Events

Pre-registration is not required. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is one of the premier grassland birding spots in the area. The area is littered with abandoned munitions bunkers, as well as fantastic grassland species such as Henslow's Sparrow, Bell's Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Blue Grosbeak. This walk will primarily take place on old asphalt roads but may venture into tall grass. Dress appropriately and bring bug spray and sun protection. We will meet at the Iron Bridge Trailhead on Route 53 in Elwood, Illinois. The entrance to the trailhead parking lot is about two miles south of Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery […]

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants.On this two-mile field trip our main target will be looking for late migrant warblers and returning summer residents.  We will meet in the gravel parking lot at the end of Canal Bank Road. Coming off of Lemont Road this turnoff is called Old Lemont Road, and is unmarked, so turn at this pin: 41,683840, -88.003541. Google Map link . Feel free to ask questions on how to get there after you RSVP. Please call if you have any problems with directions.Leader: Mark Freeburg, freebs59@sbcglobal.net or call or text 630-661-1521

Pre-registration is not required.We’ll be looking for shrubland/grassland birds on a walk of 2.5-3 miles on limestone trails only, through the prairie and savanna. Optional continuation through the oak woodland-kettle pond area for later migrants. Hat, water bottle and snack highly recommended. Meet at the Lemont Rd parking lot at 101st Street (Google Maps Waterfall Glen Parking Lot #3.) No reservation is needed but please text or call leader with any questions.Leader: Vicky Sroczynski 630-297-9512

This unique spot in northern McHenry County is a great spot for sought after marsh birds. The walk will focus on finding the site's nesting Yellow-headed Blackbird population, as well as species such as Black Tern, King Rail, Marsh Wren, and others. There is roughly a mile walk on a straight gravel path before we hit the marsh area. We may venture off trail into tall grass, so dress appropriately and bring bug spray and sun protection. The parking lot is behind the Hebron Township Building in Hebron, Illinois (10206 Seaman Rd, Hebron, IL 60034). Although there is no limit to […]

Pre-registration not required.New birders welcome on this trip at a modest, but sometimes mighty, preserve! We’ll see who's decided to take up summer residence in this 30-acre patch of woods, ephemeral wetland, ravine, and grass, with lots of edge habitat. Trails are a mix of grass, wood chip, dirt/mud, and pavement. Meet in the parking lot at 1163 Plank Road, Naperville 60563. No reservation is needed but feel free to email the leader with any questions. Leader: Steve Constantelos,  steve.constantelos@gmail.com

Pre-registration not required.Join us for a longer (4+ mile) hike around a forest preserve that has a wide variety of habitat types and a diverse selection of breeding birds to go along with it.  Meet at the secondary parking lot that is off of Herrick Rd. about a quarter mile south of Butterfield Rd. Herrick Lake FP   (not the main entrance on Butterfield Rd.) Leader: Kyle Wiktor, cell: 708-506-5186

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 participants. New birders welcome on this trip at a modest, but sometimes mighty, preserve! We’ll see who's decided to take up summer residence in this 30-acre patch of woods, ephemeral wetland, ravine, and grass, with lots of edge habitat. Trails are a mix of grass, wood chip, dirt/mud, and pavement. Meet in the parking lot at 1163 Plank Road, Naperville 60563Leader: Steve Constantelos,  steve.constantelos@gmail.com

Pre-registration not required.Danada is located at 3S507 Naperville Road, south of Butterfield Road and north of I-88 on the east side of Naperville Road. Meet in the parking lot by the horse corrals. We will be looking for passerines, grassland birds and scan the lake for waterfowl. This is an approximately 2 mile walk mostly on limestone paths with some dirt paths.Leaders: Karen and Mike Warner,  mwarner2543@gmail.com  630-640-2450

