WhenToBird

Birding spot · Cook County, Illinois

Birding at Axehead Lake: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Axehead Lake are Mallard (82%), Rock Pigeon (79%), and Canada Goose (52%). It is busiest in summer, when 56 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of May (87 species). 138 species have been reported here across 937 complete checklists from 126 birders.

Species by week

020406080100Jan 1-7: 20 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsJan 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Jan 15-21: 24 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJan 22-31: 29 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsFeb 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Feb 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Feb 15-21: low data (9 checklists)Feb 22-28: 24 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsMar 1-7: 16 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsMar 8-14: 25 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsMar 15-21: 30 species on 5%+ of 72 checklistsMar 22-31: 40 species on 5%+ of 131 checklistsApr 1-7: 46 species on 5%+ of 66 checklistsApr 8-14: 42 species on 5%+ of 72 checklistsApr 15-21: 49 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsApr 22-30: 60 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsMay 1-7: 85 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsMay 8-14: 87 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsMay 15-21: 87 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsMay 22-31: 82 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsJun 1-7: low data (1 checklists)Jun 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Jun 15-21: low data (3 checklists)Jun 22-30: low data (8 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (2 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (1 checklists)Jul 15-21: low data (2 checklists)Jul 22-31: low data (0 checklists)Aug 1-7: low data (3 checklists)Aug 8-14: low data (2 checklists)Aug 15-21: low data (3 checklists)Aug 22-31: low data (3 checklists)Sep 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Sep 8-14: low data (3 checklists)Sep 15-21: low data (3 checklists)Sep 22-30: 40 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsOct 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Oct 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Oct 15-21: low data (6 checklists)Oct 22-31: 34 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsNov 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Nov 8-14: 14 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsNov 15-21: 27 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsNov 22-30: 13 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsDec 1-7: 21 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsDec 8-14: 19 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsDec 15-21: 30 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsDec 22-31: 23 species on 5%+ of 57 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Mallard82%
  2. 2Rock Pigeon79%
  3. 3Canada Goose52%
  4. 4American Robin21%
  5. 5Dark-eyed Junco19%
  6. 6Red-bellied Woodpecker19%
  7. 7Blue Jay18%
  8. 8Downy Woodpecker15%
  9. 9Northern Cardinal15%
  10. 10Pied-billed Grebe13%
  11. 11European Starling11%
  12. 12Great Blue Heron9.7%
  13. 13American Herring Gull6.5%
  14. 14Golden-crowned Kinglet6.5%
  15. 15Mourning Dove6.5%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 25 species

  1. Rock Pigeon75%
  2. Canada Goose60%
  3. Mallard47%
  4. American Robin23%
  5. Downy Woodpecker21%

Spring 49 species

  1. American Robin76%
  2. Canada Goose76%
  3. Mallard74%
  4. Red-breasted Merganser64%
  5. Rock Pigeon57%

Summer 56 species

  1. American Robin79%
  2. Mallard71%
  3. Rock Pigeon65%
  4. Blue Jay53%
  5. Canada Goose53%

Fall 26 species

  1. Rock Pigeon68%
  2. Mallard67%
  3. American Robin46%
  4. Canada Goose42%
  5. Blue Jay34%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Illinois.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.