Field Trips

Registration not necessary.  
Join us for a walk around one of DuPage county's premier birding hotspots to look for resident birds and early spring migrants.  Hopefully, some waterfowl should be around.  This approximately 3-mile walk will be on crushed limestone and earthen trails; wear appropriate shoes and clothing. Meet at the visitor parking lot on the north side of Mack Rd., located between Winfield Rd. and Rt. 59 in Warrenville.
Leader: Kyle Wiktor, 708-506-5186 (text or call if you have questions regarding weather cancellation)

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants
We will be looking for early migrants and woodland residents and conclude the trip with a search for the resident Great Horned Owls and/or migrating Woodcocks around and after sunset. Dress warmly as we may be stationary at times. A red flashlight or headlamp is recommended. Lyman’s trails are often
muddy and there may be areas with standing water. Be prepared with appropriate footwear. Meet at the Lyman Woods main parking lot on 31 st Street.
Leader: Matt Crisler, crislermj@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants
Meet up with us for some evening birding through the west side of Danada Forest Preserve while daylight allows. The birding doesn’t stop just because the sun as gone down! Once it’s too dark to keep birding with binoculars, we will shift our focus to looking and listening for displays of American Woodcocks. This trip may be cancelled due to weather. Meet at the circle drive in front of the Forest Preserve District HQ, located at 3S580 Naperville Rd., Wheaton, IL 60189
Leader: William Pixler, pillwixler@gmail.com

Registration not required
Join us for a morning walk at one of DuPage County’s premier birding hotspots to look for resident birds and early spring migrants.  The walk will be approximately 3 miles on limestone and earthen trails; wear appropriate shoes and clothing.  Meet at the visitor parking lot on the north side of Mack Road, located east of Rt. 59, and west of Winfield Road.
Leader: Kyle Wiktor, Cell: (708)506-5186

Preregistration is suggested so you can be contacted in case of cancellation
Our first sit of the year! This is a field trip for anyone who finds the long walks of our regular field trips too difficult or who would like a less vigorous birding experience. Share in the camaraderie of fellow birders! Bring your folding lawn chairs, binoculars, and field guides and join us at Whalon Lake Preserve.
A scope can be helpful for spotting birds on the lake. We will meet and sit as a group and look for early spring migrants, waterfowl and any birds that come to us! Birders of all levels welcome. Whalon Lake Preserve is located on Royce Rd., west of Route 53/Bolingbrook Drive in Naperville (across the street from Lissen Rd.) Drive all the way to the boat landing area, we will meet there. Dress much
warmer than you think is necessary. It’s hard to stay warm while sitting, especially if the weather is chilly.
Leader: Natalie McFaul, Natcatcher7@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 participants
This morning trip is designed to focus on waterfowl such as Common Loons and Horned Grebes, but we will also search for songbird migrants alongside the lake. We will most likely go onto smaller trails, which could be muddy depending on recent conditions, so boots are highly recommended. We will meet in the
parking lot off Army Trail Road, near Deep Quarry Lake.
Leader: Henry Meade, henrymm21@icloud.com

Pre-registration with the leader is suggested
On this trip we will be exploring the western part of Danada Forest Preserve looking for nesting Great Blue Herons who have had a rookery here in the past. Also, we will be searching for early spring migrants. Please meet on the west side of the Forest Preserve HQ parking lot.
Leader: Mike and Karen Warner, mwarner2543@gmail.com, 630 640-2450

Pre-registration with the leader is required
Join Joe Suchecki to look for early spring migrants, grassland birds and marsh birds at this great birding location. Wear appropriate clothing and footwear in case we go off-trail. Insect repellant recommended. Meet at the main parking lot on 83 rd Street, between Book Rd. and Route 59.
Leader: Joe Suchecki, Dbcsec2020@gmail.com

Pre-registration required with the leader, 10 participants
Greene Valley has a lot of great habitats in it, but you can't really cover more than one in a typical field trip due to distance. We will bike around the preserve to hit as much as possible in one run. Expect to ride about 5 miles with a few light hills (no overlook). We will be sticking to the limestone/paved trails. Meet at the north end of the Greene Road parking lot near the information sign & trailhead.
Leader: Matt Crisler, crislermj@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required
This trip will look for early migrants and returning summer residents in the Thunderbird area. We will travel along the gravel road to the campground and then walk back through the woods. Meet at the west entrance parking lot off Thunderbird Road. https://maps.app.goo.gl/qBDz7dMEctk3oJss8
Leader: Mark Freeburg, Cell: (630)661-1521, freebs59@sbcglobal.net

