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.
Hundreds of state-endangered Black-crowned Night Herons nest in the Lincoln Park Zoo, creating what is believed to be the largest remaining single-species BCNH breeding colony in Illinois. The number of nests, the squawk of the birds and their newly hatched chicks, and the fact that they are breeding in the middle of a busy urban neighborhood create a magical viewing experience as well as a wonderful conservation learning opportunity. Amy Lardner, founder of the Chicago Black-crowned Night Heron Project, will show us the rookery, explain its significance as well as the project’s conservation efforts, and then accompany us to the zoo’s Nature Boardwalk to discuss the zoo’s broader urban conservation involvement. Optional brunch at Café Brauer on the Nature Boardwalk overlooking South Pond to follow.
Meet outside the zoo’s West Gate entrance on N. Stockton Drive. ARRIVE EARLY TO FIND STREET PARKING. (The zoo parking lot costs $35 or more unless you are a member.) Carpool if possible to make parking easier.
Please register for the tour and the optional brunch here – we need a headcount for both.
Southern California: Sea, Mountains & Desert
Led by Red Hill Birding’s Steve Huggins, this trip will begin in Los Angeles, end in San Diego and take us out of the cold Chicago winter to varied (and much warmer!) habitats including the Pacific Ocean Coast, high mountains, vast deserts and bird-rich wetlands. We’ll see many of the common and widespread specialties of California like California Scrub-Jay, California Condor, LeConte’s Thrasher and Mountain Quail; endangered species like California Gnatcatcher; endemic species like Yellow-billed Magpie and Island Scrub-Jay; uncommon species like Lawrence’s Goldfinch; coastal Pacific specialties like Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Bran’s and Pelagic Cormorants, and Pacific Loon; and much more. We’ll also look for pelagic species on our boat ride to Santa Cruz Island. Maximum 7 participants.
Priority to Lake/Cook Chapter members.
Email renabird3@gmail.com if you are interested in a complete itinerary and cost.
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.
The Newberry Library has just opened a temporary exhibit called Winging It: A Brief History of Humanity’s Relationship with Birds that collates illustrations, woodblock prints and other media from the Newberry’s collection to demonstrate how birds in Europe and the Americas have persisted through the centuries – often despite human interference. This private tour by local birder, filmmaker and library communications director Bob Dolgan, who curated the exhibit, is open exclusively to Lake/Cook members with a maximum attendance of 15. Email renabird3@gmail.com to register for a digital lottery that will be held in early July to select attendees. Winners will be selected at random through a digital app. Lake/Cook membership is required to participate in the lottery. Please attend ONLY if you receive an email confirmation.
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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.