News

It’s time to renew your dues for next year! Your annual membership dues for 2025 are due by December 31, 2025. Dues remain $20 for individuals, $30 for families and $10 for students. Please note that any new member joining on or after September 1 is automatically registered for the following year. Your dues fund our annual operations and support a broad range of activities, including field trips, interesting speakers, research grants, and proactive community outreach. Help us stay strong! Your 2025 dues may now be paid in any of the following ways: 1. On-line through our website using PayPal […]

Join us again for the annual Fermi Christmas Bird Count on December 16th. This is your chance to contribute to an important community science opportunity. Data collected provides invaluable insights into winter bird populations plus it’s a great opportunity to connect with fellow birders. If you participated last year, you’re already on the list and will be contacted in early December regarding your counting areas. If it’s been a few years, or you are new to the count and would like to participate, please contact the compiler, Jeff Chapman at jeffchapman948@gmail.com. Remember you’ll be grouped with a team so no

Attention, readers! The DBC Book Club will next be reading Life of the Skies by noted author Jonathan Rosen. Described as part birding history, part travelogue, and part exploration of man’s relationship to nature, this much-acclaimed book is sure to delight, stimulate your thinking, and give you much to ponder. Join fellow DBC members on Tuesday evening, December 3, to share some holiday cheer and talk about the book. For details on the meeting, contact Mike Warner at mwarner2543@gmail.com.

If you are one of the more than two dozen volunteers who have given of their time and talents to the DBC in the last year, please plan to celebrate your contribution at the DBC Volunteer Luncheon on November 16 at St. James Farm. The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a short birding walk followed by a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. The event is for everyone who has volunteered in any capacity on behalf of the club in the last year. This includes Board Members, Committee members, field trip leaders, outreach volunteers, hospitality teams, newsletter and website contributors,

The proposed pedestrian bridge over Rt. 83 in Cricket Creek Forest Preserve is now in Phase 2 design with construction beginning the winter of 2025 and completion anticipated for 2026. This bridge will improve nonmotorized access across Rt. 83. It will be a 10-foot-wide path with 3-foot grass connecting residents to Berens Park and the Salt Creek Greenway. Funding sources included the City of Elmhurst with grant funding from state and federal sources.

DBC’s very own Jeff Reiter, columnist for the Daily Herald (and DBC past president), covers Chicagoland birding from many angles in his monthly column Words on Birds. This month’s column is especially helpful for any of you working on getting your birding chops up. From studying the birds in your backyard and connecting with DBC and other local birding organizations to tapping into the many digital and print resources, this column is packed with practical advice to improve your birding skills and appreciation for our avian friends. Read the full story here.  

It’s time to renew your dues for next year! Your annual membership dues for 2025 are due by December 31, 2025. Dues remain $20 for individuals, $30 for families and $10 for students. Please note that any new member joining on or after September 1 is automatically registered for the following year. Your dues fund our annual operations and support a broad range of activities, including field trips, interesting speakers, research grants, and proactive community outreach. Help us stay strong! Your 2025 dues may now be paid in any of the following ways: 1. On-line through our website using PayPal

DBC’s Summer 2024 photo contest winners have been finalized! The entries were judged by Andie Duffy, Steve Constantelos, Natalie McFaul, Thelma Hulka and Mike Warner. Because of the variety and quality of the submissions, the committee had a very tough time deciding on which pictures to recognize; the committee would like to thank all the photographers for their entries. Go to Members Photo Gallery to see the winning photos.

Presented by Mary Hennen, Director, Chicago Peregrine Program, Bird Division, The Field Museum We heard the fascinating story of the recovery of Peregrine Falcons in the Chicago area. Once on the Endangered Species List and extirpated in Illinois from 1951 until 1986, the Peregrine Falcon population is now past historic levels. Listen to the full presentation and learn how this now urban bird has adapted to living among us: https://youtu.be/euHcxwbq_yI For more information on Illinois Peregrines, be sure to check out the Illinois Peregrine Website and follow them on Facebook!

The DBC is looking for pictures of birds taken between September 1, 2024, and November 30, 2024. All photos are welcome: amateur, funny, imperfect, high-quality. The “story behind the shot” is taken into account when judging. The judges want this to be a fun contest; no categories have been predefined for award winners so every entry has a chance to win! Note: the judges ask that you limit the number of photos entered to five or less. They usually do not give out more than one award to the same author if they submit multiple images. The contest is open