A dozen birders explored prime sparrow habitat finding singing Henslow's and Grasshopper Sparrows, as well as a number of more common species, like Field, Song, Savanna and Lincoln's Sparrow.
This Earth Day Bird Walk was not too springy but very birdy! We spotted 53 species, including a Merlin, Eastern Meadowlarks, a Virginia Rail, Rusty Blackbirds and a leucistic Winter Wren.
COS has been keeping an eye on plans for development in Jackson Park, including a new golf course in the South Shore neighborhood. Birders and community residents are voicing their concerns about wildlife protection.
In December COS celebrated its Conservation Awards, given to volunteers who have given freely of their time and energy to do the avian-based restoration work at LaBagh Woods.
It felt like summer Saturday morning with temps in the 70s and 80s early on, but a group of 15 met to explore the marsh and woodlands of Eggers Grove in Chicago's far south side.
A small but enthusiastic group of birders met yesterday morning to explore these under-birded preserves. The weather was perfect and a singing Blackburnian Warbler greeted us in the parking area ...
Eleven birders explored parts of Orland Grasslands on Saturday, April 29, a cloudy, chilly day. Led by Pat Hayes, a volunteer steward at the site, we followed trails through prairie areas...
What a great spring birding day! We spotted over 30 Wilson's Snipe, a Short-eared Owl in flight, an early Marsh Wren, Eastern Meadowlarks and some Rusty blackbirds.
A group of 15 birders led by Andrew Aldrich beginning at McGinnis Slough and then stopping at Saganashkee Slough and Maple Lake. Among the highlights were great looks at Common Loons ...
Save the date! April 22 at 6:30pm at Galway Arms in Lincoln Park, COS will be hosting a fundraiser for LaBagh Woods. We're honored to have live music by Congress of Starlings!
COS president Carl Giometti attended a February 20 presentation of the Industrial Corridor Modernization: North Branch framework plan, prepared by the Chicago Department of Planning
We are really starting to see progress being made at the this Swamp White Oak grove area, and I am so proud of our volunteers for what they have accomplished in this area. But like most restoration efforts, no rest for the weary. We will continue removing unwanted dead trees, pole trees and buckthorn to prepare this area for seeding (immediately) and planting (in the near future).
Just what is your COS Board doing on this unseasonable warm February Monday evening, besides eating lasagna?
Your COS (Chicago Ornithological Society) Board is comprised of 10 volunteers lead by Carl Giometti, our COS President for 2017. The board meets a minimum of once per quarter and deliberates on a number of initiatives COS is involved with for Chicago area birders.
The native shrub plantings are finished for 2016, and now we begin to prepare other parts of LaBagh for native shrub plantings and native herbaceous plant seeding in 2017. This is important work, but more than anything else, IT'S FUN!
A group of 16 birders met at McGinnis Slough in the Palos Area this morning, Sunday, November 20th, to look for waterfowl and any other interesting birds that crossed our paths. We were fortunate to have local expert Wes Serafin join us to navigate and give a bit of history about the different areas. McGinnis was partially frozen this morning, but we still managed some decent flocks of waterfowl here. Most notably the dozens of Bufflehead and Hooded Mergansers, Coots, and Pied-billed Grebes. A couple Great Blue Herons were hunkered down among the cattails.
