whenever you need a break from the cold.
Registration is required and the event sold out quickly but you can register to be on the wait list at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/23rd-ios-gull-frolic-2025-tickets-1018522276547. The event costs $30 for IOS members and $40 for non-members, including food and a presentation by Amar Ayyash, local birder and author of the brand new The Gull Guide: North America.
Lake/Cook Audubon provides support for this event.
Next Programs
Our programs are open to the public and free. Most are offered at Heller Nature Center in Highland Park. Some may be presented on Zoom. This will be noted in the program description. Many past-programs can now be viewed on YouTube here.
Our program year 2024-2025 is in development and programs are being published when set up.
If you’re just getting into birding and trying to figure out where to go, when to go, what to bring, and how to identify the birds you see, this program will provide both direction and inspiration. Matt Igleski, Executive Director, Chicago Bird Alliance, will discuss field guides, phone apps, weather patterns, bird identification, birding terminology, and other topics to equip you with a quick start guide to all things birding.
Register to attend here.
NOTE: This program will be recorded. Registered attendees will be emailed a link to access the recording.
Three years ago, headlines delivered shocking news: nearly three billion birds in North America have vanished over the past fifty years. No species has been spared, from the most delicate jeweled hummingbirds to scrappy black crows, from a rainbow of warblers to common birds such as owls and sparrows. Veteran journalists Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal traveled more than 25,000 miles across the Americas to chronicle costly experiments, contentious politics, and new technologies being implemented to save birds at risk of extinction. Their new book, A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds, offers insight into encouraging breakthroughs that indicate there is still time to change course if we act quickly.
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Who We Are
We are a gathering of people who enjoy bird watching and studying birds and wildlife. We welcome people of all ages and skills to join us on our field trips, programs and other events. Most of our monthly programs are bird-oriented, but we also address environmental and natural history topics.
The Illinois Audubon Society is the state’s oldest conservation organization that functions as a land trust to protect and enhance Illinois’ unique habitats and to educate the public about them. Organized in 1897, Illinois Audubon is not affiliated with the National Audubon Society.