Meetings

Upcoming Meetings

May 14, 7:00pm - In Person and via Zoom

Topic: Saving the Great Lakes Piping Plovers

Presented by: Dr. Sarah Saunders, Audubon Great Lakes, Michigan

Location: College of Dupage and Zoom

Join Dr. Sarah Saunders as she speaks about efforts to save Piping Plovers in the Great Lakes.  

The Great Lakes Piping Plover, a federally endangered shorebird, has made a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction thanks to decades of dedicated conservation efforts. Once reduced to just 12 breeding pairs in the 1980s, this population has now exceeded 80 pairs, with record-breaking breeding seasons in recent years. This success is a testament to the power of science-driven conservation and the collaboration of researchers, land managers, and community volunteers on the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team.

In this talk, Dr. Saunders will highlight the key strategies that have fueled this recovery, including nest monitoring and protection, predator management, annual banding, captive-rearing, and education and outreach. She will also showcase how long-term banding data have further strengthened these strategies, contributing to population growth. 

Despite these gains, challenges remain, including increasing threats from climate change and human disturbance. Yet the resilience of the population and the dedication of the Conservation Team offer hope for continued success. The recovery of the Great Lakes Piping Plover serves as an inspiring example of how rigorous science, partnerships, and community engagement can drive meaningful conservation outcomes. To register for the Zoom meeting, click here.

About Our Speaker

Dr. Saunders received her doctorate from the University of Minnesota, where she studied Great Lakes piping plovers with her advisor, Francie Cuthbert. After studying Francie's work with plovers, she knew she found her scientific calling. Sarah spent six summers leading the field banding crew and fell in love with the work. Now, as a scientist at Audubon, she investigates a range of important questions to help conserve many bird species, but she'll always have a special place in her heart for Great Lakes piping plovers. Sarah resides in Michigan, so she continues to contribute to piping plover recovery efforts by helping to band and monitor as needed during the summer.

Past Meetings

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

*NEW* Meeting Location

College of DuPage (COD)  Google Link
425 Fawell Drive (which can be accessed off Park
Ave. from either Butterfield or Roosevelt Rds.) 
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Parking will be near Fawell D, Health Science Center (HSC). Enter through the main door to room 1234, which is on the first floor just past the stairs on the 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, George Archibald, Kenn Kaufman, 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.

April 2026: Wally Levernier and Glenn Perricone discuss the significant bird habitats at Fermi. They provide an overview of restoration projects aiming to improve habitat for grassland and shrubland breeding birds, a brief history of ecological restoration at Fermilab and the areas currently open to the public.

March 2026: A wonderful time was had by all as DBC members Mike Warner, Robert Perez, Denis Kania, John Baker and Bonnie Graham gave their short presentations highlighting their stories and photos from adventures around the world.

January 2026: Motus: Using Radio Telemetry to Advance Our Knowledge of Animal Movements in the Midwest presented by Michael Avara, the avian lab manager and field coordinator at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

November 2025: Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area and the Sandhill Crane, presented by Nick Echterling, Jasper-Pulaski's property manager .

September 2025: DBC's own Robert Perez and Matt Crisler  walk you through eBird which has become the go-to digital platform for recording and sharing your birding records.

July 2025: Q&A from the screening of Hal Cohen's HAWKWATCH. More information about the movie can be found at www.BorregoSpringsHawkwatch.com

May 2025: Birds of the Grand Canyon State-South and North-which you won’t find (probably) in DuPage County presented by Margaret Dyekman, author of Backyard Birding in Northern Arizona.

March 2025: The always popular Members' Night where members share their pictures and birding adventures.

January 2025: Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, by Peter Goodspeed, Restoration Program Director at the Wetlands Initiative

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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