EVENTS
Eastern Wood-Peewee, Christian Deme
Program Meetings:
Current plans are for all LCAS program meetings to use the hybrid format, with Zoom and in-person attendance as options.
The in-person portion of meetings is held at Cook Memorial Library, 413 N Milwaukee Ave, Libertyville, OR at Aspen Drive Library, 701 Aspen Dr, Vernon Hills. Please check individual event details for the library location. Children accompanied by an adult are welcome.
View recordings of past presentations on our YouTube page.
Bird & Nature Outings:
Unless noted otherwise, registration is mandatory for all outings (see included registration links). It helps us know how many participants to expect and allows for easier communication with you in case of potential changes. Be sure to check your email before heading out!
Libertyville Hidden Gems Garden Walk
JOIN LAKE COUNTY AUDUBON SOCIETY at the Libertyville Hidden Gems Garden Walk sponsored by the Town & County Garden Club.
Tour Five Exceptional Gardens in the Libertyville Area
Meet the gardeners and be inspired to create your own home oasis.
Master Gardener table at one home site - bring your questions!
Lake County Audubon and Lake County Forest Preserves provide info on native plants, buckthorn removal, and supporting local wildlife.
*** Please note: there is a fee for this event. For more details click here:
Dandeline Wine Arts & Music Fest
Save the date!
Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine Fine Arts & Music Festival is a free annual family event that celebrates and remembers one of Waukegan’s favorite sons, author Ray Bradbury. The festival’s name comes from Bradbury’s iconic novel, “Dandelion Wine,” which celebrates Green Town (Waukegan) as well as summer. The festival is dedicated to showcasing local and regional artists and venues, championing the arts, remaining free to the public, and offering low participation fees to artists. Varieties of fine arts & crafts are encouraged including ceramics, drawing, glass, fiber arts, graphics, leather, metal, painting, printmaking, photography.
Lake County Audubon Society will be there providing information about the Waukegan Piping Plover, Blaze & Pepper, Plants for Birds, World Migratory Bird Day and more!
Piping Plover Film Screening at the Carnegie
In celebration of the return of our Waukegan Piping Plover Pair, Blaze and Pepper, we are hosting a screening of the Lake County Audubon Society film “Sharing Our Shore and the Return of the Piping Plover to Waukegan Shores.” Written and produced by Carolyn Lueck, this film tells the story of the endangered Great Lakes piping plovers, the history making release of 4 plover fledglings in 2023, the successful nesting season of 2024 and the role Sharing Our Shore - Waukegan plays in this important conservation effort.
Support Sharing Our Shore-Waukegan by purchasing Limited Edition Piping Plover Earrings at the event.
This event is free and is open to the community. Join us at newly opened Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie before the film screening to view the exhibits.
Annual Birds & Breakfast Event at Ryerson Conservation Area
Scarlet Tanager, Matt Tobin
ArtWauk - Waukegan
Join Lake County Audubon Society at this month’s ArtWauk in downtown Waukegan.
ArtWauk is a monthly art event with galleries, shops, live entertainment and more. Area restaurants will be open with special offerings for attendees.
We’ll be hosting a table with Piping Plover themed information and activities.
Upscale Rummage Fundraiser for Lake County Audubon
Lake County Audubon Society (LCAS) encourages you to visit Upscale Rummage this Saturday, May 17, to find some treasures and/or donate your unwanted furniture or clothing to a great cause. Upscale Rummage is donating 100% of its profits for the day to LCAS, so your purchases will benefit birds, support our educational programs, and help us spread love for birds across generational and geographic boundaries. Plus, you help the planet by keeping useable goods out of landfills.
Upscale Rummage's amazing warehouse is packed with furniture, lamps, rugs, artwork, jewelry, clothing, antiques, and much more.
Be sure to stop at our LCAS table and say hi to your LCAS volunteers when you visit!
Special Partner Program: Hoy Audubon Bird Walk and screening of “Sharing Our Shore and the Return of the Piping Plover to Waukegan Shores” film
Great Lakes Endangered Piping Plover, Carolyn Lueck
World Migratory Bird Day Event at Volo Bog
Join Lake County Audubon Society at the World Migratory Bird Day Celebration at Volo Bog! We’ll have information about our Sharing Our Shore-Waukegan initiative, including lots of updates about the Lake County Piping Plover pair, Blaze and Pepper, and their chicks!!!
Bird Walk: Ryerson Conservation Area
Trip leaders:
Doug Reitz & Charlotte Pavelka (847) 347-8416
Matt Tobin (847) 951-1483
Join Charlotte and Doug for a late-April walk around Ryerson Conservation Area, one of the most popular sites in Lake County for spring migrating birds. Year-round woodland residents like Red-bellied Woodpeckers and White-breasted Nuthatches will be joined by a slew of species arriving throughout April, which may include Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Northern House Wrens, White-crowned Sparrows, and Palm Warblers. Many species will be actively singing during this time as they try to attract a mate.
The trip will begin in the Brushwood Center parking lot, which is pinned on the registration page linked below.
Bird Walk for Beginners: Independence Grove Forest Preserve
Trip Leader:
Donna Kenski, 847-347-3474
Calling all beginning birders! Join experienced Lake County Audubon Society bird walk leaders for a trip around Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville. This is a perfect preserve for both new and seasoned birders, with a large lake offering expansive views, and a stretch along the Des Plaines River that attracts many land species to the adjacent vegetation, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, sparrows, and finches.
Trip leaders will be happy to help with identification questions during the trip. Please bring a pair of binoculars if you have them, but we will have some loaners available at the walk.
The trip will begin in the North Bay parking lot, pinned on the registration page linked below.
