WhenToBird

Birding spot · Will County, Illinois

Birding at Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area are Gadwall (89%), Mallard (88%), and Ring-billed Gull (81%). It is busiest in spring, when 76 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in late April (79 species). 170 species have been reported here across 1,300 complete checklists from 282 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: 49 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsJan 8-14: 49 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsJan 15-21: 44 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsJan 22-31: 49 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsFeb 1-7: 58 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsFeb 8-14: 53 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsFeb 15-21: 51 species on 5%+ of 39 checklistsFeb 22-28: 55 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsMar 1-7: 55 species on 5%+ of 56 checklistsMar 8-14: 58 species on 5%+ of 54 checklistsMar 15-21: 61 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsMar 22-31: 57 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsApr 1-7: 68 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsApr 8-14: 65 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsApr 15-21: 63 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsApr 22-30: 79 species on 5%+ of 68 checklistsMay 1-7: low data (9 checklists)May 8-14: 74 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsMay 15-21: low data (9 checklists)May 22-31: 79 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsJun 1-7: low data (5 checklists)Jun 8-14: 60 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsJun 15-21: low data (9 checklists)Jun 22-30: low data (6 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (5 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Jul 15-21: low data (6 checklists)Jul 22-31: 74 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsAug 1-7: 67 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsAug 8-14: 56 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsAug 15-21: 67 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsAug 22-31: 57 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsSep 1-7: 69 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsSep 8-14: low data (8 checklists)Sep 15-21: 62 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsSep 22-30: 59 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsOct 1-7: low data (9 checklists)Oct 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Oct 15-21: 68 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsOct 22-31: 57 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsNov 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsNov 8-14: 37 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsNov 15-21: 46 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsNov 22-30: 37 species on 5%+ of 47 checklistsDec 1-7: 46 species on 5%+ of 124 checklistsDec 8-14: 41 species on 5%+ of 72 checklistsDec 15-21: 41 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsDec 22-31: 45 species on 5%+ of 31 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. 1Gadwall89%
  2. 2Mallard88%
  3. 3Ring-billed Gull81%
  4. 4Great Blue Heron71%
  5. 5American Wigeon68%
  6. 6Hooded Merganser62%
  7. 7Pied-billed Grebe50%
  8. 8Eurasian Wigeon43%
  9. 9Mute Swan39%
  10. 10American Coot37%
  11. 11Green-winged Teal37%
  12. 12Downy Woodpecker34%
  13. 13Belted Kingfisher33%
  14. 14American Robin25%
  15. 15Black-capped Chickadee25%

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 55 species

  1. Mallard86%
  2. Gadwall72%
  3. Ring-billed Gull66%
  4. Canada Goose64%
  5. Mute Swan60%

Spring 76 species

  1. Canada Goose93%
  2. Mallard92%
  3. Great Blue Heron79%
  4. Northern Shoveler70%
  5. Ring-billed Gull67%

Summer 67 species

  1. Great Blue Heron94%
  2. Great Egret93%
  3. Double-crested Cormorant85%
  4. Mallard83%
  5. Caspian Tern81%

Fall 58 species

  1. Mallard81%
  2. Great Blue Heron78%
  3. Ring-billed Gull75%
  4. Gadwall62%
  5. Pied-billed Grebe56%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Illinois.

  • Great Kiskadee7.0% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 871.1×
  • Tundra Swan8.3% of checklists here vs 0.4% statewide: 23.4×
  • Mute Swan49% of checklists here vs 2.2% statewide: 22.0×
  • Gadwall60% of checklists here vs 3.1% statewide: 19.4×
  • American Wigeon18% of checklists here vs 1.1% statewide: 16.8×
  • Trumpeter Swan14% of checklists here vs 1.0% statewide: 13.5×
  • Hooded Merganser37% of checklists here vs 3.1% statewide: 11.7×
  • Canvasback9.6% of checklists here vs 0.9% statewide: 10.6×

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.