UPCOMING CHICAGO-AREA TRIPS

These half-day trips visit some of the best birding spots in the Chicago area and beyond. Standard half-day trips cost $60/person, have a maximum of 8 participants, and run from 7:30 am until around noon. All trips are self-driving and led by an expert Red Hill Birding guide (see guide bios here). Depending on the timing of each trip, we may visit other nearby sites as time permits. These trips will run rain or shine unless the weather is expected to be particularly bad.

Interested in a day trip that you don’t see listed here? We can set up a custom tour of the region for you throughout fall. Contact us for more details.

If you are looking for longer trips in the area, check out our upcoming long weekend trips HERE.

 
Click here to register for half-day trips

UPCOMING HALF-DAY TRIPS

Thank you for joining us on our fall half-day trips! We will announce our spring half-day trips later in the winter. Want to go birding with us before then? Be sure to contact us about private trips around the Chicago-area and beyond!

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Shabonna Lake State Park - DeKalb County Guide: Steve Huggins *Trip full! Please contact us to join the waitlist In this underbirded county, Shabonna Lake is a magnet for waterfowl and lingering migrants amidst the agricultural desert. This is an excellent time of year to explore the region for migrant ducks, geese, grebes, loons, and more. Depending on how much time is spent at the state park, we might also visit other nearby preserves and check the surrounding fields for any waterfowl flocks.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 North Point Marina - Lake County Guide: Adam Sell *Trip full! Please contact us to join the waitlist In early November, North Point Marina becomes a top location for birding in the region. Duck migration is picking up considerably, and land birding becomes the best along the lakefront where longspurs and Snow Buntings can be found, along with the hope of a rarity like Harris’s Sparrow or Purple Sandpiper. Join Adam in exploring one of his favorite fall locations. If the winds are right, we might find some migrant raptors and Sandhill Cranes. 

 
Click here to register for half-day trips
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