Events

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants. We will walk through this hilly oak savanna in search of wintering birds. The walk will be on a mixture of gravel road and mowed trails. It is hilly and on uneven terrain. Meet outside of the entrance of the Discovery Center, 3795 Campton Hills Dr., St. Charles. Google Maps link.Leader: Wally and Angela Levernier, wglevernier@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 20 participants. Call or text only to register. This site remains one of DuPage County’s premier birding spots. Walk around the marsh with us to check out winter birds. 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. Google Maps link.Leader: Kyle Wiktor, cell: 708-506-5186

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants. This will be a walk looking for winter birds. We will walk along the Salt Creek in the lowland woods with good habitat for birds and possibly ducks. Meet at the main parking lot on Spring Rd. in Oak Brook. Google Maps link. Trails can be snow covered and often slippery in winter so bring appropriate footwear in case.Leader: Nancy Allured, nallured@comcast.net

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 participants. On this field trip 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. On this field trip our main targets will be waterfowl. Common Goldeneye and Redhead, along with many others are all possible. We will also be on the lookout for songbirds on the wooded side of […]

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. We’ll explore grassland, edge, and riverside habitat along the east branch of the DuPage River, looking for resident birds and early spring migrants. New birders welcome. Trails are mostly grass with some blacktop. Meet in the parking lot east of Braddock Drive at 808 Royce Road. Map link.Leader: Steve Constantelos, 630-890-8956, steve.constantelos@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 20 participants. Meet at the observation tower where we will start the trip by scanning for waterfowl. We will also scan from the boat launch lot before hiking the trails. Due to Covid, lunch will be on your own. Pack a sandwich if you plan to stay past noon. Leader will stay until 5:00 p.m. for those who want to “make a day of it.” Bring a scope if you have one. Bring plenty of water and snacks. More information: http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/dixon-location-and-visitingLeader: Jeff Smith, 331-481-3362, mrqmagoo13@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 participants. Join us for a St. Patrick Day walk. Danada is located in Wheaton 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 walk the woods looking for passerines and scan the lake for waterfowl.Leaders: Karen and Mike Warner, mwarner2543@gmail.com, 630-640-2450

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 12 participants. Actual time to be announced at registration.Waterfowl, cranes, eagles, and pelicans will be sought on this all-day trip exploring spots along the Mississippi, both in Illinois and Iowa. In addition to the river, Lost Mound will be visited to search for Western Meadowlark and Northern Mockingbird. Please contact the leader for meeting time and location. We will caravan from the western suburbs.Leader: Jeff Chapman, jeffchapman948@gmail.com

Greene Valley Forest Preserve is known for its Woodcock displays, which begin shortly after sunset. Join us this spring on one of our walks. Meet at the west entrance parking lot: west on 79th St. from Greene Rd, then Thunderbird Rd. south, approximately 1⁄2 mile to the campground entrance. The walk will NOT be canceled due to weather.Leader: Jeff Smith, mrqmagoo13@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. On this field trip 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:41.683806, -88.003611. Google Map link. We will be walking Centennial Trail along the Des Plaines River in search of waterfowl, Bald Eagles, early spring migrants, and resident birds.Leader: Mark Freeburg, freebs59@sbcglobal.net, 630-661-1521

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 10 participants. Join another morning walk to the marsh to check out early migrating birds. We hope to see migrant waterfowl. Bring a spotting scope if you have one. Meet at the visitor parking lot on the north side of Mack Rd., located between Winfield Rd. and Rt. 59 in Warrenville. Most of our walk will be on limestone and earthen trails; wear appropriate shoes and warm clothing. Leaders: Steve and Kathy Mineck, 630-254-4077 (day of), kmineck@yahoo.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. This location is an Audubon “Important Bird Area.” Loons, grebes, and other waterfowl are targeted on this trip. Meet at McGinnis Slough, on the west side of LaGrange Rd. (US45), approximately 1⁄2 mile south of 131st St. Finding waterfowl is associated with open water conditions. Bob will monitor conditions and may change the starting location in order to see more birds. This trip might extend past the noon hour. Wear appropriate clothing.Leader: Bob Fisher, 630-985-2956, bfisher928@aol.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. We'll be looking for spring migrants, including warblers, songbirds, and Wood Ducks that nest in the area. Trails are dirt and may be muddy, so wear appropriate footwear. Meet in parking lot off of Maple Ave. in Downers Grove.Leader: John Hebert, johnhhebert@yahoo.com

