Lincoln Park / North Pond
Illinois · Midwest
Easy
May
Free
6:00 AM – 11:00 PM daily
About This Location
Lincoln Park's North Pond Nature Sanctuary is a hidden gem along Chicago's lakefront, providing critical stopover habitat for migrant songbirds in an intensely urban setting. The restored native plantings around this glacial kettle pond attract warblers, vireos, sparrows, and flycatchers during spring and fall migration, with over 200 species recorded in the park.
The pond itself hosts Green Herons, Wood Ducks, and occasionally American and Least Bitterns among the cattails, while the surrounding trees and shrubs concentrate Neotropical migrants. Located just two miles south of the famous Montrose Point, North Pond receives less foot traffic and can offer a more intimate birding experience. Winter brings diving ducks and an occasional Peregrine Falcon hunting from the nearby high-rises.
Location
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Notable Species
Live Bird Data
Powered by eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Notable Sightings
Rare or unusual species spotted nearby in the last 14 days
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Cackling Goose
Branta hutchinsii
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Recent Observations
Species reported at this location in the last 14 days
Canada Goose
Ring-billed Gull
Brown Thrasher
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-crowned Night Heron
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper
Rock Pigeon
Cooper's Hawk
Birding Tips
- 1
Walk the path around the entire pond to check all the native plantings for migrants
- 2
Early morning on a day after south winds in May produces the best warbler fallouts
- 3
Check the cattails along the pond edge for skulking herons and bitterns
Amenities
Nearby Attractions
- Lincoln Park Zoo
- Chicago History Museum
More in Illinois
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary
Chicago's top birding spot where the Magic Hedge traps migrating songbirds.
Jackson Park / Wooded Island
Chicago South Side migrant trap on a historic Wooded Island with 250+ species and outstanding warbler fallouts.
Illinois Beach State Park
Illinois' last natural Lake Michigan shore with 300+ species, shorebird migration, and grassland birds.
Illinois Birding Guide
Complete guide to birding in Illinois →