Pre-registration is required (please email), limit 10 participants.Please note that Fermilab is a government research facility and has strict access requirements: All participants aged 18 and over must have a REAL-ID compliant state ID or passport to enter the site. When on site, you must remain in public areas at all times, have a visitor’s tag visible, and leave the same way you came in. When arriving at Fermilab, present your ID and let the security guard know you are here for bird watching; they will provide a visitors tag for you to wear. Full details on public access to […]

Pre-registration not required.This site remains one of DuPage County’s premier birding spots. Walk around the marsh with us, approximately 3.25 miles, to check out resident species. We hope to see Red-headed Woodpeckers, Henslow's Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, and some marsh & woodland species. Most of our walk will be on preserve 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, cell: 708-506-5186

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 20 participants.On this trip to the Wood Dale Reservoir complex, we will be searching for shorebirds along with birds that breed at this site, including Savannah Sparrows and Dickcissel. The leader will go into depth about the basics of shorebird identification in the field, in hopes that participants will feel confident identifying shorebirds. Meet in the parking lot at the end of School Street at 8am. Leader: Henry Meade, henrymm21@icloud.com

Registration is not required, but please email the trip leader if you plan to attend so you can receive any trip updates.A more casual evening trip, perfect for anyone hoping to beat the summer heat and who cannot get out in the mornings. This trip is planned with the after-work crowd in mind, but anyone interested is welcome! This trip may be cancelled due to weather and will not be rescheduled. Danada East is located at 3S501 Naperville Road, on the east side of the road, south of Butterfield Road and north of I-88. Those using GPS can set navigation […]

Pre-registration required, limit 12 participants.We’ll be looking for summer residents (including youngsters!) as we explore the fields and wetlands of this compact preserve along Salt Creek. New birders are welcome as we will take a fairly leisurely pace to see (and listen to) the birds and to answer questions. Meet in the parking lot at 115 Canterberry Lane, Oak Brook.Leader: Steve Constantelos, 630-890-8956,  steve.constantelos@gmail.com

No registration required. If you would like an email if the trip should be canceled email me and let me know you are planning to come.This is a field trip for anyone who finds the long walks of our regular field trips too difficult or who would just like a less vigorous birding experience, but still share the camaraderie of fellow birders. Bring your folding lawn chairs, binoculars, and field guides. McDowell Grove has mature woodlands and the West Branch of the DuPage river runs through the park. We will be looking for any birds that come our way! McDowell […]

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants.We will meet at Big Rock parking lot and explore this area. We are looking for summer resident birds including summer tanagers and possibly some grassland birds. If you don’t have an arboretum membership, let us know and if you can follow someone in. It will cost $5.00.Leader: Mark Freeburg, freebs59@sbcglobal.net or call or text 630-661-1521

No pre-registration required.We’ll be looking for summer residents (including youngsters!) as we explore the fields and woods along the Thunderbird Trail. New birders are welcome as we will take a fairly leisurely pace to see (and listen to) the birds and to answer questions. If conditions are good, we’ll do a little bonus walk at the end. Meet at the Thunderbird Youth Camp Parking Lot at the south end of Thunderbird Road. The entrance is located on 79th Street, about 0.5 miles west of Greene Road.Leader: Steve Constantelos, 630-890-8956,  steve.constantelos@gmail.com

Pre-registration is required (please email), limit 10 participants.Please note that Fermilab is a government research facility and has strict access requirements: All participants aged 18 and over must have a REAL-ID compliant state ID or passport to enter the site. When on site, must remain in public areas at all times, have a visitor’s tag visible, and leave the same way they came in. When arriving at Fermilab, present your ID and let the security guard know you arehere for bird watching, they will provide a visitors tag for you to wear. Full details on public access to Fermilab can […]

Robert Perez will be leading a birding trip to Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, in Chicago. Link. More information to come!

