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.
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!
Sunday, September 21, 2025 Thompson Road Farm Preserve - McHenry County Guide: Lisa Maier *Only two spaces left! Only recently opened to the public, join Lisa in hopes of better understanding this preserve and adding some precious eBird data! With a large mix of habitats and vistas, we will search for migrant warblers, vireos, sparrows, and more. If conditions are right, it could hold potential for migrant raptors. Resident Wild Turkey could be around, as well. We look forward to exploring this preserve and uncovering some new birds for the hotspot.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 Bemis Woods - Cook County Guide: Steve Huggins *Only one space left! A top location in the western suburbs for seeking out migrants, Bemis Woods follows Salt Creek and can be loaded with birds during fall migration. Join Steve in search of migratory warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, and more.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 The Preserve of Highland Park - Lake County Guide: Josh Engel *Only three spaces left! This former golf course is an underrated gem of North Shore birding, with its extensive trails and varied habitat. We'll look for warblers and other migrants. If the winds are right, we might see some raptors migrating through as well. If there's time remaining after our walk, we'll check another of Josh's local patches afterwards.
Sunday, September 28, 2025 Tamarack Farms - McHenry County Guide: Lisa Maier *Trip full! Please contact us to join the waitlist Lisa has secured permission for us to run a Red Hill Birding field trip at this restricted-access location! This is one of the largest (over 980 acres!) and the latest additions to the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, which would not have happened without the assistance of the Illinois Audubon Society. Join us as we explore this incredible area, which includes a large wetland complex and oak savanna.
Thursday, October 2, 2025 Rainbow Beach - Cook County Guide: Steve Huggins *Only two spaces left! Rainbow Beach is an important location in the Chicago area for migrants, especially sparrows. Many birders make annual trips to seek out some of the more difficult migrants like Nelson’s and LeConte’s Sparrow. It is also wonderful for migrant shorebirds, with many still moving through at this time of year. If time allows, we will visit a nearby location for even more migrants!
Saturday, October 4, 2025 Ryerson Woods Forest Preserve - Lake County Guide: Jeff Bilsky *Only one space left! Join Jeff at one of his favorite Lake County migrant spots at a time of the year when warblers still linger and sparrows are on the increase. The trails can be filled with birds, and we will always be on the lookout for the local Pileated Woodpeckers and Barred Owls.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve - Lake County Guide: Adam Sell *Only two spaces left! One of Lake County’s best fall birding locations. Join Adam, who also serves as the coordinator of the Fort Sheridan Hawkwatch, for a great introduction to raptor migration in the Chicagoland area. The trip will begin by searching for migrants in the woods and fields of Fort Sheridan, before transitioning to a hawkwatch. If hawkwatching conditions are not ideal, the trip will consider moving on to other nearby hotspots.
Sunday, October 12, 2025 Tamarack Farms - McHenry County Guide: Lisa Maier *Second trip added due to popularity! Lisa has secured permission (again!) for us to run another Red Hill Birding field trip at this restricted-access location! This is one of the largest (over 980 acres!) and the latest additions to the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, which would not have happened without the assistance of the Illinois Audubon Society. Join us as we explore this incredible area, which includes a large wetland complex and oak savanna.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 McGinnis & Saganashkee Slough - Cook County Guide: Steve Huggins *Only one space left! These two nearby hotspots, part of the greater Palos region, combine both woodland and wetland habitats for a chance at a great bird list in mid-October. We will be searching for early migrant waterfowl, sparrows, late warblers, and whatever luck might bring us!
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Shabonna Lake State Park - DeKalb County Guide: Steve Huggins *Only two spaces left! 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.
