On April 13th, eight volunteers with Champaign County Audubon Society partnered with the Champaign County Forest Preserve District to remove invasive shrubs from an area near where migratory Northern Saw-Whet Owls spend the winter.

Congratulations to our 2024 Kendeigh Grant awardees! This year’s funded projects will study how predators affect grassland birds, the health and winter ecology of Eastern Whip-poor-wills, and whether migratory American Robins are a source of West Nile Virus to non-migratory robins.

Spring is a great time to find warblers, as many migrate through Champaign County. This month’s featured bird is one of the warblers that sticks around, and is the most common to nest in our area.

Your May 2024 newsletter is here!

April’s bird of the month is a flycatcher with a distinctive raspy call. Learn where to find this bird by its voice and spot its unique habit of “pumping” its tail up and down while perching.

Your April 2024 newsletter is here!

Your March 2024 newsletter is here!

There are many special birds that come to our area in March, but this sky-dancing, forest-dwelling shorebird is nothing short of extraordinary. Learn more about the American Woodcock and where you can watch their dusk mating dance this month.

March is a great month to see a wide array of species, including the last of our wintering ducks, Northern Harriers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Fox Sparrows, Eastern Phoebes, and Eastern Towhees!

CCAS Vice-President Roger Digges and his partner, Cathy Digges, have participated in the official midwinter Bald Eagle survey since 2018. Learn about their experience searching for these amazing birds along their assigned survey route by the Illinois River .

February’s bird of the month is the smallest woodpecker in North America but easily confused with its cousin the the Hairy Woodpecker.

Large quarry lakes, shrubland habitat, and bottomland forests make this property an ideal spot to see a wide array of species. February and March are particularly great for waterfowl!

Despite poor weather, 23 participants found 70 species during the 2023 Champaign County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on December 16.

Your February 2024 newsletter is here!

You may see January’s bird of the month at your backyard feeder, although it’s not there for any of the seed, nuts, fruit, or suet you’ve provided.

Our Board voted this week to donate $250 to the Forest Preserve Friends Foundation in support of the creation of a new Dark Sky Trail at Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, Illinois’ first and only International Dark Sky Park.

Your December 2023 newsletter is here!

December’s bird of the month is one of the most iconic winter birds in North America, often found on greeting cards this time of year, beautifully contrasted with white snow .

In early November, a Broad-tailed Hummingbird visited a local backyard and was recorded as a first sighting in Champaign
County!

This park in Champaign can be worth a stop anytime, but late summer and winter are the two best periods of the year to visit to see plenty of birds.