Bird Walk: Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve
Trip Leader: Beau Schaefer
Trip Coordinator: Matt Tobin, 847-951-1483
Join expert birder Beau Schaefer for a walk around one of the largest forest preserves in Lake County. The expansive wetland and grassland habitats offer a home for many species, while providing countless more with the resources needed for a recharge on their migratory journeys. A number of waterfowl species are present in mid-April, including Blue- and Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, and Northern Shovelers, while breeding grassland birds like Eastern Meadowlarks and Field Sparrows may be observed from the trail.
The trip will start from the Drury Lane parking lot in the northern part of the preserve.
Directions to the Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve parking lot are included in the registration link below.
Bird Walk: Greene Nature Preserve
EVENT REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - EVENT FULL
Trip Leaders:
Matt Hayner (608-213-2382)
Matt Tobin (847-951-1483)
Come out for a joint walk with Lake Forest Open Lands as we explore Greene Nature Preserve, a hidden gem tucked away just north of Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve. With its spectacular ravine, bluff, and lakeshore habitats, many resident and migratory species are found at Greene, including a nice variety of woodpeckers and sparrows.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. This walk will be limited to 12 participants.
Directions to the preserve are included on the registration page linked below.
Evening Bird Walk: Woodcock Walk at Middlefork Savanna
EVENT REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - EVENT FULL
Trip leader:
Matt Tobin (847) 951-1483
Enjoy an evening walk as we listen for American Woodcocks and look for their aerial displays against the dimming evening light. We'll also keep a lookout for Wilson's Snipes, which are often found at Middlefork in April. We'll start the trip with a quick visit over to the nearby wetland and then set up to await the woodcock activity after sunset.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. This walk is limited to 20 participants. Please dress accordingly for cooler evening temperatures.
The parking lot meeting location is pinned on the registration page linked below.
April Meeting: Marsh Birds and Muskrats
Stephanie Beilke and Leo Gaskins
Marsh Birds and Muskrats
If you are unable to attend in person, please join us via Zoom using the link below:
Meeting ZOOM
Film Screen & Panel Discussion
JOIN US for a screening of the Lake County Audubon film ‘Sharing Our Shore and the Return of the Piping Plover to Waukegan Shores.’
Following the film, members from our monitoring team will answer questions and share their experiences and favorite memories of the memorable 2024 season.
Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to learn about the Endangered Great Lakes Piping Plovers and our Sharing Our Shore-Waukegan partnership!
We’ll be at the Lakeshore Campus of the College of Lake County.
Eleanor Murkey Community Center - 5th Floor
34 N. Sheridan Rd
Waukegan, IL
6:00-7:30
THERE WILL BE PIZZA AND SALAD SERVED
PLEASE RSVP HERE
Bird Walk: Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve
Situated in southwest Lake County, Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve is a wonderful yet under-birded site containing a nice mix of wetland, woodland, and prairie habitats that attract many bird species.
Directions to the Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve parking lot are included in the registration link below.
Bird Walk: Chain O’Lakes
Trip Leader: Charlotte Pavelka, 847-347-8416
With its large area and wide-ranging habitats, Chain O’ Lakes State Park is a wonderful place to visit year-round for a diversity of birds and scenic views. Countless birds stop here for a rest during the spring migration including common loons, American white pelicans, and all manner of waterfowl.
(Sunday, March 23 will be used as a backup date for this walk in case of inclement weather on March 22.)
Directions about where to meet the trip leader for the start of the walk are included in the registration link below.
Bird Walk: Fox River Forest Preserve
Trip Leader: Matt Tobin, 847-951-1483
Come out to western Lake County for a trip along the Fox River and see the important role it plays during spring migration for a wide variety of species. Visitors are treated to expansive vistas of the river, where bald eagles are often observed flying overhead and American white pelicans have been known to consistently stop for a rest during their northward migration.
Directions to the specific parking lot where we’ll meet at Fox River Forest Preserve are included in the registration link below.
Bird Walk: Redwing Slough
Trip Leader: Beau Schaefer
Trip Coordinator: Matt Tobin, 847-951-1483
Join us as we look for a variety of waterfowl at this Lake County hidden gem that serves as an essential spring migratory stopover for many species. Massive gatherings of 1000+ ring-necked ducks have been seen here in previous seasons. The trip will be led by long-time Lake County expert birder Beau Schaefer. Space for this trip will be limited to 10 participants. Directions to the parking lot are included in the registration link below.
Register for Redwing Slough Bird Walk
March Meeting: Advocating for Migratory Birds
It is estimated that more than a billion migratory birds die in North America each year from collisions with buildings. From residential structures to high-rise buildings, collision deaths are ranked as one of the greatest threats to bird populations after habitat loss.
Chicago Bird Collision Monitors (CBCM) is a conservation project working since 2003 to address the problems that lights and building designs pose to birds that pass through urban areas. Volunteers recover thousands of dead and injured birds from more than 200 different species each spring and fall. The project raises awareness, educates and advocates for bird safety measures. Learn about efforts and methods to protect migratory species from the hazards of lights and glass at our homes and in our communities.
Annette Prince has worked on local and national conservation projects as well as wildlife education and rehabilitation programs over the last thirty-six years. She joined the non-profit conservation project – Chicago Bird Collision Monitors twenty years ago and became its director in 2005 helping to advance its mission to rescue, educate and advocate for the protection of birds impacted by urban hazards. Annette is on the board of the Chicago Bird Alliance and chairs the Bird Friendly Chicago collaboration of bird conservation groups working to promote bird-friendly building design requirements in Chicago.
If you are unable to attend in person, please join us via Zoom using the link below:
Meeting ZOOM