With the click of a camera, Collin Porter highlights avian life on the Evanston campus.
By Diana Babineau (Curator); Essay and photographs by Collin Porter
Image: Cooper’s Hawk; Illustrations by Leslie-Anne Fernando Mock
I’ve loved watching birds all my life. I grew up in central Pennsylvania with woodland wildlife in my backyard, and I had binoculars and field guides in my hands before I could even read. As a kid I joined my family on bird walks in the forest, memorizing the birdsongs I heard. Yet I didn’t consider myself a “birder” until I came to Northwestern.
Collin Porter; Credit: Shane Collins
The Evanston lakefront campus lies within one of the largest bird migration pathways in North America. Nearly 400 unique species have been documented within Cook County, Ill., which contains crucial patches of habitat for both resident and stopover birds. So when I got here, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to seek out such amazing avian diversity.
I started bringing my camera with me on early-morning birding expeditions around campus. I’d been doing portraiture and street photography for years and realized those skills could be translated to natural subjects. Uniting my interests truly paid off on a chilly October morning in 2023, when I spotted an unusually chunky brown-and-silver songbird foraging in the grass on the north end of campus. I quickly lined up a shot and posted the photo online.
Fellow birders confirmed it to be a gray-crowned rosy-finch — the second ever recorded in Illinois and the first seen in Cook County. This bird breeds high up in the Rockies and other Western mountain ranges and then winters at lower elevations. Discovering this bird right next to Lake Michigan — over 1,000 miles away from its typical range — was stunning. After that extremely rare sighting, I went on bird walks almost every morning. Then, during my senior year, I set a goal: Record over 190 bird species at Northwestern before graduating. By the time I drove back home to Pennsylvania at the end of summer 2024, I had spotted 196 species on campus.
For me, birding has blossomed into so many things: a calming pastime, a way to appreciate the biodiversity around me and an avenue to grow as a photographer. It has been encouraging to see birding become more widespread too. Social media and online platforms such as eBird, which allows anyone to report bird sightings, help collectivize access to and enjoyment of wildlife, all while benefiting research and conservation efforts with something as simple as awareness.
As I prepare to pursue graduate studies in ecological and evolutionary research centered in ornithology, my goal is to widen that access. I share my photography not only to contribute to the scientific documentation of species but also to publicize my personal experiences with birds and the joy they bring. My hope is that you too will be inspired to go out and experience this joy for yourself — perhaps in your own backyard.
Collin Porter ’24, a birder, photographer and ecologist from Williamsport, Pa., studied environmental sciences and musicology at Northwestern. He was a trombonist in the Northwestern University “Wildcat” Marching Band.
“This immature Cooper’s hawk [pictured above and illustrated here] is likely one of several residing on campus. While they were seen nesting south of University Library in 2023, I observed nest-building behavior over the Marjorie Weinberg Garden in spring 2024, as American crows had seemingly taken over the previous nest. Despite sharp population declines decades ago, Cooper’s hawks are now one of the most successful predators in the area.” — Collin Porter
Sound the Alarm! Duck!
(No wait, that’s not a duck)
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
“Anyone who has visited the campus Lakefill in the spring is probably familiar with these territorial birds and their loud, piercing and shrill calls. While red-winged blackbirds have a reputation for dive-bombing passersby to defend their nests, I find it important to recognize that they share this space with us and have survived — and thrived — in spite of changing environments and land development. Photographing these ‘common’ birds might not seem as exciting as rarer ones, but it is still one of my favorite ways to capture and share the ecological diversity and fascinating behavior of the wildlife around us.” — C.P.
KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED
A well-known birding hot spot, Northwestern’s Evanston campus has been visited by more than 280 bird species. During the 2024 fall migration season alone, more than 95 million birds passed through Cook County, Ill.
CAPE MAY WARBLER
“While many migrating warblers are found high up in tree canopies, this one came within 3 feet of me while it searched a yew shrub for bugs. Many songbirds are brightly colored in the spring in order to attract mates. But come autumn, many shed their bright plumage, becoming drabber and more difficult to identify. When I spotted this one in the fall, it lacked the distinct rufous mask around the eyes that distinguishes breeding males in the spring.” — C.P.
