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.
Join Eugenio Calderon on an Owl Prowl to look for Short-eared Owls, which is a species of migratory owl that has regularly shown up in Park 566 in the past every winter. Afterwards, see waterfowl on the harbor between Park 566 and Steelworkers as they start arriving and settling for the winter.
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 Holly Greenberg at the Chicago Architecture Center for this crowdsourced environmental art project: craft a bird replica for the 300-foot carpet representing birds killed in window collisions in Chicago, and learn how to make your windows bird-friendly. This workshop is preceded by a tour of Flyway City: Architecture for a Flourishing Ecosystem. Free with registration.
Celebrate America Recycles Day, and help support migratory birds this fall, by helping to pick up litter and remove invasive plants at Deadstick Pond on Sunday, November 15, from 9am-12pm CT. All ages and experience levels are welcome at this free, family-friendly volunteer event, which will take place outdoors.
Photo: Pectoral Sandpiper, Adam Stunkel/Audubon Photography Awars
JNDC invites you for a mindful journey through the peaceful landscape of Park 538. Take a break by setting an intention to slow down and enjoy the birds, trees, and flowing water in our own urban oasis.
Join Holly Greenberg at the Bucktown-Wicker Park Library, part of the Chicago Public Library District, for this crowdsourced environmental art project: craft a bird replica for the 300-foot carpet representing birds killed in window collisions in Chicago, and learn how to make your windows bird-friendly. Free with registration.
VIREO Initiative, a student-led organization that researches how sound affects avian wildlife, is giving a presentation on its work!
Magaranth Rajkumar, founder of VIREO Initiative, will discuss
- Why sound matters for birds
- How VIREO Initiative uses passive acoustic monitoring and machine learning
- What VIREO Initiative has learned about persistent environmental noise
- How open data and community partnerships can support conservation and education
Join CBA for this unique fundraiser and experience!
Join CBA for this unique fundraiser and experience!
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 Holly Greenberg at the Chicago Park District's Calumet Environmental Center, located in Big Marsh Park, for this crowdsourced environmental art project: craft a bird replica for the 300-foot carpet representing birds killed in window collisions in Chicago, and learn how to make your windows bird-friendly. Free and open to all ages.
Join CBA and COS for this joint morning birding trip out to Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington. This destination is a favorite for many city birders who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle. The Forest Preserves of Cook County manages the property's prairies, woodlands, and wetlands that host 246 bird species throughout the year. This trip is designed to be a slow-paced, social bird outing.
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 for this unique fundraiser and experience!
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.
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.
Join CBA for this unique fundraiser and experience!
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.
This trip focuses on one of the world's great wetland ecosystems, Brazil's Pantanal. It offers both incredible birding and some of the best wildlife viewing anywhere in the Americas. We hope to see birds like Hyacinth Macaw and Red-legged Seriema and will devote at least a day to looking for the America's largest cat, the Jaguar. We will also visit the spectacular Chapada dos Guimarães, with its convenient location, beautiful scenery, and many cerrado endemics.
The Best of Costa Rica Birding Trip 2026
November 22 – December 2, 2026 | 11 Days / 10 Night
Discover why Costa Rica is considered one of the world's premier birding destinations on this unforgettable 11-day adventure with Chicago Bird Alliance. From lush rainforests and scenic volcanoes to tropical wetlands, cloud forests, and Pacific mangroves, you'll explore some of the country's most diverse ecosystems in search of an incredible variety of birds and wildlife.
