This hotspot along the Des Plaines River corridor is a great migrant trap that can attract the first wave of spring warblers, vireos and sparrows. Resident Pileated and Red-headed Woodpeckers and Barred and Great-horned Owls are other possible highlights at this site, which is both an Illinois Nature Preserve indicating its ecologically high-quality land and a Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Directions: From Deerfield Rd., turn north on Riverwoods Rd., drive to Ryerson entrance. Enter preserve and follow the signs to Brushwood Visitors Center. Meet in the Brushwood parking lot. NOTE: The gates open at 6:30 am.
Leaders: Charlotte Pavelka and Doug Reitz 847-347-8416
Please register for the Ryerson Conservation Area here so that we can get a head count and contact you in the event of a date change due to weather conditions.
Birders at Lake County’s largest forest preserve have reported 229 species here, thanks to habitat that includes a mixture of oak woods, wetlands and fields. The first-ever state record of Painted Redstart was reported here in 2023, drawing scores of birders from around the state to see this stunning black and red warbler far from its home in the southwestern U.S.
Directions: From westbound Route 176, turn left (south) onto Fairfield Road. Within a 1/4 mile turn right (southwest) onto W. Ivanhoe Road. Do NOT turn left into the Lakewood Forest Preserve parking lot. Continue southwest on Ivanhoe Road about 1/4 mile to the first road on your left (past big white house on corner). This road is gravel and unnamed. Drive down this road to a small parking lot and public toilets. (Map)
Leader: Donna Kenski 847-347-3474
Please register for the Lakewood Forest Preserve 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.
This Cook County forest preserve has a rich mix of woodland, wetland and prairie habitat, offering ample opportunities to see a variety of both migrating and resident birds. Possible sightings range from warblers, vireos and other passerines to rails, waterfowl and Black-crowned Night Heron. Note that trails are unpaved and can be muddy depending on weather.
Directions: Crabtree is located at 3 Stover Road in Barrington. Take Willow Rd./Palatine Rd. west, turn north into preserve (Stover Rd.) one mile west of Barrington Rd. Meet in the main parking lot. NOTE: The gates don’t open until 8:00 am so park in the lot across the street if you’re early.
Leader: Dan Ellig 224-456-8011
Please register for the Crabtree Nature Center 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.
Mid-May at IBSP North is a great spot for migrating warblers, vireos, flycatchers and other passerines, including star skulkers like Mourning and Connecticut Warblers. We’ll be taking the North Unit South Trail beginning in Winthrop Harbor, winding through shrubland, marsh, grassland and other habitats as well as beachfront.
Directions: We will meet at the north end of IBSP in Winthrop Harbor (NOT at the 17th Street entrance in Zion). From Sheridan Road/Route 137, turn east on 7th Street. Follow 7th Street toward North Point Marina. At the stop sign, turn right and then, almost immediately, turn right into the fisherman’s parking lot.
Leader: Nancy Tikalsky 773-655-0269
Please register for the Illinois Beach State Park North Unit 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.
In addition to being one of Lake County’s birdiest forest preserves during migration, Daniel Wright has become a reliable spot for Pileated Woodpecker – a species that was largely absent from the county just a decade ago. Daniel Wright Woods and Half Day Forest Preserve are linked by a footbridge over the Des Plaines River, providing crucial habitat for songbirds that utilize the river as a rest stop on their migratory journeys and often yielding over 20 species of warblers on a good day.
Directions: From Waukegan Rd., turn west on Everett Rd. in Lake Forest, drive to the end (St. Mary’s Rd), and turn left (south) into the parking lot. Meet in the parking lot at Everett and St. Mary’s Roads.
Leaders: Charlotte Pavelka and Doug Reitz 847-347-8416
Please register for the Daniel Wright Woods 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.
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 seminary property is located on Route 45 between Route 176 and Winchester Rd. Enter at the stoplight on Route 45. Park in the Purple Lot.
See pin – USML Purple Parking Lot and Package Delivery
Leaders: Wanda Supanich 224-433-1675 and Susan Lamberts
Please register for the University of Saint Mary of the Lake 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
This lakefront park features an abundance of trees and shrubs where warblers and other landbird migrants can feed and rest on their way north, plus a harbor, beach and expansive views of Lake Michigan that can yield waterfowl and shorebirds.
Directions: Park on Michigan Avenue by the main (south) entrance to the park off Sheridan Road and wait for the group to gather there. (Parking inside the park is limited to Wilmette residents.)
Leader: Rena Cohen (847) 971-1107
Please register for the Gillson Park 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
Migration is winding down, but late May can still be hopping at this hotspot along the Des Plaines River corridor. This has been one of the few places in Lake County to find nesting Hooded Warblers for the last several years. Resident Pileated and Red-headed Woodpeckers and Barred and Great-horned Owls are other possible highlights at this site, which is both an Illinois Nature Preserve indicating its ecologically high-quality land and a Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Directions: From Deerfield Rd., turn north on Riverwoods Rd., drive to Ryerson entrance. Enter preserve and follow the signs to Brushwood Visitors Center. Meet in the Brushwood parking lot. NOTE: The gates open at 6:30 am.
Leaders: Todd Katz 847-409-7355 and Ethan Ellis 773-218-9288
Please register for the Ryerson 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.