Meetings

Meetings are held on the second Sunday of the month, starting at 2:00 p.m. Meetings take place at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Fullerton Parkway at Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park). We usually meet in the South Gallery on the second floor. Parking is available on either side of Cannon Drive just north of the museum’s main entrance, and during the winter (after or before boating season) in the lot across from the museum entrance.  There is also paid parking in the zoo lot south of Fullerton Parkway.

January 13, 2020

Monty and Rose by Bob Dolgan

Bob Dolgan will screen the documentary he directed on the nesting Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach in the summer of 2019, including the successful fledging of two offspring.

February 10, 2020

Declining Bird Populations and Bird Size by Mark Luscombe

Member Mark Luscombe will do a presentation on recent major studies documenting significant and widespread declines in the number of birds in North America and a widespread reduction in the size f birds. There will also be a mini-presentation of bird songs and calls.

March 9, 2020

Butterflies of the American Prairie by Doug Taron

Doug Taron, Chief Curator of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, will give a presentation on the status of our native butterflies. There will also be a mini-program on bird songs and calls.

April 13, 2020

Birds of Texas by Josh Engel

Josh Engel, Founder of Red Hill Birding, will give a presentation on the birds of Texas based on his experiences from his many birding trips. Cancelled due to museum closure.

May 11, 2020

Climate Reality with Julia Luscombe

Julia Luscombe, a graduate of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Training and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum in 2019, will give us an update on the current status of climate change and what is being done and can be done to address it. There will also be a mini-program on bird songs and calls. Cancelled due to museum closure.

June 8, 2020

The North Pond Recovery project with Doug Widener and Aaron Hammond

Doug Widener, Executive Director, and Aaron Hammond, Assistant Director of Park Management and Sustainability, at the Lincoln Park Conservancy, will give us an update on progress on the North Pond Recovery Project to date and continuing work on the North Pond Master Plan. Weather permitting, they will also lead a walk around the pond to help us visualize the projects to be undertaken.

July 13, 2020

No Evening Meetings in July and August

Following the summer break, we will pick up again on September 14, 2020

September 14, 2020

No Meeting

October 12, 2020

No Meeting

November 9, 2020

No Meeting

December 14, 2020

No Meeting

January 11, 2021

No Meeting

February 8, 2021

No Meeting

March 8, 2021

No Meeting

April 12, 2021

No Meeting

May 10, 2021

No Meeting

July 12, 2021

July - August break

Summer Break

September 13, 2021

No Meeting

October 11, 2021

No Meeting

November 8, 2021

Birding in Texas with Josh Engel

Josh Engel, founder of Red Hill Birding, will speak on Birding in Texas. Josh has led birding trips all over the world and has regularly led trips to Texas. This is the same presentation originally scheduled for April, 2020, which had to be cancelled due to COVID.

December 13, 2021

Members’ Night and Holiday Party

Bring a dish to share and be ready to discuss your 2021 birding season. We will also show a DVD from The World of Birds.

January 10, 2022

Meeting cancelled

Due to museum COVID restrictions

February 14, 2022

Happy Valentines Day!

Meeting cancelled due to museum COVID restrictions.

March 14, 2022

Bob Dogan will present an updated version of the Monty and Rose documentary

Includes the 2021 nesting season. Check back to confirm if the museum COVID restrictions have been removed in order to hold this meeting.

April 11, 2022

The North Pond Redevelopment with Doug Widener

Doug Widener, Executive Director, at the Lincoln Park Conservancy, will give us an update on progress on the North Pond Recovery Project.

May 9, 2022

Climate Reality with Julia Luscombe and Jonathan Fair

Julia and Jonathan are World Economic Forum Global Shapers and graduates of Al Gore's Climate Reality Training.

June 13, 2022

Monty and Rose - The First Three Years, by Bob Dolgan

Bob Dolgan will screen his updated documentary on Monty and Rose at Montrose Beach.

September 11, 2022

Remnants of the Illinois Wilderness by Jim Rowan

Jim Rowan, nature photographer and reenactor, will do a presentation on remaining natural areas of Illinois.

October 9, 2022

Bird Conservation Network Birding Trends Survey by Mark Luscombe

Mark Luscombe will do a presentation on the recently released Birding Trends Survey documenting trends in bird populations in the Chicagoland area  based on observations over the years by Bird Conservation Network monitors.

November 13, 2022

Cranes of the Midwest by the International Crane Foundation

The International Crane Foundation has prepared a program covering the history of Whopping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes, the work behind reintroducing Whopping Cranes to the Midwest, tips on identification, and ways you can aid in protecting cranes.

December 11, 2022

Members' Day and Holiday Party

Bring a treat to share and be prepared to discuss the highlights of your 2022 birding year.  A video from The Life of Birds will also be screened.

January 8, 2023

Birding in Bhutan, with Mark Luscombe.