HORNED GREBE
“This diving bird can be found during migration seasons on Lake Michigan and sometimes in Northwestern’s lagoon, where I photographed this one. While grebes, loons and ducks have similar swimming and diving habits, they actually are not closely related at all. The swimming-based orientation of grebes’ feet prevents them from traveling on land, meaning that they rely on bodies of water for rest during migration as well as breeding activity.” — C.P.
CASPIAN TERN
“While scanning Lake Michigan for migrating shorebirds, I spotted this tern hovering overhead within 30 feet of me, likely seeking small fish to strike with its elegant dive. While they are easy to find in the summer, I usually see them streaming past at high speed without stopping. It’s not as common to capture them poised to dive so close by.” — C.P.
SCARLET TANAGER
“Even on a very sunny day, this beautiful scarlet tanager quickly caught my eye among some of the low maples near Norris University Center. They’re fairly common migrants, but they often stay out of sight while they forage for insects in the high tree canopies. In the fall, these bright red adult males molt into a rich olive-yellow.” — C.P.
Birds help maintain the health of native habitats by spreading seeds and pollinating flowers.
Lights Out
Because birds are unable to see glass windows and are attracted to bright lights, bird collisions — when birds fly into buildings — are unfortunately common throughout Chicagoland during migration. Environmental activists recommend turning off lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., when birds are most often in flight. Window decals can help steer birds away from buildings as well. In 2018 Northwestern installed patterned decals on its Kellogg Global Hub, resulting in a 73% reduction in bird strikes that year. (Illustration: Getty Images)
HOT SPOTS FOR BIRDING ON CAMPUS
Click below to see a list of birds you can find at Northwestern.
SEASONS OF CHANGE
Many birds fly south for the winter. But Illinois is south for species that breed in the Arctic, such as the snow bunting. Others, such as Cooper’s hawks and American kestrels, are year-round campus residents. As the seasons turn, some species also experience dramatic shifts in color. To attract mates, many migratory birds grow vibrant feathers in the spring, which requires a lot of energy. Come fall, they often shed their worn breeding plumage for a fresh (yet drabber) nonbreeding look.
AMERICAN KESTREL
“In the colder months I usually scan the lake for migrating waterfowl and gulls, but there are also several species that spend the entire winter on campus. I became pretty familiar with this male kestrel who almost always made an appearance nearby when I was birding on the Lakefill from November through April. The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in this area — only a little larger than an American robin — and primarily hunts over open spaces for small birds and insects.” — C.P.
SNOW BUNTING
“I came across a group of these cute songbirds on a snowy day at the north end of the Lakefill. Snow buntings are incredibly hardy, wintering in the northern United States and southern Canada. After breeding in the summer, they drop their purely black-and-white plumage for the adorable toasted marshmallow color seen here.” — C.P.
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER
“I first heard this bright orange male Blackburnian warbler singing in the trees just north of Deering and University libraries. After recording its vocalizations, I was able to spot it gleaning insects in the lower canopy. Many migratory songbirds like this one molt into more colorful breeding plumages before they start moving north in the spring. This male will molt into a duller plumage before heading south again in the fall.” — C.P.
Bright feathers signal that a bird may have had an easier, food-abundant winter — and therefore may be a better mate.
Tips for Beginner Birders
You don’t need fancy equipment or binoculars. Just open your eyes and ears. Tune in to the bird calls around you and try to locate where they’re coming from.
Download a birdsong identification app, such as Merlin Bird ID, to get more familiar with each bird’s unique songs and calls.
Borrow a field guide from a local library to study up on birds in your area. Northwestern’s University Library now offers birdwatching kits for checkout.
Find a local birdwatching group, such as NU Birders, which organizes free bird walks on campus.
