Birds of O'Hara Woods

Nestled in Romeoville, O'Hara Woods is 137 acres of protected woods located along a migratory bird route. With 80 acres being owned by the Village since 1971 and an Illinois Nature Preserve designation since 1982, nature has had a chance to flourish here for generations. As a result, visitors can spot more than 130 species of birds in the woodlands. Park in the lot at the end of Beverly J. Griffin Drive , jump on the trail, and see if you can spot some of these residents of the woods! 

Top 10 Winter Birds

When you head into O’Hara Woods from November – March, keep your eyes peeled for these ten species.

  1. Mallard
  2. Dark-eyed Junco
  3. Downy Woodpecker
  4. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  5. Gadwall 
  6. Red-tailed Hawk
  7. Cooper’s Hawk 
  8. Black-capped Chickadee
  9. American Tree Sparrow
  10. White-breasted Nuthatch
Five birds
Five birds

Photo credits: 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 Kara Morales; 1, 3 Greg DuBois; 4, 8 Scott Martin 

Top 5 Rare Winter Birds
O’Hara Woods also has some rarer birds that are not commonly seen in the area. Can you spot these winter rarities? 

  1. Winter Wren
  2. Purple Finch
  3. Northern Pintail
  4. Red-breasted Nuthatch
  5. Brown Creeper 
Five birds

Photos credits: 1 Scott Martin; 2, 5 Kara Morales; 3 Greg DuBois; 4 Blair Dudeck