Lake County Audubon Society

 
 

Spotted Sandpiper. Photo: Emma England

 

Welcome to LCAS

 

Lake County Audubon Society is a volunteer organization in Lake County, Illinois. It is an affiliate chapter of the National Audubon Society.

The mission of the Lake County Audubon Society is education, conservation, and restoration of natural ecosystems focusing on birds and other wildlife and their habitats.

 

Who We Are

We are a volunteer run organization. Our board and members are passionate advocates for the birds and wildlife of Lake County, IL. Lake County Audubon Society believes in the equitable access to nature for all communities.

 

Programs

Learn about birds, natural ecosystems and birding from guest speakers at monthly program meetings October-May and at special programs.
 

Nature Outings

Join experienced birders and naturalists in bird and nature walks throughout Lake County.

Conservation Projects

Visit, participate, and volunteer in conservation projects such as Sharing Our Shore-Waukegan and Birdscaping at Adler Arts Center.
 

Birding Lake County

Find resources to locate a diversity of birds in Lake County and help with bird monitoring.

Upcoming Events & Outings

Join us at our monthly meetings (first Mondays, October - May), partner events, volunteer events, or bird/nature outings!

Unless otherwise stated, events are free and open to all: members and non-members, ages, and experience levels.

Featured
Bird Walk: Daniel Wright Forest Preserve
Apr 24
Bird Walk: Daniel Wright Forest Preserve
Bird Walk: Illinois Beach State Park South Unit
May 2
Bird Walk: Illinois Beach State Park South Unit

News & Updates

Featured
Cicadas are coming
Cicadas are coming

While annual cicadas are commonly heard singing in Lake County every year, there is a population of periodical cicadas that only emerges here every 17 years. This massive emergence is expected in May and June of this year (the last periodical emergence occurred in 2007). Millions of cicadas will tunnel out of the soil, crawl up trees, sing, mate, lay eggs, hatch into nymphs, and complete their life cycle returning to the soil under trees where they live on tree sap until their next emergence in 17 years. The periodical cicada population in northern Illinois is known as Brood XIII.

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Spring into Birdscaping
Spring into Birdscaping

There has been a decline of 3 billion birds in North America since 1970 – a 30% decrease. The front lines of conservation for birds are found where people live – our own backyards. There are several ways you can help birds thrive in Lake County, most importantly by providing habitat for bugs and birds at home. The greatest habitat benefits are provided by landscaping your yard with locally native plants that provide a variety of food for birds year-round covering breeding, nesting, migrating and winter seasons. Plant leaves, fruits, nuts, seeds, and nectar are food for birds - and for the bugs that are food for birds. Shrubs and trees are especially important sources for nests and shelter as well as food.

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Birds vs. Glass
Birds vs. Glass

Winter in NE Illinois finds many of us lingering in a comfy chair, cup of hot coffee warming our hands as we bird watch through the recently cleaned glass of a sunny, or not so sunny window. We don’t want to think about the fine feather dust wing imprint that the Mourning Dove left as it crashed into the window and died on our patio. Odds are you cleaned many bits of feather and dander off your windows as winter approached just to realize the windows are ‘dirty’ again.

We wax on about the devastation that cats inflict on our beloved bird population, but the imprint of a bird wing on a window, evidence of a collision and the resulting bird death seems unavoidable. Birds fly into windows. People need windows. Sad….but avoidable.

LCAS member Wanda Supanich has researched options for window treatments to prevent bird collisions on residential buildings. Use the button below to read more about her experiences with various products. She will be at the March program meeting with samples from manufacturers and available for questions.

Read More →

Get Involved

Lake County Audubon Society connects people with birds and natural ecosystems of Lake County through outreach, education, programs, habitat restoration, monitoring and other conservation initiatives that help birds and natural ecosystems.

 

News & Program Updates

To receive program and news updates via email join our mailing list.

Volunteer opportunities

Want to help us with outreach, monitoring birds or restoring habitat? 

Membership

Lake County Audubon Society is a chapter of the National Audubon Society and is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

 Follow us ON Instagram

Bird Lake County this Saturday! Location: Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve Time:7:30-9:30 am Trip leaders: Doug Reitz & Charlotte Pavelka, 847-347-8416 Before this area became a forest preserve, it was farmed and mined for sand and gravel. Later it
CALLING ALL NEW BIRDERS! THIS SATURDAY! Have you been thinking that bird-watching might be a fun activity to try? This is your chance! Join us for a bird walk with a focus on new birders. When: Saturday, April 13, 2024 @7:30 a.m. Where: Independence
Want to shake it up a little? Learn new things? Meet some friendly folks? We've got just the thing-- become a Great Lakes Piping Plover helper! Find out what it's all about and attend our training event on Sunday, April 14 @1:00 p.m. at beautiful Wau
🏡 On this Feeder Friday, we examine the easiest- to-observe field marks that distinguish the impressive Hairy Woodpecker (left) from the charming Downy Woodpecker (right). Most noticeable is the larger overall size of the Hairy Woodpecker, and its
Bird Walk: Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve with Beau Schaefer Date: Saturday, April 6 Time: 7:00-9:30 a.m. Activity Level: Moderate, Walk 3.5 miles Location: Rollins Savanna FP, Grayslake (Drury Lane entrance) Trip Leader: Beau Schaefer (847) 337-36
Stats on Lake County Audubon’s third installment of "Bird Lake County 2024" (held on 3/23 @ Fox River FP): Number of participants: 26 Species observed: 49 Weather: Perfect Favorite bird: Pelicans! (With lots of oohs and ahhs over an a
The Cicadas are coming! Join us at our April program on Monday, April 1 to learn more about this once-in-a-lifetime event (first time in 221 years to be exact!) where these two broods of cicadas will emerge above ground in the same year.😯 Speaker M
This Saturday, join us at the Fox River Forest Preserve for our third installment of Bird Lake County! You can take a peek here at some of the diverse species of birds that have been observed at the preserve during springtime . Is there one you are h