Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Salt Creek Woods hosts several acres of woodland habitat and a small prairie, with Salt Creek running through.  This habitat diversity makes it a great place to find a wide variety of birds: all seven woodpecker species including Red-headed & Pileated in particular.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Photo: Rough-legged Hawk, Gary Churchill/Audubon Photography Awards

If you’re just getting into birding and trying to figure out where to go, when to go, what to bring, and how to identify the birds you see, this program will provide both direction and inspiration.

Matt Igleski, Executive Director, Chicago Bird Alliance, will discuss field guides, phone apps, weather patterns, bird identification, birding terminology, and other topics to equip you with a quick start guide to all things birding.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Join Chicago Bird Alliance at the Chicago Park District’s Winter Solstice Festival at North Park Village Nature Center. We will be painting bird decorations that you can take home!

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Join CBA board member and trip leader Woody Goss for these special migratory waterbird events at Steelworkers Park! Lakewatching is a particular style of birding that can involve fleeting experiences of fast-flying birds both near and far, including large numbers of migrants not seen on land. Woody will demonstrate the art of lakewatching through both binoculars and a spotting scope.

October is a great month for dabbling ducks, diving ducks and migratory gulls and terns. As always in the fall migration period, anything rare could show up!

Witness the awe-inspiring migration of hundreds of Sandhill Cranes at the Jasper-Pulaski Crane Open House.

Maximize your crane experience by joining CBA on a van trip down to see the Sandhill Crane migration at Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area. We will drive back roads on the way to the Sandhill Crane nighttime gathering location looking for more Sandhill Cranes, as well as Whooping Cranes, Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Shrike, Golden Eagles, and other winter visitors to our region.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

On this outing we will take a leisurely journey through a great birding hotspot. We’ll search for year-round residents and beautiful spring migrants. Trails can be muddy, so boots are a good idea. Registration is required and capped at 12 individuals.

Join CBA board member and trip leader Woody Goss for these special migratory waterbird events at Steelworkers Park! Lakewatching is a particular style of birding that can involve fleeting experiences of fast-flying birds both near and far, including large numbers of migrants not seen on land. Woody will demonstrate the art of lakewatching through both binoculars and a spotting scope.

October is a great month for dabbling ducks, diving ducks and migratory gulls and terns. As always in the fall migration period, anything rare could show up!

Miller Meadow’s location along the Des Plaines River and mix of habitats make it a prime birding location. On this "Big Sit" outing we will spend approximately two hours looking for late fall and early wintering birds.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Join Park 566’s biggest birding fan, Dan Lory, as he does his regular walk at the park on three Monday mornings in October. Participants must possess the desire--and the power--to help Dan bird the park as you blow off steam at the start of the work week. The group will wait at the north beach area for whoever shows up and will get started promptly at 7:15AM.

Fall migration is upon us, and so are these much-loved outings at North Park Village Nature Center! Join us as we travel through this beautiful preserve, which encompasses 46 acres of gorgeous trails winding through woodland, wetland, prairie, and savanna habitats.

Join CBA BOD member Alan Anderson for a walk at Busse Woods, where we will stop at a number of the lakes and wetlands to look for waterfowl.  We will likely begin at Busse Woods west, then move on to the Boat Rental area and check both the south and north pools.  If we still have time, we will finish at either the Busse South entrance (if still open in November) or the Busse Dam. Land birds should be present along the edges and adjacent woods as well.

Chicago Bird Alliance has hosted walks at Jackson Park every Saturday, year ‘round (weather permitting), for over 50 years! We traverse a distance of about two miles, walking through Wooded Island and Bobolink Meadow. The walks are free and open to all, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.