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants
We will be looking for early migrants and woodland residents and conclude the trip with a search for the resident Great Horned Owls and/or migrating Woodcocks around and after sunset. Dress warmly as we may be stationary at times. A red flashlight or headlamp is recommended. Lyman’s trails are often
muddy and there may be areas with standing water. Be prepared with appropriate footwear. Meet at the Lyman Woods main parking lot on 31 st Street.
Leader: Matt Crisler, crislermj@gmail.com

Registration is not required. Please email the leader if you plan to attend to receive updates.
Start the weekend off with a casual evening of birding. This trip is planned with the after-work/school crowd in mind, but anyone interested is welcome! Danada East is located at 3S501 Naperville Road, on the east side of the road, south of Butterfield Road and north of 1-88 (Danada House). Plan to meet at the north end of the parking lot near the entry kiosk with the benches and bike racks. This trip may be cancelled due to weather.
Leader: William Pixler, pillwixler@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants
We'll be concentrating on early woodland migrants as we explore some of the excellent trails through this preserve. We will meet in the main parking lot which is accessed off of Winfield Road just north of Butterfield Road. 
Leader: Denis Kania, djkan36@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants
This walk will cover approximately 3 miles of trails through woodland groves, meadows, wetlands and along open edges. Woodland trails can be wet and/or muddy. Meet at main parking lot on Circle Avenue, just north of Lake Street (Rt 20). https://maps.app.goo.gl/dJvRbGDZAmZ5cKGeA
Leader: Nancy Allured, nallured@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader required, limit 15 participants.
Shorebirds after work! Wood Dale Reservoir offers great viewing opportunities for several species of migrating shorebirds. Spotting scopes can be useful here; trip leader will have one. Shorebird IDs can be difficult at times. The trip leader will be happy to help people who may be new to it, but it will help to review field guides, eBird/Merlin, and/or some of the DBC YouTube content (Yellowlegs and Similar Waders, Peeps) ahead of time. We will meet at the parking lot at the end of School Street (298 School Street in Wood Dale if using GPS).
Leader: Matt Crisler, crislermj@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants
This morning trip will focus on woodland migrants passing through our area. This is a popular migrant hotspot in both spring and fall. If birds are on the move, we will be in a great location to view them. Meet in the first parking lot after entering the preserve. The entrance is at the intersection of Raymond Dr. and McDowell Rd. where there is a stoplight.
Leader: Denis Kania, djkan36@gmail.com

Organizers: Joe Kubal, Sherry Courtney, Matt Crisler

Matching DBC member interest for the field trip to Magee Marsh with available resources has been a challenge in planning this trip. Due to the high demand anticipated, we have decided to initiate a lottery system for participation. This seems to be the most equitable and fair way to enroll potential attendees.

Right now, we only have room for 10 participants due to only having 1 hike leader. We would like to expand this to 20, so we are looking for a second hike leader to volunteer. If you are, or someone you know is, interested, please reach out to Sherry Courtney at sherrycourtney10@gmail.com.

*The lottery is open now until February 10th , 2025. You are asked to include only two participants in your email request to enroll. In this request, please include only the names and email addresses of “active birders.”  Do not include spouses and significant others who are coming with you but not participating in the actual hikes themselves.

The lottery drawing will be held mid-February, and all individuals that requested enrollment will be notified of the results shortly thereafter. If you are selected to attend the trip, the field trip coordinators will forward a packet of materials concerning lodging (we have reserved a block of rooms) and other details. There is also the possibility of having a pre-trip orientation meeting.

Requests to enroll should be sent to Joe Kubal at jdrk4715@aol.

A hundred or more birders will fan out across DuPage County to identify all the bird species they can find at the Spring Bird Count on Saturday May 10.  A group of birders will be in the field somewhere near your home. Come join us; we need more birders to make it possible to cover as many locations within the county as we can. You don't have to be an expert birder to participate; all skill levels are welcome.

Even if you can only bird for part of the day, we can use you. And if that’s your preference, you’ll probably be able to look for birds close to home, since we divide the county into 16 areas, with teams scouring each area. To volunteer or find out more information email Joe Suchecki.

Email Joe Suchecki at DuPagesbc@gmail.com

The DuPage Birding Club is turning 40 this year, and we will be celebrating with some birding and fun.
Everyone is invited! Mark your calendars now so you don’t miss out! Look for details about this event in
future Drummings.