Situated in southwest Lake County, Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve is a wonderful yet under-birded site containing a nice mix of wetland, woodland, and prairie habitats that attract many bird species.

Directions to the Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve parking lot are included in the registration link below.

Register for Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve Bird Walk

Waukegan Harbor draws a surprising number of ducks and other waterfowl throughout the winter, due to its protective breakwaters and sheltering docks.  Interesting sparrows often lurk in the trees and shrubs bordering the harbor parking lots.

Pine Dunes is one of the newest forest preserves in the north central part of Lake County. Nestled in the rolling hills and savannas are several small ponds/wetland areas. Depending upon water levels, a good mix of swans, geese and ducks are often present in fall. Ducks may include shovelers, gadwall, wigeons, buffleheads, hooded merganser and ruddy ducks. Lingering sparrows should also be seen in the grasslands.

Walk Leader: Donna Kenski 847-347-3474

History & Restoration Discussion: Don Wilson (224) 639-3158

Directions and parking instructions are included in the registration link below.

Register

Never birded before? We’ll loan you a pair of binoculars. Not up for a 3-mile bird walk? Grab a chair and see what you can see while hanging around a small pond at Lake Forest Open Lands’ Middlefork Farm Nature Preserve.

Co-sponsored by Lake/Cook Audubon and Lake Forest Open Lands and designed for novice and experienced birders alike, this Big Sit is an opportunity to share the camaraderie of birding, begin or advance your birding knowledge, and help the group find as many species as possible while staying in one place. Last year we spotted 52 species from warblers to finches and hawks to herons.

While viewing takes place from 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., please feel free to join us for a short window or all day. No registration required!

Snacks and beverages will be provided. Dress in layers appropriate for the weather. Keep in mind that you won’t be moving around very much. By attending this LFOLA event or program, you are hereby agreeing to all terms and conditions listed on our policy webpage.

No registration required.

Park at Elawa Farms/Middlefork Savanna parking lot.  Cross the field/playground to the north and look for green sign to Middlefork Farm. Look for the signs directing you to the sit location.

Join Lake County Audubon for a pop-up bird walk on Friday at McDonald Woods Forest Preserve. This under-birded site offers an array of woodland, wetland, and grassland habitat, providing options for many bird species. We will look for a variety of warblers, sparrows, nuthatches and finches, among others, and keep our fingers crossed for some fall surprises. 

Meet in the main parking lot. Directions are included in the registration link below.

REGISTER for McDonald Woods

Trip Leader: Jerry Hampton

Trip Coordinator: Charlotte Pavelka (847) 347-8416

Migration should be in full swing for this walk. Daniel Wright Woods is an easy gravel trail along the Des Plaines River and through oak-hickory forest, attracting plenty of migrants passing through. We will have some fun with the confusing fall warblers and some that are not so confusing as well. Red-headed woodpeckers are common here.

Register for Daniel Wright

Travel to McHenry County for a great mix of both early migratory and resident birds in woodland, prairie and wetland habitats with over 100 species on eBird for September.  

Improve your bird ID skills using your smartphone! Birding apps can boost your learning curve from beginner to expert quickly and save you the expense and weight of heavy field guide books not tailored to your specific location. Please set up your smartphone with the FREE Merlin Bird ID app and eBird app before our walk. Bring your phone and your binoculars, and we’ll learn and practice using the app to help you identify birds by sight and by sound. Beginners (and oldies) are welcome; no prior experience with birding or with Merlin or eBird are necessary. Even if you have used Merlin and eBird before, it’s a good opportunity to learn and practice their latest features.

Apps are especially helpful if you are traveling to new regions of the U.S. or the world as they focus on that location at that specific time of year. Your trip leaders will also discuss five or six other birding and nature apps that are great companions for your outdoor adventures that you may want to try.

The migrants will just be starting to arrive at Daniel Wright and you will be prepared for the big push in May. Early warblers, thrushes and flycatchers plus year-round residents will be present. Let’s go Birding!

