Meetings

Upcoming Meetings

January 9, 2025 - 7 PM, Meeting Via zoom, with In-Person TBD

Topic: Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

Presenters: Dr. Gary Sullivan, Senior Ecologist, and Peter Goodspeed, Restoration Program Director

The DuPage Birding Club is honored to host Dr. Gary Sullivan and Peter Goodspeed from the Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge as our first speakers in 2025. Even if you haven’t had the chance to visit Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, you won’t want to miss this presentation! In 2001, The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) began restoring Hennepin & Hopper Lakes in north-central Illinois along the Illinois River, transforming it from drained farmland back to high-quality native ecosystems.

Today, nearly 25 years later, the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge is a 3,000-plus-acre natural treasure containing more than a dozen rare, highly diverse habitat types. The Refuge is designated as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, and its large trail system is open to the public 365 days a year. Named for the hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl that visit the lakes in spring and fall, the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge is a popular birding destination with a checklist of 280 species.

Dr. Gary Sullivan has been Senior Ecologist at TWI since 2001, primarily responsible for designing and managing the implementation of habitat restorations at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and the Calumet region across Chicago’s Southeast Side and Northwest Indiana. Dr. Sullivan has worked on aquatic and wetland ecosystems in New York, California, Oregon, and Illinois since 1988. With Dr. Sullivan retiring in early 2025, Peter Goodspeed recently joined TWI as their incoming Restoration Program Director after serving as Director of Natural Resources with the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. Peter and Dr. Sullivan will present on the history and process of ecological restoration at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, more-recent land additions and conservation projects at the site, and the rich biodiversity it supports.

The meeting will be held via Zoom. Weather and other events permitting, our speakers may be able to join us in person. You’ll be alerted if an in-person meeting becomes an option. To register for the virtual meeting, click here.

 

Past Meetings

When permitted, we record meeting content. Click on the meeting date to view presentations at the DBC Education Channel on YouTube.

Meeting Location

Faith Lutheran Church
41 N. Park Blvd. (just N. of Roosevelt Rd.)
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Park in the back of the church and enter through the glass doors, then go down the stairs to the meeting hall on your right.

Pre-Meeting Dinner (only when meetings are held in person)

Ellyn's Tap and Grill
940 Roosevelt Rd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Everyone is invited to meet guest speakers at a pre-meeting dinner at Ellyn’s Tap and Grill (attendees pay for their own meal), 940 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn. Ellyn's is located on the east side of the Baker Hill strip center. Arrive between 5:15 and 5:30 to chat with guest speakers and catch up with your birding buds. 

MEETINGS

About DBC Meetings

We meet eight times per year generally on the second Thursday of January, March, April, May, July, September, October, and November.

The DuPage Birding Club is proud to have hosted some of the finest speakers in the birding world including Don and Lillian Stokes, Richard Crossley, Julie Zickefoose, Pete Dunne, Scott Weidensaul, Sandy Komito, Sheri Williamson, George Fenwick, and Alvaro Jaramillo. Visitors and new members are always welcome!

MEETINGS

Past Meetings

Past Meetings

When permitted, we record meeting content. Click on the meeting date to view presentations at the DBC Education Channel on YouTube.

November 2024: A Close Look at Gull Identification, by Amar Ayyash, Gull Identification Expert and Author of "The Gull Guide".

October 2024: Red-headed Woodpeckers and the Importance of Oak Ecosystems, by Adriana Yoder, Ph.D. student at University of Missouri and Recipient of DBC Grant

September 2024: Illinois Peregrines from Decline to Recovery, by Mary Hennen, Director, Chicago Peregrine Program, Bird Division, The Field Museum

July 2024: Recovery of Eastern Whip-poor-wills In the Midwest, presented by Dr. Mike Ward

May 2024: Gems of the Air: Hummingbirds, presented by Denis Kania

April 2024: featuring Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, presented by Annette Prince, Director

March 2024: The always popular Members' Night where members share their pictures and birding adventures.

January 2024: The Galapagos-A Natural History presented by John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin.

October 2023 Meeting: Secrets of the Barn Owl presented by Grace LeCuyer, Raptor Survey Coordinator, Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

September 2023 Meeting: "Bird Is the Word: Waterbird Research in Illinois and Beyond." presented by Joshua Osborn, Waterbird Ecology Facilities Manager at Forbes Biological Station (FBS) in Havana, Illinois.

