Stephanie Beilke and Leo Gaskins

Marsh Birds and Muskrats

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Meeting ZOOM

It is estimated that more than a billion migratory birds die in North America each year from collisions with buildings.  From residential structures to high-rise buildings, collision deaths are ranked as one of the greatest threats to bird populations after habitat loss.

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors (CBCM) is a conservation project working since 2003 to address the problems that lights and building designs pose to birds that pass through urban areas. Volunteers recover thousands of dead and injured birds from more than 200 different species each spring and fall.  The project raises awareness, educates and advocates for bird safety measures.  Learn about efforts and methods to protect migratory species from the hazards of lights and glass at our homes and in our communities.

Annette Prince has worked on local and national conservation projects as well as wildlife education and rehabilitation programs over the last thirty-six years.  She joined the non-profit conservation project – Chicago Bird Collision Monitors twenty years ago and became its director in 2005 helping to advance its mission to rescue, educate and advocate for the protection of birds impacted by urban hazards.  Annette is on the board of the Chicago Bird Alliance and chairs the Bird Friendly Chicago collaboration of bird conservation groups working to promote bird-friendly building design requirements in Chicago.

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Meeting ZOOM

Spring is nearly here, and our minds shift away from Snowy Owl and Northern Shrikes and towards warblers, vireos, shorebirds and more. This talk seeks to help the novice birder best understand the dynamics of spring migration in Chicago and help them make the most important decision in spring - "Where should I go birding today?" This talk will cover the basics of migration timing and expected species, weather and its effects on birds/birding, and how to make the most of birding in spring. 

Adam doesn't remember a time when a pair of binoculars wasn't around his neck.  He was mentored by his father and other local birders in north Texas and later by the incredible birding community of the Chicagoland area. He is deeply involved in his local birding community, including time spent on the board of the Illinois Ornithological Society and as a member of the Illinois Ornithological Records Committee.

A former middle school teacher, Adam is a natural teacher and has found guiding clients to be his preferred classroom.  He joined Red Hill Birding full-time in 2022 after spending summers guiding across Central and North America. He now both organizes and guides tours around the globe, and works alongside Josh on the day-to-day operations of Red Hill Birding. Adam sets out to ensure that both the novice birder and world lister have an incredible experience in the field. When not birding, you can find Adam enjoying all other aspects of nature and relaxing outdoors with his wife Tiffany, and son Ian.

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Meeting ZOOM

Vic Berardi, founder of the all-volunteer Illinois Beach State Park Hawkwatch and well known raptor photographer, will discuss wintering raptors of Illinois and neighboring Indiana and Wisconsin. His emphasis will be on raptor descriptions and possible locations to find these birds in the winter months. Vic spends a great deal of time in the winter searching for raptors and photographing them. His photographs have been used by several conservation organizations and in raptor field guides. He is also the Chair of the Winter Raptor Survey program for the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) and has been conducting a survey the past few winters in southeastern Wisconsin.

At present Lake County is home to three owl species that are year-round residents—the great horned, barred and screech—as well as several others that visit during the cold weather months. We’ll take a look these birds’ adaptations, as well as their life histories and the roles they play in local ecosystems. Spoiler alert: Species profiles will include an Illinois owl success story!

Presenter: Pam Otto is the outreach ambassador for the naturalist department at the St. Charles Park District. She received a master’s degree in outdoor education from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb in 2001, and a bachelor’s degree in Foods in Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1985. Although she has been chasing snakes since the age of three, she worked in the field of trade publishing for 15 years before starting work as a naturalist in 1999. Since that time she has worked at the Kane County Forest Preserve District’s Tekakwitha Woods Nature Center and at the Fox Valley Park District’s Red Oak Nature Center in North Aurora. She joined the naturalist staff at St. Charles in September 2007.

If you are unable to attend in person, please join us via Zoom using the link below: (TBD)

Did you know an oak tree is the larval host for more than 500 species of butterflies and moths? Discover the many trees, evergreens, shrubs, and vines that are home to a wide array of Lepidoptera. We’ll explore the host plants and life cycles of common favorites and rare beauties in this information-packed presentation. 

Heather Prince is a trained horticulturist and landscape consultant specializing in trees, shrubs, and natives with a passion for connecting people with plants. Heather relishes sharing her knowledge and experience by teaching at The Morton Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Garden, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, and Edith Farnsworth House as well as garden clubs, groups, and industry gatherings.

Please note that our LCAS meeting will be moving to Aspen Drive Library in Vernon Hills this month. We will be back at Cook Library for the December meeting, then at Aspen Drive for several months in 2025, due to planned construction at Cook Library.  Watch for info here or on our website for current meeting locations.

To attend via Zoom, use this link

We will learn about the frogs of the Chicago region - their habitats, the issues that threaten their existence, and measures in place to ensure that they will remain key components of our native ecosystems.”

