BIRD FINDING 
The Skokie Lagoons Cook County 
Description: Built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a flood control project, 
the Skokie Lagoons area is today one of the most consistently productive birding spots in the 
Chicago region. Accessible by expressway, traversed by good roads with a number of paved 
pull-offs, and laced with a network of trails and bridle paths, the Lagoons provide the 
bird-finder with a one-half by three mile tract containing a variety of habitats. The many 
connected ponds, though man-made, have a natural appearance as irregular shore lines are 
bordered with native deciduous shrubs and trees. Wooded areas, grassy expanses, open 
water and overgrown fields offer food, cover and resting areas for many species of migrating 
birds. The northern third of this area consists of the Botanic Garden of the Chicago 
Horticultural Society. 
Directions: Bounded on the west by Edens Expressway (Interstate 94) and lying opposite the 
northern Cook County suburbs of Glencoe and Winnetka, the Lagoons may be reached by 
exiting 1-94 eastbound onto Willow, Tower, Dundee, or County Line (Lake-Cook) Roads. 
Forest Way Drive winds northward through the Lagoons from Willow Road to Dundee 
Road. 
While birds may be seen anywhere, the usual starting point is from the Willow Road 
parking lot, located immediately east of Eden’s Expressway. Wearing waterproof boots, walk 
over the foot-bridge, crossing the bridle path to the water; turn north (left), birding as you 
go. Nearby, but of sight, to your left, the bridle path parallels your route. Birding north 
along the water’s edge and returning via the path is a delightful circuit. 
Birding: Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Prothonotary Warblers and Orchard Orioles have 
established tenuous footholds as nesting species in recent years. 
In winter, scan the treetops for raptors or an occasional Northern Shrike; if gulls are 
gathered on the ice, examine them in hopes of finding Glaucous or Iceland gulls. 
Spring migration peaks during the second or third week of May. At this time the birds 
are vocal, affording the alert birder opportunities to locate such species as Connecticut, 
Kentucky, Hooded, Mourning, Cerulean and Worm-eating warblers. Concentrations of 
sparrows should be checked for the Clay-colored Sparrow; Harris’ Sparrows are sometimes 
found. Driving through the Lagoons, the birder should scan each pond and channel for 
transient Osprey, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, American and Least bitterns and waterfowl. 
Driving or hiking through the Botanic Garden can be rewarding, as fluctuating water levels 
sometimes provide shorebird habitat. Land-birding is profitable in the patches of woods and 
large fields. Look for the small (Richardson’s) race amid the flocks of Canada Geese. 
The chance of seeing all of the species mentioned on any given day is slight. However, 
birding is so good that at least three or four unusual sightings are assured. 
—Gerald Rosenband 
9444 Kedvale 
Skokie, IL 60076 
Illinois Audubon Bulletin, Summer, 1976. 
Supplement to BIRD FINDING IN ILLINOIS, 
by Illinois Audubon Society, 1975. 
