Waukegan is home to a diversity of birds. With over 305 species recorded at Waukegan Beach (eBird), it is considered a birding “hotspot” attracting residents and birding experts alike to the Waukegan Beach and Dunes.  Waukegan Beach is also popular with people. It is a recreational hot spot for beach-going residents, especially in the spring and summer months, which is when shorebirds are nesting. To protect the unique birds found at Waukegan Beach, the Lake County Audubon Society and the City of Waukegan formed a Sharing Our Shore Beach Stewardship Partnership (SOS-W) with a Memorandum of Understanding in 2019. The goals of this partnership are to monitor bird species and increase public support for the conservation of birds at Waukegan Beach.