Winter in Chicago is wonderful, especially for birds along the lake front. Start your 2022 bird species list on Jan. 1 with a walk just for beginning birders around South and North Ponds at the south end of Lincoln Park in Chicago.
It’s tricky to predict what birds we’ll see on a January winter morning, but if the ponds aren’t frozen, we likely will see geese, ducks, possibly rarer waterfowl and perhaps a lingering Great Blue Heron or late-to-leave Black-crowned Night-Heron. Song-bird species also may be present in the trees, shrubs and ground vegetation around each pond as well as in the hedgerows around Lincoln Park Zoo and the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond. If the weather is reasonable, we may go under Lake Shore Drive and check on inshore and offshore lake ducks and gulls as well as a possible Bald Eagle.
We’ll return to our starting point via the east sides of the ponds and the zoo. Please bring binoculars if you have them. There are binoculars available to borrow.
It is very important that you dress for the weather. Most of this trip will not be in sheltered areas so you may want to bundle up with long underwear, warm pants and/or snow pants or rain paints (good wind breaker). You should wear warm socks and boots. Add chemical footwarmers in your boots and handwarmers in your mittens or gloves.
A warm face mask also is a good idea, but ALL persons on this trip should wear a face mask of some kind at all times on this trip.
Limit: 10 people. Pre-registration is required for the bird walk.
Register here, PLEASE BE SURE to include your email address and phone number when registering in case the trip has to be cancelled because of bad weather.
For more information, please contact Christine Williamson at birdchris@aol.com.
If you register for the trip and must cancel, please send an email to Christine so we can free up your spot for someone on the waiting list.
Directions:
Meet at the entrance to Farm in the Zoo, 1991 N. Stockton Dr., south of Lincoln Park Zoo and Café Brauer. Free street parking may be available on Stockton. There also is a pay parking lot on the northwest corner of Stockton and LaSalle. Bike racks are available and several bus routes will drop you off close to the meeting site.