First Ever Photographed on Campus
Pileated Woodpecker
“One of my favorite birds I’ve seen on campus is this pileated woodpecker, which flew through the oak grove near the Weber Arch and landed in the Marjorie Weinberg Garden. It is the first time this bird has ever been photographed on campus, to my knowledge. They are hard to find here because they prefer mature forests farther from the lakefront and don’t migrate. These are the largest woodpeckers in North America, measuring up to 20 inches from bill to tail.” — C.P.
Birds are critical to controlling pest populations, consuming 400 million to 500 million metric tons of insects per year. Pileated woodpeckers help preserve trees by eating wood-boring beetle larvae.
LISTEN CLOSELY
Songbirds, such as sparrows, warblers and thrushes, have a special two-sided vocal organ called a syrinx, which allows them to produce two different notes at once. These birds use various songs and calls to attract mates, defend their territories and alert other birds about nearby predators. Some songbirds instinctively know their tunes from birth, while others are born babbling — much like human babies — and must learn their songs from other adults.
A 2022 research study in Natureshowed that listening to birdsongs reduces anxiety, depression and paranoia.
HERMIT THRUSH
“I found this wintering hermit thrush — my favorite North American songbird — in the sunken garden south of Deering Library. Local thrushes, including the abundant American robin, are known for their beautiful, resonating songs. Though Cook County is generally considered north of their traditional wintering ranges, hermit thrushes seem to be becoming more common in this area in winter, a tangible sign of shifting ranges, likely attributable to climate change.” — C.P.
“I heard this male warbler’s song in the Marjorie Weinberg Garden, one of my favorite on-campus sites to find colorful and vocal warblers as they migrate through the area. In the spring, tracking down songbirds by ear requires some practice and patience but can lead to higher success than relying on sight alone. Seeing and hearing songbirds like this black-throated green warbler in the spring is always a welcome treat and a sure sign of the hundreds of millions of birds about to cross through the region as they head to northern breeding grounds.” — C.P.
“This special bird has had a massive impact on my love for birding. After spotting it on the north end of campus on a chilly October morning and posting this photo online, Chicago-area bird-watchers quickly confirmed it to be the second gray-crowned rosy-finch ever recorded in Illinois — and the first seen in Cook County. This kickstarted my interest in researching bird migrations and habitats and also helped me meet a large portion of Chicago’s dedicated birding community.” — C.P.
How Rare Is It?
Pretty darn rare! This map shows the gray-crowned rosy-finch’s typical range. Northwestern’s Evanston campus is over 1,000 miles away from the eastern-most part of its range.
“Gray-crowned rosy-finches are known to breed at the highest elevations of almost any North American species, descending from Rocky Mountain peaks to surrounding lower elevations for the winter. Discovering this bird east of the Mississippi River and right next to Lake Michigan is a stellar example of ‘vagrancy’ — when birds stray from typical migratory pathways — something many birders hope for when seeking out rare species.” — C.P.
Diana Babineau is senior editor and writer in Northwestern’s Office of Global Marketing and Communications. An enthusiastic birder, she met Collin Porter when he led an early-morning NU Birders walk on the Evanston campus. Porter’s work supports the University priority to be a leader in sustainability. See the priorities at northwestern.edu/priorities.
In the summer, you can find Elsa Godtfredsen in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado scouting for bees and other pollinators, testing soil moisture levels, gathering seeds and carefully monitoring the health of local alpine wildflowers. A doctoral student in Northwestern’s plant biology and conservation program, she’s been running a multiyear experiment to see how early snowmelt (one sign of a warming planet) will affect wildflowers — and, by extension, the broader ecosystems upon which we all rely.
Mimi Scheffler Gordon ’94 dreamt of working in Africa one day when she visited for the first time as a Northwestern undergrad. Nearly three decades later, she’s spearheading a sustainability project in Kenyan communities, building up local economies with an unlikely partner: local bees.
You don’t need fancy equipment or binoculars. Just open your eyes and ears. Tune in to the bird calls around you and try to locate where they’re coming from. 
Download a birdsong identification app, such as 
Borrow a field guide from a local library to study up on birds in your area. Northwestern’s University Library now offers 
Find a local birdwatching group, such as NU Birders, which organizes free bird walks on campus. 
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