Illinois’ 5 Best Bird Watching Spots This Summer

The position of Illinois within the Mississippi Flyway makes it a major destination for birders, particularly during the peak spring and fall migration seasons. The state’s varied habitats, including wetlands, forests, and the Lake Michigan shoreline, provide critical stopover points for millions of birds traveling between Canada and Central/South America.

Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve

Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve is a world-class birding destination featuring tallgrass savanna, wetlands, marshes, and woodlands. Thanks to its diverse habitats, birders regularly observe a wide variety of species throughout the year.

The preserve features several miles of gravel trails and boardwalks that allow birders to traverse different ecological zones, making it easy to observe birds in diverse settings. The trail system, which includes boardwalks over sensitive wetland areas, allows for accessible observation. Because the savanna and prairie are expansive and open, using a spotting scope is recommended to identify distant birds.

Common birds to watch for at the Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve include:

• Blue-Winged Teal 
• Green-Winged Teal 
• Sandhill Cranes
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• Bobolink
• DIckcissel
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Red-Headed Woodpecker
• Great Egret
• Snow Goose 
• Canada Geese
• Orchard Oriole
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Great Horned Owl
• Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary is located in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois, on a peninsula extending into Lake Michigan. An internationally recognized birding hotspot, it serves as a critical stopover for tens of thousands of migratory birds.

It is famous for the Magic Hedge, a dense stretch of shrubs and trees that attracts a vast array of birds, with over 350 different species recorded at the site. Beyond the hedge, the 15-acre sanctuary includes prairie, savanna, woodland, and dune habitats, all of which support diverse wildlife. Accessible trails allow visitors to observe birds without disturbing the habitat.

Common birds at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary include:

• Yellow Warbler
• American Redstart
• Gray Catbird
• Swainson’s Thrush
• Baltimore Oriole
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Northern Flicker
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Common Yellowthroat
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Black Rail
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Townsend’s Solitaire

Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

The Dixon Waterfowl Refuge in Hennepin, Illinois, which encompasses over 3,000 acres of restored wetlands, prairies, and savannas, is designated as an Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA). It is also recognized as one of 41 U.S. Ramsar sites, which are internationally protected wetlands specifically designated for their importance to waterfowl and migratory birds.

During spring and fall, thousands of waterfowl, including canvasbacks, pintails, shovelers, and coots, congregate at Hennepin and Hopper Lakes. Birders frequently visit in hopes of spotting rare species, which include black-bellied whistling ducks, white-faced ibises, Hudsonian godwits, and black-necked stilts.

Common birds to watch for at Dixon Waterfowl Refuge include:

• Double-crested Cormorant
• American Bittern
• Bald Eagle
• American White Pelican
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Virginia Rail
• Sora
• Caspian Tern
• Common Gallinule 
• Black Tern
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Marsh Wren
• Grasshopper Sparrow
• Dickcissel
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Northern Harrier
• Short-eared Owl 

Carlyle Lake/Eldon Hazlet State Park

As Illinois’ largest man-made reservoir, Carlyle Lake is a critical stopover for migratory birds and waterfowl. Eldon Hazlet State Park, located on the lake’s western shore, serves as a vital access point for observing waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds. The area’s diverse habitats, including wetlands, woodlands, tallgrass prairies, and agricultural fields, attract a variety of bird species year-round.

 Carlyle Lake’s vast size offers birders numerous points from which to view snow geese, Canada geese, mallards, and double-crested cormorants, which are frequently observed during migration and summer. The south shore, in particular, provides excellent vantage points for scanning large bodies of water for rafts of ducks, geese, and pelicans, as well as for spotting raptors such as bald eagles and ospreys.

Common birds to look for at Carlyle Lake include:

• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• American White Pelican
• Mallard
• Canada Goose.
• Osprey
• Bald Eagle
• Rough-legged Hawk 

Horseshoe Lake State Park

Horseshoe Lake State Park in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, is a regional birding destination that plays host to over 150 recorded bird species. Located a mere 15 minutes from St. Louis, Missouri, its location near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers makes it a natural magnet for birds traveling the flyway, making the park a crucial migratory stopover for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and gulls. 

During the summer, natural wetlands dry up to reveal mudflats where migrating shorebirds can stop over and feed on the plants growing there. Much of the birding can be done from the road or designated park areas, but because parts of the lake are dense or difficult to reach on foot, birders often utilize boats to reach more secluded sections.

Common birds seen at Horseshoe Lake State Park include:

• Trumpeter Swan
• Great Egret
• Little Blue Heron 
• Prothonotary Warbler
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

These are but a few of Illinois’ best birdwatching spots. Other notable mentions include the Illinois Beach State Park, Cache River State Natural Area, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, and Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area.