Bird Outings

Chicago Bird Alliance has been leading bird walks for over 30 years, in all areas of Chicago, on the north and south sides, and surrounding suburbs. Check out our detailed reports for past walks, and join us for an upcoming walk listed below.

All are welcome! Membership is not required, and people with all experience levels - including no experience - are encouraged to join us. We love to help anyone that is interested in learning about birds and birding.

Wear comfortable clothes and bring binoculars if you can.

We have walks every Saturday morning at Wooded Island in Jackson Park, weather permitting; at North Park Nature Center every Saturday during migration; and at other locations and dates as noted below.

Featured
Woodcocks at Marian Byrnes Natural Area
Mar 28
Marian Byrnes Natural Area
Woodcocks at Marian Byrnes Natural Area
Marian Byrnes Natural Area

Join the Chicago Bird Alliance in search of the iconic American Woodcock! This evening trip will be located at the historic Van Vlissingen prairie within the Marian Byrnes Natural Area. All ages and experience levels are welcomed.

Dress warmly with multiple layers, as temperatures drop around dusk. Flashlights are permitted and loaner binoculars will be available by request. The trip leader will also use a thermal camera to aid our search.

Marian Byrnes Natural Area
For the Birds! Flying Squirrel Experience Fundraiser
Mar 28
Evanston
For the Birds! Flying Squirrel Experience Fundraiser
Evanston

Join CBA for this unique fundraiser and experience!

Evanston
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Mar 29
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Birding Outing at Washington Park
Mar 29
Birding Outing at Washington Park

Join us for a Saturday morning bird walk in the Hyde Park neighborhood’s “under-birded” Washington Park!

Designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Washington Park contains 35.7 acres of prairie, wetlands and lagoons. Its many habitat types attract a wide variety of bird species.

For the Birds! Flying Squirrel Experience Fundraiser
Mar 30
Evanston
For the Birds! Flying Squirrel Experience Fundraiser
Evanston

Join CBA for this unique fundraiser and experience!

Evanston
Woodcocks at Air Station Prairie
Apr 4
Air Station Prairie
Woodcocks at Air Station Prairie
Air Station Prairie

This outing will focus on listening for American Woodcocks and viewing their unique aerial displays. The group will keep their ears and eyes out for other birds as well, including waterfowl and rails and snipe as possibilities.

Air Station Prairie
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
Apr 5
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Apr 5
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Apr 12
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
Apr 12
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Apr 19
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
Apr 19
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Izaak Walton League of Des Plaines & Chicago Bird Alliance Spring Migration Bird Walk
Apr 22
Izaak Walton League of Des Plaines & Chicago Bird Alliance Spring Migration Bird Walk

Celebrate Earth Day with a guided bird walk—discover spring migrants and local wildlife in Algonquin Woods!

Wooded Island Birding Outing
Apr 26
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
Apr 26
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
For the Birds! Flying Squirrel Experience Fundraiser
Apr 27
Evanston
For the Birds! Flying Squirrel Experience Fundraiser
Evanston

Join CBA for this unique fundraiser and experience!

Evanston
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
May 3
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Wooded Island Birding Outing
May 3
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Illinois Spring Bird Count 2025
May 10
Illinois Spring Bird Count 2025

The Illinois Spring Bird Count (ISBC) is a yearly bird count that consists of volunteers conducting bird censuses in all 102 counties in Illinois. The research derived from this count is important in helping understand the impact of climate change on birds, and changes in bird populations statewide.

Wooded Island Birding Outing
May 10
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
May 10
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Wooded Island Birding Outing
May 17
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
May 17
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Wooded Island Birding Outing
May 24
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
May 24
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
May 31
North Park Village Nature Center
Spring Migration Outings at North Park Village Nature Center
North Park Village Nature Center

Spring 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. The route is approximately one mile long and takes about two hours to traverse.

North Park Village Nature Center
Wooded Island Birding Outing
May 31
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jun 7
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jun 14
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jun 21
Jackson Park
Wooded Island Birding Outing
Jackson Park

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.

Jackson Park

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