Following is a listing of our upcoming bird and wildlife programs. To receive notice of future programs and field trips, please sign up to receive our email newsletter (click link). You can also join our Facebook page.
To provide the greatest diversity of program options, our programs will be a mix of in-person and Zoom presentations. In-person programs are held at Heller Nature Center at 2821 Ridge Road in Highland Park, Illinois 60035 (directions) unless otherwise noted. All programs are open and free to the public unless noted. Membership is not required to attend these programs. If you like our programming, here are ways to support our organization.
In the calendar below, please click the “+” to expand the view. Once expanded, click “Read More” for more event detail and map.
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.
Keep checking back for updates to our program schedule.