Greene Valley Forest Preserve is known for its Woodcock displays, which begin shortly after sunset. Join us this spring on one of our walks. Meet at the west entrance parking lot: west on 79th St. from Greene Rd., then Thunderbird Rd. south, appr. 1⁄2 mile to the campground entrance. The walk will NOT becanceled due to weather.Leader: Jeff Smith, mrqmagoo13@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 20 participants. This morning trip is especially designed for new birders and will be at a leisurely pace to provide as much time as desired to look at each bird and to answer questions on equipment or bird identification. Join us to check out this small preserve on the eastern side of DuPage County, right next to Salt Creek. Meet at the parking lot north of Fullerton Avenue (west of Rt. 83, east of Villa Ave.). Link:https://www.dupageforest.org/places-to-go/forest-preserves/cricket-creekLeaders: Andrew and Rebecca Steinmann, 708-533-6604, asteinmann@ameritech.net

Greene Valley Forest Preserve is known for its Woodcock displays, which begin shortly after sunset. Join us this spring on one of our walks. Meet at the west entrance parking lot: west on 79th St. from Greene Rd, then Thunderbird Rd. south, appr. 1⁄2 mile to the campground entrance. The walk will NOT be canceled due to weather.Leader: Jeff Smith, mrqmagoo13@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. A spring exploration of woods, wetland, and grassland habitats. We’ll walk the limestone White Oak and Kestrel Trails in search of newly-arrived breeding birds as well as migrants just passing through, plus our all-year residents of course. New birders welcome. Meet at the “horse trailer” or “south” parking lot on Greene Road, a little south of 79th Street. Map link. Greene Valley map.Leader: Steve Constantelos, 630-890-8956 steve.constantelos@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.Leader: Henry Meade. Please register with kathleenreeves22@yahoo.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. The DuPage Greenway Trail is a paved trail in Bolingbrook that runs alongside the East Branch of the DuPage River. The trailhead is on Royce Rd just west of Rt 53. It is about a mile and a half walk down to Whalon Lake, where we will look for migrating waterfowl, gulls, and possibly a bald eagle. We also hope to see spring migrants along the way.Leader: Mark Freeburg, freebs59@sbcglobal.net or call or text 630-661-1521

Greene Valley Forest Preserve is known for its Woodcock displays, which begin shortly after sunset. Join us this spring on one of our walks. Meet at the west entrance parking lot: west on 79th St. from Greene Rd, then Thunderbird Rd. south, appr. 1⁄2 mile to the campground entrance. The walk will NOT be canceled due to weather.Leader: Jeff Smith, mrqmagoo13@gmail.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. Between 1979 and 1992 more than 100 parcels of land were assembled to form the core of this park. Today it is one of the most accessible natural areas in DuPage County, having wood chip trails and a floating boardwalk. There is a small prairie and an oak forest besides the marsh. The walk should be between one hour fifteen minutes and two hours and cover approximately a mile. Directions: The entrance to Lincoln Marsh is on the west side of the park, at the corner of Harrison St. and Pierce […]

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 15 participants. This trip will focus on grassland birds and spring migrants. Please park at the model aircraft field parking lot on Plainfield-Naperville Road, South of 75th Street in Naperville.Leader: Joe Suchecki, 630-386-5570, issuesman50@yahoo.com

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. While we will be looking for early spring migrants, this trip will also focus on learning about bird calls and songs and how to use those sounds to identify "Birds-by-Ear." The trip leader will key-in on bird calls and songs as the group looks for spring migrants. The emphasis of the trip will be to point out and learn the calls of the birds and how to develop the skills of identifying birds by sound. Please park at the first McDowell Grove Parking lot off of Raymond Drive in Naperville.Leader: Joe […]

This is a leaderless birding experience. You do not need to preregister. You will bird on your own between the hours of 7:30 and 10 AM. The idea is you will “bump” into fellow birders as you make your way along the trail, chat a little about what you are seeing, then move on and hopefully run into another birder further along the trail. You can start at 7:30 or sleep in and start at 8 or even 9! The entrance is located on the east side of Winfield Road, 0.25 mile north of Butterfield Road. Dress for the weather. […]

Pre-registration with the leader required, limit 10 participants. 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 and join us at Whalon Lake Preserve. 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 are welcome. NOTE this trip takes place on WEDNESDAY not Tuesday as in […]

Pre-registration with the leader is required, limit 15 participants. This morning trip will be oriented toward early spring migration. We will be at a leisurely pace to provide as much time as desired to look at each bird and to answer questions for any new birders. Meet in the parking lot in front of Lyman Woods Interpretive Center, located one block east of Highland Avenue on 31st Street. Boots are HIGHLY recommended.Leader: Bonnie Graham, 630-204-8750, Coye72112@gmail.com