In November, 2022, Mark spent two weeks birding in Bhutan with Red Hill Birding. Mark will discuss the culture of Bhutan and some of the hundreds of bird species that reside or visit there.

February 12, 2023

The Magic Stump, with Bob Dolgan

Bob Dolgan returns with his latest birding documentary focused on a stump in an Illinois farm field and the amazing raptors it attracts. Bob previously produced the documentaries on Monty and Rose at Montrose Beach. Bob maintains the subscription website This Week in Birding at twibchicago.com. Also there will be a Fort Dearborn 50th Anniversary celebration.

March 12, 2023

Birding in Brazil, with Josh Engel

Josh Engel, founder of Red Hill Birding, will discuss the habitats and birds that can be observed in Brazil. Josh led a birding trip to Brazil in 2022.

April 9, 2023

Happy Easter!

With our regular April meeting falling on Easter this year, we are cancelling our April meeting.

May 14, 2023

Happy Mothers' Day.  In honor of Mother's Day, we will screen the BBC documentary The Life of Birds hosted by David Attenborough on The Demands of the Egg

Birds go to extraordinary lengths to protect their eggs, to keep them warm and safe from predators.  To meet these challenges, they have developed the arts of pottery, carpentry, weaving, camouflage and deception.

June 11, 2023

Brian "Fox" Ellis Portrays Robert Ridgway

Brian "Fox" Ellis will portray Robert Ridgway, who evolved from amateur bird watching to become a rigorous scientist.  Ridgway traveled across the western wilderness in 1868, when he was still a teenager.  He was a student of Spencer Baird, who traveled with John James Audubon.  His life-long work was spent at the Smithsonian Institution.  He did birding trips to Central America and explored Alaska with John Burroughs, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and John Muir just after Alaska was acquired from Russia.  Ridgway grew up in Mount Carmel, Illinois and retired to Olney, Illinois.  He also founded the American Ornithology Union and the first chapter was the Ridgway Chapter in Chicago.  He designed exhibits for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.  Ridgway helped to refine systematics and evolutionary theory, redefining the relationships between species, subspecies and geography.

September 10, 2023

Favorite Bird Photographs by Jim Rowan.

Jim Rowan, nature photographer and reenactor, will share some of his favorite photographs of birds.

October 8, 2023

Fort Dearborn 50th Anniversary Celebration.

We will celebrate and remember what we have been doing for the last fifty years and prepare for the next fifty.

November 12, 2023

Cheesesteak Festival

Birding the Texas Coast.  mark Luscombe will discuss a Red Hill Birding trip to the North Texas coast in April, 2023 with spring migration in progress and even a modest fallout of warblers crossing the Gulf of Mexico.

December 10, 2023

Member's Day and Holiday Party.  Brign a treat to share and be prepared to discuss the highlights of your 2023 birding year.  Internet photo downloads acceptable.  Please contact Mark Luscombe at 312-307-3928 if you would like to participate.  Videos from the Life of Birds will also be creened

January 14, 2024

Discovering the Features of E-Bird

Come with your phone with the Ebird App loaded and learn how to improve your birding and contribute to citizen science.

February 11, 2024

Gulf Crossing:  Story of Spring

Video will focus on spring migration across the Gulf of Mexico

March 10, 2024

Program -- Doug Stotz, Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Field Museum

The Birds of South American

April 14, 2024

Program: Black-crowned Night Herons - A Story of Demise and Recovery>  A Zoom presentaiton by Michael Avara, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Michael Ward, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign; and Brad Semel, Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Teacher Learning Center

May 12, 2024

No meeting due to Illinois Audubon Spring Gathering i

Spring Gathering in Savannah, Illinois

June 9, 2024

Birding Stroll Around North Pond

Notebaert Nature Museum

July 14, 2024

No meetings in July and August

Next meeting September 8, 2024

June 8, 2024

Cheesesteak Festival

Philadelphia, PA

September 8, 2024

Program -- Favorite State and Provincial Parks by Jim Rowan

Jim Rowan, nature photographer and reenactor, will share some of his favorite photographs from visits to state and provincial parks

October 13, 2024

Chicago Black-crowned Night-Heron Project by Amy Lardner

Member Amy Lardner will provide an update on the Chicago Black-crowned Night Heron Project, including monitoring of tagged birds.

November 10, 2024

Sandhill Cranes by Matthew Hayes

Matt Hayes, Assistant Director, IAS, will discuss Sandhill Cranes.  Matt previously served as a research associate at the International Crane Foundation and authored a number of papers on Sandhill Cranes

December 8, 2024

Members' Day and Holiday Party.  Bring a treat to share and be prepared to discuss the highlights of your 2024 birding year.  Internet photo downloads acceptable.  Please contact Mark Luscombe at 312-307-3928 if you would like to participate

Videos from The LIfe of Birds will also be screened