WELCOME TO THE

DuPage Birding Club

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ABOUT US

A Brief Overview of the DBC

Founded in 1985, the DuPage Birding Club is nationally known as one of the largest and most active birding groups in Illinois. Our mission is to promote birding among our 400+ members and the general public through field experiences and education that focus on the various habitats in DuPage County, the greater Chicago area, and other regional hotspots.  We welcome birders of all skill levels and interest.

ABOVE: Phothonotary Warbler. Photo by Diann Bilderback.

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THE DUPAGE BIRDING CLUB IS

Promoting birding in DuPage County and the greater Chicagoland area.

Join us in making birding an experience!

CBC results for the Fermi-Batavia Circle

 

MEETINGS

Learn from guest speakers and members at our meetings.

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FIELD TRIPS

Join us on one of our 100 plus field trips each year.

Upcoming Trips

BIRDING DUPAGE

Explore DuPage County birding hotspots and resources.

Explore Hotspots

DBC YouTube Channel

Mini-Tutorials

Identify your warblers, cuckoos, thrushes, owls, blackbirds, ducks, and more.
Mini-Tutorials

Birding Basics

Learn about bird identification basics, binoculars, migration, and more.
Birding Basics

Birding by Ear

Hone listening skills for thrushes, flycatchers, grassland birds, and more.
Birding by Ear

Upcoming Meeting

January 9, 2025 - 7:00 PM, Meeting Via Zoom

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.

The meeting will be held via Zoom.  To register for the virtual meeting, click here.
(https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvcOmrqTguHd3ltQq-UzRwAtxdrb7yXG-u#/registration)

 

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Upcoming Field Trips

Registration May Be Required

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Check back here soon for more DBC news.

Recent News

Fall ’24 Photo Contest Winners Announced, Winter ’24-‘25 Contest Now Open

January 3, 2025
  The winners of DBC’s Fall 2024 photo contest have been finalized, adding to a growing library of stunning bird images taken by DBC members, and the Winter Contest is now open.  To view recent winning images or submit your own for the Winter ’24-’25 Contest, go to Members Photo Gallery. 
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The Comfort of Crows is DBC Book Club’s Next Read

January 3, 2025
Join fellow DBC members on Tuesday evening, March 11, to share insights from The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year. Written by Margaret Renkl, the book’s 52 chapters follow the creatures and plants in the author’s backyard over the course of a year. Reviewer’s call it “a luminous book” that celebrates the natural world. Each chapter is beautifully illustrated with original color artwork. For details on the meeting, contact Mike Warner at mwarner2543@gmail.com.
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Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Results

January 3, 2025
On December 14, 2024, 85 birders and 2 feeder watchers counted every bird they could see and hear within the 15-mile circle during the 49th Fermi-Batavia CBC. Seventy-nine species were observed in the count, below our 10-year average. We had high counts for Ring-necked Duck (50) and Lesser Scaup (7). Everyone gathered for dinner and cheered the exciting countdown “reveal” of the results led by compiler Jeff Chapman. Thank you to all the area captains and counters in making this year another successful count! View full list of bird count.
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Exciting News: Fermilab Welcomes Back Birders!

December 2, 2024
Closed since the pandemic began in 2020, Fermilab Natural Areas are now reopened for birding. This includes the trails and lakes around the Red Barn, the Prairie near Wilson Hall, and the Bison herd along the main road into Fermilab. Admittance requires a Real ID or passport. Here’s a link to access guidelines and available birding locations: https://fermilabbirds.com/wildlife/access.shtml For the inside scoop on birding Fermilab, check out the DuPage Hotspot page: https://dupagebirding.org/dupage-hotspots/ In addition, the Fermilab Natural Areas team has launched a Facebook page. Follow them for up-to-date information on sightings: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568595275271
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The 2024 Bird Taxonomic Updates By Urs Geiser

December 2, 2024
Every late summer to fall, major ornithological entities publish their taxonomic updates. Updates include newly added bird species, which may be newly discovered species, or more commonly the elevation of subspecies or subspecies groups to species ranks. The latter is referred to as a “split.” The updates also include a number of “lumps,” where it is decided that two or more species are not sufficiently different from each other, and therefore better treated as subspecies or other forms of a single species. If listing is your game, splits have the potential to increase your list total, while lumps can decrease it. […]
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