Beyond the Backyard
By Naperville Magazine
Appears in the April 2026 issue.
By Robert Loerzel
The best spots for birding all year long
For birders, spring is a thrilling time. It’s when you can see those colorful songbirds, called warblers, stopping here for a little while as they fly north thousands of miles. But for many folks, birding is a year-round pursuit. Luckily, there’s no shortage of local spots perfect for it in the west suburbs, including dozens of local forest preserves and nature parks.
“You don’t have to go very far to find birds,” says Aurora birder Glenn Perricone, an environmental interpreter at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. “You can enjoy them from the comfort of your home, looking out a window. But there’s this opportunity to get to know the landscape, the habitats, and the natural areas.”
During spring, Warrenville birder Haley Gottardo looks for warblers and other songbirds in the west part of the Morton Arboretum (4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle; admission, $14.95–$17.95) and the Elsen’s Hill section of West DuPage Woods (Gary’s Mill Road east of Roosevelt Road, West Chicago), where she occasionally eyes her favorite species, the tufted titmouse. “They are the most adorable birds with their cute eyes and tuft,” she says.
Perricone suggests focusing on places where big, old oak trees stand next to water. “That just attracts a lot of birds,” he says, explaining that many birds feast on moth caterpillars in these trees. “These birds have to fuel up on their journey.” One such spot is Fullersburg Woods (Spring Road south of 31st Street, Oak Brook), where rarely seen species like the cerulean warbler sometimes turn up.
Shorebirds also visit during spring, at locations like Springbrook Prairie (83rd Street west of Book Road, Naperville). “It’s got an incredible diversity of birds that show up there…soras, marsh wrens, sandhill cranes, a whole slew of different dabbling ducks as well as shorebirds,” Perricone says. You may even spy Canada’s iconic bird, the common loon, at places like Hidden Lake (Route 53 south of Butterfield Road, Downers Grove).
While many migratory species flee our area during summer, some stick around, laying eggs and raising babies. Gottardo enjoys watching eastern meadowlarks, dickcissels, and bobolinks nesting in the grasslands at Kress Creek Farms Park (201 W. National St., West Chicago). That park is also where Gottardo became the first birder who’d ever spotted a rock wren in DuPage County.
In summer, Perricone has seen wood thrushes breeding at Burlington Park (Douglas Avenue north of Jefferson Avenue, Naperville). “That’s probably one of my favorite birdsongs,” he says. “You hear that just echoing through the woods. It sounds magical, like fairy noises.”
Perricone also seeks out Henslow’s sparrows nesting in tallgrass prairies. “You’re listening for their little hiccup song,” he says. “As you’re following your ears and scanning just above the grasses, all of a sudden, you’ll see this little flick of movement. He throws his head back and sings his little song.” The species can be found at Fermilab (enter from Pine Street in Batavia or Batavia Road in Warrenville; a Real ID is required), Pratt’s Wayne Woods (Powis Road south of Stearns Road, Wayne), and Springbrook Prairie.
Birders have observed 293 bird species at Fermilab, the highest count for any site in the west suburbs. The physics laboratory’s 6,800 acres feature woods, fields, and wetlands, where great blue herons and great egrets hang out. Perricone particularly likes watching Fermilab’s ospreys. “They’re so good at hovering over a body of water,” he says. “They plummet down, hitting that water with their legs outstretched. They just pluck a fish right out of it. As of last year, there were five nesting pairs. Ospreys typically arrive in the fourth week of April. By early July, there are young ospreys all over Fermilab.”
Some species stay in the area all year-round, like the pileated woodpeckers hammering at trees in the Morton Arboretum and Greene Valley (Greene Road south of Hobson Road, Naperville). Wood ducks are around for the most of the year in ponds and lakes at places like Dick Young Forest Preserve (39W115 Main St., Batavia).
During fall, migratory species stop in our area again, this time as they head south. It’s a good time to look for the orange flash of fox sparrows darting around places like Dick Young. Autumn is also when the Hawk Migration Association’s volunteers monitor species such as broad-winged hawks soaring over the landfill hill at Greene Valley. “On weekends anyone can go up and sit with the hawk watch group and count with them,” Perricone says. “They’re always very eager and kind enough to share their expertise.”
The year’s coldest months are the best time to see bald eagles—and aquatic birds like common goldeneyes, which migrate down here from as far north as the Arctic. “As water sources are freezing to the north, they’re getting pushed down here, because they rely on that open water to find their preferred food, which is fish,” Perricone says. To spy eagles and migratory ducks, head to open water, such as the Fox River, which can be viewed from various parks in St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia.
And if you don’t feel up for a cold adventure, there’s another option. “Winter can be a decent time for backyard birding,” Gottardo says. “So, fill your feeders and a cool bird might just visit your backyard.”
For more ideas on where to bird, check out the maps of hot spots at eBird.org, which also reports what species have been seen where. Whatever time of year it is, feathered creatures are out there. “The great thing about birds is they’re always doing something interesting,” Perricone says. “They put on a show for you.”
Photos: Haley Gottardo (tufted titmouse, rock wren); Robert Loerzel (all others)
