WhenToBird

Birding spot · McHenry County, Illinois

Birding at Morraine Hills State Park (Wilderness Lake): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Morraine Hills State Park (Wilderness Lake) are Dark-eyed Junco (82%), Northern Cardinal (74%), and Sandhill Crane (74%). It is busiest in spring, when 87 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in late September (96 species). 178 species have been reported here across 933 complete checklists from 333 birders.

Species by week

020406080100Jan 1-7: 27 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsJan 8-14: 30 species on 5%+ of 83 checklistsJan 15-21: 27 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsJan 22-31: 28 species on 5%+ of 39 checklistsFeb 1-7: 27 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsFeb 8-14: 32 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsFeb 15-21: 24 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsFeb 22-28: 29 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsMar 1-7: 40 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsMar 8-14: 51 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsMar 15-21: 57 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsMar 22-31: 64 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsApr 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsApr 8-14: 56 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsApr 15-21: 70 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsApr 22-30: 56 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsMay 1-7: 80 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsMay 8-14: 88 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsMay 15-21: 92 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsMay 22-31: 84 species on 5%+ of 39 checklistsJun 1-7: 85 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsJun 8-14: 73 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsJun 15-21: 72 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsJun 22-30: 69 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsJul 1-7: 70 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsJul 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Jul 15-21: 61 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsJul 22-31: 67 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsAug 1-7: low data (5 checklists)Aug 8-14: low data (8 checklists)Aug 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Aug 22-31: 86 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsSep 1-7: 71 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsSep 8-14: low data (3 checklists)Sep 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Sep 22-30: 96 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsOct 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Oct 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsOct 15-21: low data (6 checklists)Oct 22-31: 65 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsNov 1-7: 53 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsNov 8-14: 52 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsNov 15-21: low data (3 checklists)Nov 22-30: low data (6 checklists)Dec 1-7: low data (4 checklists)Dec 8-14: 43 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsDec 15-21: 34 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsDec 22-31: 28 species on 5%+ of 14 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. 1Dark-eyed Junco82%
  2. 2Northern Cardinal74%
  3. 3Sandhill Crane74%
  4. 4American Robin68%
  5. 5Canada Goose63%
  6. 6Red-bellied Woodpecker63%
  7. 7Black-capped Chickadee58%
  8. 8Blue Jay58%
  9. 9Downy Woodpecker53%
  10. 10American Goldfinch50%
  11. 11Red-tailed Hawk50%
  12. 12White-breasted Nuthatch50%
  13. 13Cedar Waxwing47%
  14. 14White-throated Sparrow42%
  15. 15Mallard39%

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 30 species

  1. Black-capped Chickadee81%
  2. Dark-eyed Junco75%
  3. White-breasted Nuthatch73%
  4. Northern Cardinal70%
  5. American Tree Sparrow57%

Spring 87 species

  1. Red-winged Blackbird90%
  2. American Robin81%
  3. Canada Goose79%
  4. Sandhill Crane73%
  5. Northern Cardinal69%

Summer 71 species

  1. American Robin87%
  2. Red-winged Blackbird83%
  3. Song Sparrow78%
  4. American Goldfinch78%
  5. Common Yellowthroat78%

Fall 78 species

  1. Sandhill Crane76%
  2. American Goldfinch75%
  3. Blue Jay70%
  4. Red-bellied Woodpecker70%
  5. American Robin67%

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.