Nancy Halliday, artist-naturalist, will present a program on her Road Scholar trip to New Zealand in 2016. Nancy will show photographs of the birds and landscape from the group’s visit to North, South and Stewart Islands.

To participate, contact compiler: Joel Greenberg, 630-725-9416

To participate, contact Compiler: Joel Greenberg, 630-725-9416 

Amar Ayyash. Often approached with apprehension, gulls have gained a love-hate relationship with many birders. Among these larids are some of the most coveted bird species in the world, yet some are so commonplace that we don’t often give them a second look. Why should we even care about gulls? Come hear Amar Ayyash delight in this diverse group of “seabirds”. Recent genetic data and frequent hybridization in this family compel us to reassess the very concept of a species. Amar will touch on these topics as he highlights key identification field marks for separating our winter gull species. He’ll also touch on some often-ignored topics such as the aging process and molt. Come learn why an increasing number of people are being drawn to this family of birds and brush up on your gull ID skills before the Gull Frolic!

Be part of the Perkins Prairie School Warblers for the Forest Preserve's BIG MONTH. Meet at the corner of Grant and Ewing at 8:30 a.m. Leader:  Sarah Flax

Jacob C. Cooper.  Cameroon is widely hailed as Africa in miniature, possessing varied climates ranging from impenetrable jungle to expansive savannah to volcanic alpine grassland. This biodiversity hotspot has attracted ornithologists for centuries, and has proven to be home to some of the most unique birds on the planet. For his dissertation at The University of Chicago, Jacob Cooper is studying this country's rich ornithological history in order to create a complete picture of the region's birdlife and is combining our knowledge of species' distributions with state-of-the-art genetic techniques to understand the past, present, and future of Cameroon's birds.

Be part of the Perkins Prairie School Warblers for the Forest Preserve's BIG MONTH. Meet at the corner of Grant and Ewing at 8:30 a.m. Leader:  Sarah Flax

Be part of the Perkins Prairie School Warblers for the Forest Preserve's BIG MONTH. Meet at the corner of Grant and Ewing at 7:30 a.m. Leader:  Gerry Ginsburg

Expect sparrows, a few late warblers and other late passerines, maybe a hawk or 2 if the winds are right. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at The Grove: east side of Milwaukee Ave., just south of Lake Ave., in the second parking lot that leads to the Interpretive Center.  Leader: Jeff Sanders.