Southwest of Chicago, this is an excellent place to find marsh and grassland birds. It's probably the State's best spot to find Henslow's Sparrow, which is usually found farther away from the visitor's center and sometimes found at the far end of the Marsh Loop.
 

North of the city, this state park stretches 7 miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Its varied habitats of beach, marsh, grassland, and woods attract many types of birds, including a variety of songbirds which can be seen along the trails leading south from the visitor center. In the fall, this is a great place to watch the fall raptor flights. In September and October, you may see Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Broad-winged, and Red-tailed Hawks. You might also see Merlins and Peregrine Falcons. The best times for hawk-watching are when west winds are blowing, and birds are pushed eastward to the lakefront on their journey south.
 

From fall through spring, Waukegan Harbor is a popular area to search for loons, waterfowl, and gulls. During migration, a variety of shorebirds may be seen on the beach, just north of the harbor.
 

Because of its diverse habitat, the Indiana Dunes provides many opportunities to view a variety of birds during the spring and fall migration.
 

Horicon Marsh, covering 32,000 acres, is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States. The marsh provides a habitat for many species of wetland birds, including ducks, cranes, herons, and shorebirds. Each October, 300,000 Canada Geese visit the refuge.