Birding spot · Cook County, Illinois
Birding at Horsetail Lake: What You'll See Each Week In November, the birds most often reported at Horsetail Lake are American Robin (80%), White-breasted Nuthatch (75%), and Blue Jay (73%). It is busiest in spring, when 96 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of May (102 species). 164 species have been reported here across 1,099 complete checklists from 304 birders.
Species by week 0 25 50 75 100 125 Jan 1-7: 32 species on 5%+ of 18 checklists Jan 8-14: 27 species on 5%+ of 10 checklists Jan 15-21: 23 species on 5%+ of 11 checklists Jan 22-31: low data (4 checklists) Feb 1-7: low data (8 checklists) Feb 8-14: 28 species on 5%+ of 15 checklists Feb 15-21: low data (8 checklists) Feb 22-28: 31 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Mar 1-7: 42 species on 5%+ of 15 checklists Mar 8-14: 32 species on 5%+ of 23 checklists Mar 15-21: low data (9 checklists) Mar 22-31: 54 species on 5%+ of 14 checklists Apr 1-7: 56 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Apr 8-14: 52 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Apr 15-21: low data (6 checklists) Apr 22-30: 81 species on 5%+ of 19 checklists May 1-7: 97 species on 5%+ of 19 checklists May 8-14: 102 species on 5%+ of 34 checklists May 15-21: 102 species on 5%+ of 74 checklists May 22-31: 87 species on 5%+ of 166 checklists Jun 1-7: 72 species on 5%+ of 84 checklists Jun 8-14: 76 species on 5%+ of 56 checklists Jun 15-21: 74 species on 5%+ of 72 checklists Jun 22-30: 77 species on 5%+ of 60 checklists Jul 1-7: 76 species on 5%+ of 54 checklists Jul 8-14: 64 species on 5%+ of 28 checklists Jul 15-21: 68 species on 5%+ of 29 checklists Jul 22-31: 76 species on 5%+ of 16 checklists Aug 1-7: 75 species on 5%+ of 15 checklists Aug 8-14: 73 species on 5%+ of 19 checklists Aug 15-21: low data (8 checklists) Aug 22-31: 67 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Sep 1-7: 75 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists Sep 8-14: low data (7 checklists) Sep 15-21: 56 species on 5%+ of 10 checklists Sep 22-30: low data (3 checklists) Oct 1-7: low data (5 checklists) Oct 8-14: low data (4 checklists) Oct 15-21: low data (2 checklists) Oct 22-31: 48 species on 5%+ of 10 checklists Nov 1-7: low data (2 checklists) Nov 8-14: low data (5 checklists) Nov 15-21: low data (0 checklists) Nov 22-30: low data (7 checklists) Dec 1-7: 39 species on 5%+ of 18 checklists Dec 8-14: 34 species on 5%+ of 18 checklists Dec 15-21: 28 species on 5%+ of 33 checklists Dec 22-31: 36 species on 5%+ of 17 checklists Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 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 American Robin 80% 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 75% 3 Blue Jay 73% 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker 73% 5 Black-capped Chickadee 64% 6 Northern Cardinal 61% 7 Northern Flicker 59% 8 Indigo Bunting 59% 9 Eastern Wood-Pewee 58% 10 Downy Woodpecker 58% 11 American Goldfinch 57% 12 Gray Catbird 56% 13 Northern House Wren 56% 14 Red-winged Blackbird 53% 15 Red-headed Woodpecker 51% 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 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 .
American Robin80%
White-breasted Nuthatch75%
Blue Jay73%
Red-bellied Woodpecker73%
Black-capped Chickadee64%
Northern Cardinal61%
Northern Flicker59%
Indigo Bunting59%
Eastern Wood-Pewee58%
Downy Woodpecker58%
American Goldfinch57%
Gray Catbird56%
Red-winged Blackbird53%
Red-headed Woodpecker51%