Description:
The Illinois Beach State Park Hawk
Watch is located in the North Unit of Illinois Beach State Park, also known as
The count
site has ample parking for approximately 20 vehicles and even more within a
short
walking
distance. There is an outhouse, picnic
tables and a pavilion to get out of the sun.
Directions
to the hawk watch:
Take I-94
to Route 173, exit and head east to Sheridan Road (approx 8 miles).
Go north on
Sheridan Road to 17th Street and then go east.
Take the
park road into the park and turn right at the sign for the Sailing Beach.
The count
site is located at the first pavilion on the right.
Illinois Beach
State Park Website
Here you
will find a description of the park along with maps, lodging information and
other things
to do while
visiting the park.
IBSP Hawk Watch Count Results
For full
daily descriptions of the hawk watch at
Also to
view superb frequency maps of the IBSP count go to Cornell’s Autumn Hawk
Watch.

Paul Sweet & Vic Berardi, October
2001 Enjoying a Domino’s Pizza at the hawk watch!
Articles written about the state
park and the hawk watch:
1) Chicago
Wilderness Magazine – Winter 1998 Issue
2) Chicago Wilderness Magazine – Summer 2002
3) Chicago
Wilderness Magazine – Summer 2002 – Migration Hawk Watch by Sheryl DeVore
A Few Aerial Photos of the Hawk
Watch Site
Please
note: These photos are readily available
at Mapquest.com
These images
are copyrighted and can be purchased at GlobeXplorer.
You will see the pond in the lower right corner and the Zion nuclear reactor station in the far
right corner. This photo shows the area to the north and
northwest of the count site.
This shot is in a little closer than Photo 1. In the upper right corner is the parking area for the
marina to
the north of the hawk watch. The road at
the bottom of the image is 17th Street.
The count
site is located just north of this road.
The photo shows the wooded area immediately
to the
northwest of the hawk watch site.
This is close up of the area immediately adjacent to the hawk watch. The actual count site is
located in
the center of this photo. You will see a
short trail leading from the right and the left.
The parking
area is on the right.