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.
Texas Hill Country and Big Bend Led by Red Hill Birding
Texas Hill Country and Big Bend National Park are must-visit U.S. destinations for avid birders. Highlights include Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, two endangered migratory songbirds that breed exclusively in south central Texas; Colima Warbler, a montane species found nowhere else in the U.S.; and stunners like Painted Bunting, Painted Redstart, Lucifer Hummingbird, Greater Roadrunner and many more – plus the spectacle of millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats leaving their roosting cave in a small town 90 minutes west of San Antonio in the evening.
Red Hill’s last trip here tallied 181 species, including the Elf Owl that was voted #1 bird of the trip. The lodge at Big Bend is scheduled to close for renovations at the end of the season, so this will be the last opportunity to make the trip for several years.
Email renabird3@gmail.com for a detailed itinerary and pricing. Space is limited; Lake/Cook members have priority.
NEW! An hour from the north suburbs, Muirhead Springs Forest Preserve is 757 acres of newly restored prairie and wetlands in Kane County and one of the newest birding hotspots in Chicagoland. In the spring the ponds boast a variety of waterfowl as well as shorebirds such as Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, various sandpipers, and others as they stop on their way to breeding grounds up north. Grassland possibilities in late April include species like Vesper Sparrow, Lapland and Smith’s Longspurs, American Pipit, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Eastern and occasional Western Meadowlarks, early Bobolinks and more.
NOTE: The paths are a mixture of crushed limestone and cut grass that can be wet and muddy, weather depending. Please dress appropriately. Bring scopes if you have them.
Directions: The parking lot entrance is at 42W855 Bahr Road. (Do NOT go to the Rohrsen Road address.) From the north suburbs, take I-294 south, drive 12 miles to exit 40B to take I-90 west to Rockford. Drive 30 miles to exit 47 for IL-47 south. Continue for 6.8 miles, turn left onto Bahr Road, and turn right into the parking lot.
Leaders: John Sprovieri and Regina McNulty 630-347-5991
Please register for the Muirhead Springs field trip here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
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.
The group of songbirds known as Darwin’s finches that Charles Darwin collected in the Galapagos on his 1830s HMS Beagle expedition are frequently (and mistakenly) associated with his formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection, but recent genetic studies have established that these birds are actually tanagers in the family Thraupidae. John Bates, the Rowe Family Curator of Evolutionary Biology at the Field Museum, will join us to explain the research behind these new revelations and other insights provided by genetic research into the relationships in this amazing family of New World birds.
European Goldfinches are stunning birds that are obviously native to Europe, but they began showing up in Lake County as early as 2001, presumably because they were released cage birds. By 2024, they were so common in pockets around the U.S. including Illinois and Wisconsin that they were added to the countable Illinois and American Birding Association checklists. Louise Bodt, a PhD candidate in the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago and a scientific affiliate at the Field Museum, will explain how this happened and its relation to her research into how introduced species can serve as a model for understanding how species change in new environments.
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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.