Fridays at Skokie Lagoons. These Friday trips pack a great list of warbler species during spring migration. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Erickson Woods Forest Preserve parking lot. Turn north into the parking lot from Willow Rd. just east of the Edens Expressway. Leader: Lynne Carpenter. 

Northwestern University Campus. The campus is a stopover for migrants of all kinds heading north.  Park on the upper deak of the south parking lot just off of Sheridan Road and Clark St. This lot is a surface parking lot just north of the parking garage. Park on the lake side of the upper deck. Meet at 8:30 a.m.  Leaders: Libby Hill and Josh Engel

Tour the better birding areas that North Glenview has to offer.  We will most likely bird Techny Basin Conservation Area, Lake Glenview, and Air Station Prairie for early migrants and lingering waterfowl. Techny Basin is located west of Waukegan Rd., south of Willow Rd., and east of Ravine Way in Glenview. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the gravel parking lot on Claire Ct. off of Ravine Way. The trip will last approximately 3 hours but you are welcome to leave at any time. Leader:  John Leonard.  847-845-5563.

Workday, 9-11 am, pull invasives, plant and mulch Dune Seed.  Please bring a rake if possible.  Dress for the weather.

Loons!  A Dave Johnson specialty! Loads of loons and lots of lakes. Expect other birds as well.  Record numbers of migrating loons are often seen on this trip as well as White Pelicans. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Diamond Lake Rd. at Diamond Lake across from Mundelein boat launch at Gale Street Inn Restaurant parking lot. Lunch out at local lakeside eatery. We will travel by van or bus, so the cost will be $30 for a 5 hour trip.  RSVP by email: djohnsoda@comcast.net. Maximum 30. Leader: David B. Johnson.

NEW DAY AND DATE! 7th Annual Ralph Herbst Memorial Duck Trip. Bird the lakes and ponds of the Palos region for a variety of spring waterfowl. Meet at 7:30 a.m. From I-55, exit south on to US Rte. 45/LaGrange Rd. Head straight south to the McGinnis Slough parking lot on the west side of LaGrange Rd. Leader: Jeff Sanders. (Note: check the website to see if the trip needs to be rescheduled because ponds are frozen.)  Contact yellowstart5@yahoo.com, 847-657-6431 the night before if you have questions. .

More Tales From the Crypt.  The Field Museum’s Josh Engel will tell some of the stories behind the specimens. He’ll talk about the specimens collected by Nathan Leopold—half of the murdering duo Leopold & Loeb—and their connection to the famous murder. He’ll talk about feather-decorated artifacts acquired from indigenous people deep in the Amazon rainforest, and the effort to identify the feathers so that the items can be returned to those people. And he will tell stories of specimens that have come to the museum more recently—like the pelican that was killed by the fish it was trying to eat and the ducks that starved during the deep freeze of 2014. He will also discuss some of the rare birds that have crashed into Chicago’s skyscrapers and how scientists are using the thousands of birds killed by window strikes to shed new light on bird migration and other topics.

Monday: 56th  Chicago-North Shore Count and ENSBC Post-Count Potluck dinner at Libby Hill’s house, 2715 Woodland Rd, Evanston.  Arrive any time after 4 pm. 847-475-2096 or libbyhill@comcast.net.  Compiler: Tim Wallace, 847-548-2654.  Contact Libby about food to share, libbyhill@comcast.net

NOTICE THE DATE CHANGE DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER!

THIS COUNT WILL BE ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23.

51st Chicago Urban Count.
Compiler:  Jeffrey Sanders, 847-657-6431