Birding and Breakfast! Please RSVP!After some morning birding around the forest preserve, DBC will serve breakfast to all attendees. Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. If you want to skip the walk and just attend the breakfast, you’re more than welcome to do so! We will meet at 7:00 a.m. at the South Shelter (turn into the west parking lot on Herrick Road and follow the signs to the South Shelter). If you are interested in attending the breakfast and/or the walk, please send an email to: Robert Perez, robertperez787@gmail.com

Registration is not required, but please email the trip leader if you plan to attend so you can receive any trip updates.A more casual evening trip, perfect for anyone hoping to beat the summer heat and who cannot get out in the mornings. This trip is planned with the after-work crowd in mind, but anyone interested is welcome! This trip may be cancelled due to weather and will not be rescheduled. Danada East is located at 3S501 Naperville Road, on the east side of the road, south of Butterfield Road and north of I-88. Those using GPS can set navigation […]

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 participants.On this trip we will be exploring one of the premier shorebird spots in DuPage County. We will focus on finding and identifying migratory shorebirds such as Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers and both species of yellowlegs. There’s even the chance for something rarer like a Stilt or Baird’s Sandpiper. The walk will be about a mile. Please meet in the parking lot at the end of School St. Leader: Henry Meade, kathleenreeves22@yahoo.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required by email, limit 10 participants.We will be looking for late summer woodland/wetland residents and early migrants. Lyman's trails are almost always muddy regardless of weather. If rain occurs ahead of the trip, expect areas with standing water. Be prepared with appropriate footwear, and insect repellent is recommended. Meet at the parking lot on 31st Street .Leader: Matt Crisler, crislermj@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 participants.New birders welcome! We'll seek summer residents, youngsters, and early migrants along the DuPage, in the woods, at a field's edge, and among shade trees by the nature center. Trails are level and are grass/dirt/paved. Meet at the parking lot on 336 Knoch Knolls Rd., Naperville. Leader: Steve Constantelos, 630-890-8956, steve.constantelos@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants.We’ll be looking for summer residents (including youngsters!) and early migrants as we explore the fields and woods along the Thunderbird Trail. New birders are welcome as we will take a fairly leisurely pace to see (and listen to) the birds and to answer questions. If conditions are good, we’ll do a little bonus walk at the end. Meet at the Thunderbird Youth Camp Parking Lot at the south end of Thunderbird Road. The entrance is located on 79th Street, about 0.5 miles west of Greene Road.Leader: Steve Constantelos, 630-890-8956,  steve.constantelos@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required by email, limit 10 participants. Meet at the north end of the  Greene Road parking lot . We'll make our way east to the 83rd Street Fluddle area, with the primary goal being to look for migrating shorebirds, with birding along the way as time permits. Scopes/tripods are highly recommended, and trip leader will have one. Fall shorebird IDs can be difficult even with experience - 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 […]

THIS TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELED Pre-registration not required.This site remains one of DuPage County’s premier birding spots. Walk around the marsh with us, approximately 3.25 miles, to check out resident species & early fall migrants. Most of our walk will be on preserve 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, cell: 708-506-5186

Pre-registration is required (please email), limit 10 participants.Please note that Fermilab is a government research facility and has strict access requirements: All participants aged 18 and over must have a REAL-ID compliant state ID or passport to enter the site. When on site, must remain in public areas at all times, have a visitor’s tag visible, and leave the same way they came in. When arriving at Fermilab, present your ID and let the security guard know you are here for bird watching, they will provide a visitors tag for you to wear. Full details on public access to Fermilab […]

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 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

Pre-registration not required.This site remains one of DuPage County’s premier birding spots. Walk around the marsh with us, approximately 3.25 miles, to check out resident species. Targets include resident birds, raptors, waterfowl, fall warblers and other migrant species. Most of our walk will be on preserve 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, cell: 708-506-5186

Pre-registration with the leader is required by email, limit 10 participants.Meet at the north end of the  Greene Road parking lot . We'll make our way east to the 83rd Street Fluddle area, with the primary goal being to look for migrating shorebirds, with birding along the way as time permits. Scopes/tripods are highly recommended, and trip leader will have one. Fall shorebird IDs can be difficult even with experience - 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 […]