Birdwatching in Illinois

Birding contacts and birdwatching information



Local Birdingpal Contacts

Local Birdwatchers Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. _____________________________________________________________ We want to hear about your experiences with Birdingpals. Please contact us with any comments or suggestions you have. CONTACT US _____________________________________________________________
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		J	Kopec	Georgetown, IL	sparsely, but happy to give tips	English
		I teach, minister and travel full time, but am happy to point you in the direction of birds if you are in the Indianapolis area, or south and west of it.		Area: mid-southeast IL, and mid-southwest IN Eagle Creek Park, INCelery Bog Nature Center, Lafayette INForest Glen Reserve, Georgetown ILTurkey Run SP, INBusey Woods, Urbana, IL Area Birds: horned larks, red-headed wp's, pileated wp's, warblers in migration	Interests: Nature: birdwatching, twitching, fishing, skiing, swimming, camping Travel: stroll, walking, hiking, climbing, train, bus, car, hitchhiking, biking, long walk, packpack, portage, canoe, ship, dog sled, snow mobile, horseback riding, distance running, Visit: historic tourist site, museum, restaurant, vineyard, ski run/trail, monument, arboretum, architecture appreciation, Attend: classical concert, horse race, live music Participate: wine,
		D	Hewett	Belleville, IL	Evenings and weekends.	English
		I enjoy birding, and I enjoy birding with others. I am an intermediate birder as there are those who know their birds much better. But I can get you to the right places to see birds. I can also break away for a few hours usually.		Area: Silver Creek Nature Preserve, Horseshoe Lake State Park, Rock Springs Municipal Area Birds: Indigo Buntings, all the normal regulars	Interests: Nature: birdwatching, photography, butterflies, fishing, beach, Travel: stroll, walking, hiking, train, car, biking, long walk, Visit: tourist site, museum, monument, arboretum, tech Attend: concert, theatre, live music, sports event, auction
		M	Winks	Bloomington	Weekend	English
		K	Wright	Bureau	Anytime	English
		I am a very enthusiastic nature lover, especially when it comes to the critters. Where I live (Central Illinois) is just packed with wildlife and tons of our feathered friends. The Bald Eagle is flurishing just about 10 miles from my home.
		S	Woolbright	Champaign	Anytime	English
		K	Wright	Canton	Anytime	English
		J	Aufmann	Cary	Weekends	English
		I lead local bird walks for both experienced and beginner birders. I am also available for birding by kayak on local rivers.
		S	Boskovich	Chicago, IL	anytime or as arranged	English
		Semi-retired novice birdwatcher. Check Illinois Ornithological Society field checklist		Area: Montrose Harbor, Cook and DuPage Counties; Suburban and Forest Preserves Area Birds:	Interests: Nature: birdwatching, photography
		S	Burckhardt	Chicago	Anytime	English, German, French
		Sam Burckhardt is a musician, living in Chicago, and traveling on tour to Europe and elsewhere, twice a year. I was introduced to birds by my father and have started to become more serious about birding in 1999. Visit my website
		A	Ayyash	Chicago	Anytime	English, Arabic
		I do most of my birding in the Chicago area but have a keen interest in gulls and owls.
		P	Costoff	Crystal Lake	Weekend	English, Spanish
		K	Baird	Elsah	Anytime	English
		J	Mountjoy	Galesburg	Weekend	English, very limited French, worse Kiswahili
		Avid birder and ornithologist; more readily available in summer; area has Eurasian Tree Sparrow, scarce Smith's Longspur in migration, good diversity of midwestern species.
		J	Hertz	Kankakee	Anytime	English
		S	Laws	Lockport	Anytime	English, Spanish (Read Only)
		Midwest-Cardinals, Blue Jays, Golden Finches, Hummingbirds, Sparrows, Hawks, Crows, Robins.
		J	Mitchell	Mapleton	Anytime	English
		We live near the Illinois River valley and also on a small lake that draws several species of water fowl and songbirds. We have many eagles in the area during the winter months. My husband and I enjoy birding all over the United States. I was Birder of the Year in 2000 with WildBird Magazine and enjoy meeting other birders.
		B	Chrysler	Martinsville	Anytime	English
		M	Wilson	Mt. Carmel	Weekend	English
		S	Kulkarni	Naperville	Weekend	English
		Hobbyist. Started birding in 2012.
		P	Olander	Palatine (Chicago)	Anytime	English, French, Romanian
		R	Adams	Pleasant Hill	Anytime	English
		Excellent birding in the wetlands and riverine systems and adjacent uplands of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Thanks for posting me on birdingpal. I live about 80 miles north of St. Louis, Mo and bird from the Riverlands project at Alton to the Ted Shanks Wildlife Management Area on the Mississippi River and to the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge on the Illinois River. I am a retired wildlife biologist and refuge manager and have birded in Africa, China, and central and south America.
		P	Weber	Rochester	Anytime	English
		D	Holschuh	Rock Falls	Weekend	English
		I've been a birder for about 5 years and have become very familiar with all the great spots in Eastern Whiteside Countie and Western Lee Countie.
		E	Callaway	Rockford	Weekend	English
		B	Schaefer	Round Lake Beach	Weekend	English
		I live very close to Rollins Savanna, Grant Woods, and a fair number of other birding sites. I know the Lake County, IL area fairly well.
		G	Schuetz	Venedy	Anytime	English
		I live next to the Kaskaskia River Macrosite which is 40 miles southeast of St Louis, Mo.
Local wildlife photographers Birdingpal wildlife photographers, like Pals, do not get paid. So should he/she offer to take you out using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		N	Kopp	Carpentersville	Anytime	English
		I am an advanced? beginning birder and photographer. I travel the US on bird trips and belong to local clubs.
		K	Massiglia	Belleville	Anytime	English
		I'm a photographer and spend quite a bit of time exploring the wildlfe areas in Illinois (south and southwest) and eastern Missouri (Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton) searching for birds (and other wildlife) to observe and photograph. I'd be happy to show visiting birders around this area (southern Illinois) or to meet other birders who live here and explore together.
		J	Orlinsky	Fox Lake area	Anytime	English
		Long time birders, my wife and I also enjoy nature photography and canoeing. We are Audubon members and lead bird walks for the Volo Bog State Natural area. Most of our local birding is in Lake, McHenry, and Cook counties. If I don't respond quickly, we may be on an extended trip.
Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
Local Information
		Name			Description
		Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia			Illinois
		Local weather			Yahoo
		Champaign County Audubon Society			Club
		Chicago Ornithological Society			Club
		Chicago Audubon Society			Club
		Decatur Audubon Society			Club
		Emiquon Audubon Society			Club
		John Wesley Powell Audubon Society			Club
		Lake County Audubon Society			Club
		Northwest Illinois Audubon Society			Club
		Peoria Audubon Society			Club
		Prairie Woods Audubon Society			Club
		Sinnissippi Audubon Society			Club
		Thorn Creek Audubon Society			Club
		Birding Hotspots around the world			Sites