Presenter: Joe Cavataio is an independent researcher, fascinated by the natural world but in particular how amphibians and reptiles persist in a human-dominated landscape.  He is a Chicago native who now lives with his family in West Chicago (DuPage Co.).

If you are unable to attend in person, please join us via Zoom using the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81156607139?pwd=rTnM28WsnoNJ83rHfw8khb0GmF6lYt.1

Speaker: Ken Klick, Lake County Forest Preserve

Birds of a feather should NOT flock together in buckthorn.

Buckthorn covers more ground in northeastern Illinois than any other woody plant-- oak trees don’t come close! Buckthorn’s presence reduces plant and animal diversity by out-competing native species, causing long-lasting damage to the soil, and degrading the habitat quality for nearly all native species. Buckthorn’s dense thickets shade the ground from sunlight, making regeneration of oak trees, flowers, and grasses practically impossible. Ken’s program will focus on the impacts of invasive buckthorn on Lake County’s migratory and breeding bird populations and the forest preserve’s efforts to control this invasive plant while improving bird habitat.

Ken is a consummate naturalist, whose life-long interest (and career) touches upon all aspects of natural area management and the protection of its interconnecting web of plants, animals, geology, climate, and people. For 30 years Ken has been the project lead on thousands of acres of prairie, woodland, and wetland restoration projects throughout Lake County Forest Preserves’ 31,000 wonderful acres.

Join us in person at Cook Library. If you are unable to attend in person, join via Zoom at the link below:

May 6 Program ZOOM

Derek and Ryan Sallman from Badgerland Birding will highlight what the Wisconsin birding scene is like, which spots you should go to if you come visit, and the top species to find in the state. Additionally, they will talk a little bit about how they got into birding, why they started their company "Badgerland Birding", and what trends we might see in birds/birding in the future. You can check out their YouTube channel to see more about what they do:

Badgerland Birding on YouTube

Derek (28) and Ryan (32) Sallmann started birding after watching the movie "The Big Year", but were always interested in nature growing up. Their parents and grandparents helped foster this interest, and after learning more about the hobby of birding, they decided that they wanted to showcase birding for what it really is: A great adventure. They started their YouTube Channel "Badgerland Birding" in 2016 and it has grown over time, currently with around 30,000 subscribers, with videos from all over the United States and in other countries. In addition to making content on YouTube, they also do birding tours, talks, and presentations, including a yearly series of presentations and walks at the Conservancy For Healing and Heritage in Franklin, Wisconsin. Derek and Ryan want to keep expanding "Badgerland Birding" in order to reach more people and teach them about birds, birding, and conservation.

If you are unable to attend in person, join by Zoom using the link below:

Zoom for Badgerland Birding

Holly Garvey is a naturalist, outdoor enthusiast, and volunteer environmental educator with the Lake County Forest Preserves. In pursuit of her MS in Wildlife Conservation and Management, she focused on predator-prey dynamics, ethical conservation, and human-wildlife conflict.

Australia has a unique variety of wildlife that lives in its wide ranging habitats from tall humid rainforest canopies to the low dry woodlands of the mallee. Cockatoos, fairywrens, lyrebirds, honeyeaters, koalas and wallabies are some of 262 birds and 18 mammals observed by Doug Reitz & Charlotte Pavelka in Australia and Tasmania in early 2023. We will share highlights from the 74 Australian bird families observed including the primitive Magpie Goose that is in a family of its own (monotypic).

Presenter: Geoff Williamson. The status and distribution of birdlife in Illinois is always shifting, though generally quite slowly. In the last several decades, however, birders have seen instances of very rapid changes.

The National Audubon Society recently unveiled the Bird Migration Explorer, a new tool to help us learn more about the spectacular journeys they take. LCAS board member, Refugio Mariscal will walk us through the Bird Migration Explorer and examine what connects Lake County to faraway places like Corrientes, Argentina and Yapacani, Bolivia.

HYBRID EVENT

Presenter: Lisa Maeir
Northern Illinois is home to nearly twenty regularly occurring sparrows. Often overlooked as plain “little brown jobs” but with a little practice, one can easily tell one sparrow from another. This family of hardy birds can be found throughout the year in virtually any habitat. In this presentation, we will discuss the species of sparrows that occur in our region, where to find them, and how to tell them apart.

HYBRID EVENT

This presentation focuses on making plant choices with our native pollinators in mind. We will discuss our native bees, butterflies, wasps, and other pollinators that are under serious threat from a variety of stress factors causing an unceasing decline in their populations. Learn of our pollinators’ importance in our ecosystem and about the plants that attract them and why. Find out how a little effort on our part can go a long way for pollinators and our ecosystem while also providing you with beauty and enjoyment.