July 2023 Meeting: Offshore and Nearshore Waterfowl and Waterbird Monitoring in Western Lake Michigan presented by Bill Mueller, Director Emeritus of the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory

May 2023 Meeting: Topic: Prairie Ridge SNA and Greater Prairie-Chickens in Illinois presented by Bob Gillespie, IDNR Grassland Ecologist and Prairie Ridge SNA Site Manager

April 2023 Meeting: Topic: "Studies of the Red-tailed Hawk in Illinois" presented by Dr. Given Harper and Steven Burkett.

March 2023 Meeting: The always popular Members' Night where members share their pictures and birding adventures.

January 2023 Meeting: Topic: "20 Years of Words on Birds" presented by Mr.Jeff Reiter.

November 2022 Meeting: Topic: "Sax-Zim Bog in upstate Minnesota" presented by Mr. Richard Hoeg.

October 2022 Meeting: Topics: "The Magic Stump" by Bob Dolgan and "Breeding Bird Trends of the Chicago Region" by Diann Bilderback, Bob Fisher, Vicky Sroczynski and Nancy Allured.

September 2022 Meeting: The September meeting of the DuPage Birding Club featured a detailed update of Willowbrook Wildlife Center's master plan, plus a long-awaited look at a way to use eBird while traveling. 

July 2022 Meeting: Stephanie Schmidt, our IOS grantee, makes a presentation on cranes highlighting the Sandhill and Whooping Cranes. Also, Donna Kubik shares how the DBC promotes birding in our community through a variety of activities.

May 2022 Meeting: Topics: Identifying Hard-to-Identify Warblers and The DuPage River Project 

April 2022 Meeting Pulitzer Prize award winner Jack Davis discussing his latest book, "The Bald Eagle," an in-depth look at the cultural and environmental history of the Bald Eagle in the United States. Due to a glitch, the video begins midway through the presentation. 

March 2022 Meeting Zoom meeting featuring presentations by several of our members. We had an exciting lineup of pictures and stories from Texas, Thailand, Jamaica, South Africa, California, Cook County, and more!

January 2022 Meeting  Our January speaker, Katie Fallon, offers an intimate look at vultures. Vultures are often overlooked, underappreciated, and unloved, despite the vital role they play in healthy ecosystems.

November 2021 Meeting: 21 Years of Breeding Bird Monitoring by the Bird Conservation Network (BNC). BCN is a coalition of 20+ local and regional birding and conservation organizations; the DuPage Birding Club is a member. BCN volunteers use scientific protocols to monitor bird populations throughout the Chicago region during the breeding season.

October 2021 Meeting: Where in the World are the Birds? As it turns out, everywhere! Join Denis Kania and Joe Suchecki for a worldwide perspective on the joys of international birding. 

September 2021 Meeting: Monty and Rose 2:  The World of Monty and Rose. Bob Dolgan presented his brand new documentary film about the endangered Piping Plovers that have nested at Chicago's Montrose Beach the past three summers. 

July 2021 Meeting: Birds in the Garden: Creating & Enjoying a Bird Oasis. Pam Karlson shared photographs of her Chicago garden, offering many planting tips on how she's attracted over 100 species of bird visitors. This meeting was not recorded, but you can keep up with her on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pam.karlson.5

May 2021 Meeting: Owls of the Eastern Ice: Blakiston’s Fish Owl Conservation in Russia, speaker Jonathan Slaght. Although we were unable to record this meeting, here is a link to his homepage: jonathanslaght.com

April 2021 Meeting: Great Spring Birding in DuPage County, speaker John Cebula. Also, Joe Suchecki gives a brief presentation on the Spring Bird Count and how to participate. 

March 2021 Meeting:  The March meeting of the DuPage Birding Club featured...our members! Sit back and enjoy all the photos and stories from our annual Members' Night.

January 2021 Meeting: Banding Birds at PIBO + Wetlands Management and Breeding Birds

November 2020 Meeting: It all Started with Maple Grove, speaker Than Boves

October 2020 Meeting: Cryptic Birds of the Night, speaker Tara Beveroth 

September 2020 Meeting Part 1: Green Valley and Raptor ID, speakers Vicky Sroczynski and Bob Fisher

September 2020 Meeting Part 2: More Raptor ID: Accipiters, Eagles, Falcons and Harriers, speakers Vicky Sroczynski and Bob Fisher 

July 2020 Meeting: Amazing Hummingbirds of the World, speaker Denis Kania

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