This 7.84-acre nature area with paths and viewing platforms attracts local and migratory birds. Meeting directions to be provided.

The Leaders: from Red Hill Birding, will be on the platform from 7:30-9:30 A.M., so you can come any time. Coffee and fixings are provided.

Trip FULL! email libbyhill@comcast.net to be added to the waiting lilst.

It’s hard to beat Waukegan Beach in September.  Shorebirds are moving through in good

numbers and migrant warblers begin to reach their peak.  We will spend the morning birding the

beach, swales, and wooded lots of the Waukegan Beach area.  On the beach, we will be targeting

migrant shorebirds, where a good morning could include Baird’s and Semipalmated Sandpipers,

Sanderling, and others.  In previous years, more specialties have shown up including Whimbrel

and Buff-breasted Sandpiper, so we will be ever-vigilant.  In the swales, we will keep our eyes

peeled for early waterfowl and lingering Least Bitterns which breed amongst the reeds.  In the

wooded lots and beachfront park, migrant warblers can be abundant on the right day, and we

hope to find Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, Wilson’s and Magnolia Warblers among the

20+ that could be present.  We will be hiking the beach and wooded lots, which will total around

1-2 miles of walking at a birder’s pace. The Leader will have a scope, but if you enjoy carrying your own,

you are more than welcome to bring one. Hiking boots or sneakers are both appropriate for this walk,

but please be prepared for walking on sand.  Duration: ~3 hours

Meeting directions to be provided.

Leader: Adam Sell

Registration is required and space is limited to 12 participants. Register

with libbyhill@comcast.net

This 7.84-acre nature area with paths and viewing platforms attracts local and migratory birds. Meeting directions to be provided.

The Leaders: from Red Hill Birding, will be on the platform from 7:30-9:30 a.m., so you can come any time. Coffee and fixings are provided.

This thirteen-acre Emily Oaks savanna and nature center is an oasis full of native plants, grasses, oak trees, a two-acre pond, and trails. The Oakton Community College Campus native plantings and the area between Emily Oaks and the Campus are both great migrant  traps.

We will be looking for warblers and other Fall migrants.Meet at 7:30 a.m. in the Emily Oaks Nature Center parking lot, 4650 Brummel Street, Skokie.

We will start by birding outside the nature center and the area between the campus and the native garden on the campus.  

Leader:  John Bates.

This 7.84-acre nature area with paths and viewing platforms attracts local and migratory birds. Meeting directions to be provided.

The Leaders: from Red Hill Birding, will be on the platform from 7:30-9:30 a.m., so you can come any time. Coffee and fixings are provided.

Look for fall warblers, thrushes, and other migrants.  Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the corner of Ewing Ave. and Grant St. 

Leader: John Bates and Josh Engel

This 7.84-acre nature area with paths and viewing platforms attracts local and migratory birds. Meeting directions to be provided.

The Leaders: from Red Hill Birding, will be on the platform from 7:30-9:30 a.m., so you can come any time. Coffee and fixings are provided.

John Bates: Birds of Bermuda

Levy Center, 300 Dodge Ave. Evanston, 7:30

Bermuda is 54 square miles of islands in the Atlantic Ocean and is a destination for tourists lying 650 miles east of North Carolina and is about the same distance from Massachusetts and Puerto Rico.  Despite its isolation, almost 400 bird species have been recorded here.  In April 2023, John Bates, Curator of Birds, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum, and University of Chicago graduate student Louise Bodt organized a trip to study and sample European Goldfinches which have been living on the island for over 100 years.  Working with local experts they visited multiple sites on the island.  They will present on the birds of Bermuda based on their ongoing research and what they learned on their trip.

Canal Shores is a great place to see spring migrants. Meet on Maple Avenue in Wilmette just west of the Canal and walk the golf course’s birding loop. Free street parking. Participation limited to 15 people. Register with Matt Rooney at matthewarooney@gmail.com.