Register for Daniel Wright

Kick off your year at this popular winter birding location! As inland water bodies (and sometimes even Lake Michigan) freeze up, this harbor generally continues to be a place of quiet refuge for waterfowl and gulls. And as a bonus, sometimes the birds are quite close and can be seen fairly easily just with binoculars.

Waukegan Harbor draws a surprising number of ducks and other waterfowl throughout the winter, due to its protective breakwaters and sheltering docks.  Interesting sparrows often lurk in the trees and shrubs bordering the harbor parking lots.

Pine Dunes is one of the newest forest preserves in the north central part of Lake County. Nestled in the rolling hills and savannas are several small ponds/wetland areas.

Travel to southwestern Lake County to visit this sprawling preserve with extensive wetlands and savanna to take in the fall colors. Green-winged teal, pintails, and shovelers are some of the ducks that may be found at this location in fall.

Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve, on the shore of Lake Michigan, is a great location for migrating warblers in wooded areas, sparrows in the extensive grasslands and migrating hawks soaring overhead. Sparrows are the real highlight with twenty species, including specialties like Nelson’s, Vesper and Harris being seen most years in October.

Join birdwatchers throughout the day at a scenic spot in Middlefork Savanna to count birds and enjoy some birding camaraderie. LCAS and Lake Forest Open Lands invite you to drop in and spend some time with us as we participate in the annual Big Sit sponsored by the New Haven Birding Club.

Join us on October 1 at 4:00 pm at the Orin Trapp Auditorium in Waukegan for an innovative program featuring the talents of the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra and the premiere of Sharing Our Shore – Waukegan’s short film “Four Little Birds, One Extraordinary Journey.”

Why do we love Illinois Beach in the fall? Noisy Yellow-bellied sapsuckers and Red-headed woodpeckers, soaring northern harriers and broad-winged hawks, twittering brown creepers and red-breasted nuthatches, four thrush species, kinglets, white-crowned, white-throated, fox and Lincoln’s sparrows and late fall warblers like Tennessee and Blackpolls.

Migration should be in full swing for this walk. Daniel Wright Woods is an easy gravel trail along the Des Plaines River and through oak-hickory forest, attracting plenty of migrants passing through.

Travel to McHenry County for a great mix of both early migratory and resident birds in woodland, prairie and wetland habitats with over 100 species on eBird for September.  

Shorebird migration should be at its peak in mid-August! It is fun as you never quite know what will turn up on any given day.

This is a special event designed especially for individuals with low mobility and/or other disabilities to enjoy birds and nature with others.  

Learn tips from Beau Schaefer about both biking and birding in Lake County and find out why he is a champion for birding by bike.

Join local butterfly monitor, Carla Schmakel, as we walk the prairie paths to learn more about butterfly ID, habitats, and status. We will also keep our eyes out for breeding birds as well.   

 Join LCAS board member, Donna Kenski, to visit this special prairie. Over sixty species have been observed in the past two weeks, including Bobolinks and Orchard Orioles.

Stephen Hurst is an outstanding younger birder and photographer, who will lead a walk for us for the first time. Last year, as he conducted the breeding bird survey for the forest preserve and BCN, he was able to observe 90 species! 

It’s time for Raising Bird Families!  Donna has been the breeding bird monitor at this location for LCFPD and the Bird Conservation Network for the past two years.  This preserve has a great mix of small ponds, wetlands, savanna and woodlands so lots of different species call it home.

Join us as we boat the Fox River Waterway and bird from a different angle. Egrets, Green & Great Blue Herons, Black Terns, Kingbirds and Flycatchers, Marsh Wrens, and Common Yellowthroats are all possible in this area of cattails and lilypads.

Come just for breakfast or join us before for a walk! Coffee, tea, muffins, and donuts will be provided by LCAS. 

Sedge Meadow is one of the best warbler and spring migrant sites in Lake County.  It has a good mix of habitat with river edge, oak hardwoods, willow thickets, and wetland ponds.

Come for just the first or second part of this outing, or for both parts.
6:30 - 7:30 am - Bowen Park
7:30 - 9:30 am - Lyons Woods