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.
From the Dead River Trail to the Lake Michigan shoreline with sand dunes and other habitats in between, IBSP provides a rich mix of passerines, waterfowl and raptors.
Directions: From US-41, turn east on Wadsworth Rd. and drive 2 miles into the park. Park in the Nature Center parking lot.
Leader: Kerry Swift (847) 323-6878
NEW! This underbirded location is a beautiful seminary campus featuring a hard surface road that loops 3.2 miles around a large lake, plus woods surrounding the lake with excellent habitat for migrants.
Directions: The property is located on Route 45 between Route 176 and Winchester Rd. If driving from the south, enter on Route 176. (The stoplight on Route 45 is not currently accessible from the south.) If driving from the north, enter at the stoplight on Route 45. Park in the Purple Lot.
Leaders: Wanda Supanich 224-433-1675 and Susan Lamberts 847-204-1678
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.
Eastern Whip-poor-wills are declining, and one reason may be a simultaneous decline in the nocturnal insects on which they feed. University of Illinois PhD student Grant Witynski and other members of the Ward Lab of Ornithology have conducted hundreds of hours of insect trapping using ultraviolet-light traps on Whip-poor-will breeding grounds. By using fecal DNA metabarcoding to detect prey species consumed by Whip-poor-wills, Witynski is seeking insights into their foraging ecology that provide clues to their falling populations and suggest future directions for conservation efforts. This program will be followed by a weekend field trip to Illinois Beach State Park to hear the bird call its name and hopefully catch a glimpse at nightfall.
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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.