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.
NEW! Horizon Farm, a former equestrian estate, is one of Cook County’s newest forest preserves and a welcome addition to the scarce grassland habitat in the Chicagoland area. The property covers nearly 400 acres and features meadows, wetlands and small streams as well as open habitat for grassland species including Bobolink (as many as 20 were counted here in late May last year) as well as Henslow’s Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark and more.
Directions: Horizon Farm is located at Old Sutton Rd., south of Otis Rd. From the north suburbs, take Lake Cook Road to N. Quentin Rd., Turn south (left) on Quentin, drive 1.1 mile to Dundee and turn west (right). Drive 5 miles and turn southwest (left) on IL-59 on 1.4 miles, turn west (right) on Algonquin Rd, Il-62, 1.0 miles, and then north (right) on Old Sutton Rd., 0.8 miles. Enter the forest preserve and proceed to the parking lot by the barn (see Google maps pin above).
Leader: Kerry Swift 847-323-6878
Please register for the Horizon Farm 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
Catch the end of spring migration and the beginning of nesting season at Lake County’s best spot for grassland and marsh birds, including Bobolink, Henslow’s Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark and sometimes Dickcissel. With 1,216 uninterrupted acres, the habitat includes prairie, wetland and an oak grove that plays host to passerines. Rollins is also one of the few places in the county to find Trumpeter Swans, which have nested here for several years.
Bring a spotting scope to scan the large wetland if you have one.
Directions: Meet at the Drury Lane parking lot on the north side of the preserve. From I-94, exit Grand Ave. west to Rollins Rd., then turn left (west) on Rollins and south on Drury Lane Drive .3 mile to the parking lot on left.
Leader: Beau Schaefer 847-337-3602
Please register for the Rollins Savanna 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.