Overview:

Pictures of birds shared online often receive accolades from the public community. But what the general public often doesn't see are the failed attempts and the editing work required to bring the keepers to life.

About our speaker:

Jeff Bryant, our speaker this month, earned BS and MS degrees in physics at Ball State University, focusing his research on variable star systems. As part of his work for Wolfram Research, L.L.C., he composes blog posts about visualizations of astronomical phenomena using Wolfram Language. Jeff’s hobbies include birding, photography, and geology.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Join CCAS’s Field Trip Chair aerin tedesco and Katrina Theisen at this absolute gem of a birding hot spot in Champaign County!  Middle Fork River Forest Preserve includes Point Pleasant Wetland as well as two excellent waterfowl and shorebird viewing areas.  We'll also see plenty of songbirds, waders and raptors.  

This trip can be a bit muddy at times.  Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Please bring binoculars and a scope if you have one.

Leader: aerin tedesco. Please email aerin at aerintedesco@gmail.com if you have questions or cannot make it after signing up.

You must RSVP in advance! Limit: 10 people.  Use this link to sign up:
https://forms.gle/ANsHpNZBzJ96nveE7

Middle Fork River Forest Preserve is located in Penfield in the northeast corner of Champaign County. 

The meeting spot will be emailed to participants.  We will carpool between areas we want to bird. 

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets at 7:00 PM on the third Monday of each month January – May and August – November (no meetings in June, July, and December) to discuss CCAS business and planning.

All CCAS members are welcome to attend board meetings; if you are interested in how to join, please email mail@champaigncountyaudubon.org.

Board meetings were historically held at the Champaign Public Library’s Friends Conference Room and are currently held online via Zoom.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Join an evening of stargazing at the new Dark Sky Trail and Observatory. Arrive and park at the activity center between 7 and 7:30 PM, then follow the signs along a scenic half mile on a gravel path to the observatory. An outdoor presentation about the dynamic field of astronomical research and discovery begins at the observatory at 8 pm.

Show some love for our home planet by celebrating Earth Day as you enjoy nature, activities and a free live concert at Crystal Lake Park.

Join Tara Beveroth, Associate Avian Ecologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey Prairie Research Institute of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Come learn about the Phillips Tract Banding Station which focuses on filling knowledge gaps for migratory bird species especially the importance of understanding stopover habitat requirements. We will open nets, hopefully catch birds, and discuss the importance of the data we collect.

 NOTE: This event is limited to 25 people, so you must sign up to participate. Please use this link to sign up: https://forms.gle/n3AgCKRfvDeERV2n9

Your email is being collected so that we can send you the location before the event. It will not be used for other purposes.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Overview:

Noise pollution is an increasingly pervasive environmental challenge, with demonstrated effects on animal communication and behavior. For Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), male parents providing food is largely influenced by auditory cues from nestlings. I studied whether noise from highways interfered with male provisioning behavior by masking auditory signals from nestlings. These results may also offer insight to highway departments, urban planners, and developers of other human-made structures in designing and routing infrastructure to reduce the effects of noise pollution on wildlife.

About our speaker:

Angelina Roman-Alcocer is a senior in integrative biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has been participating in research since her freshman year.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Join CCAS on an evening hike to observe the spectacular mating dance of the elusive American Woodcock. All experience levels are welcome on this twilight adventure.

Please dress appropriately for the weather with multiple layers as temperatures can drop rapidly after sunset. Loaner binoculars will be available.

Trails are unpaved often muddy and wet so sturdy, waterproof footwear is strongly recommended.

You must RSVP in advance! Limit: 8 people. Use this link to sign up:
https://forms.gle/Kas56fo5J8uzNCNg6

Leader: Mariska Harshbarger.  Please email Mariska at mariskaharshbarger@gmail.com if you have questions or if you cannot make it after signing up. The meeting spot will be emailed to participants.

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets at 7:00 PM on the third Monday of each month January – May and August – November (no meetings in June, July, and December) to discuss CCAS business and planning.

All CCAS members are welcome to attend board meetings; if you are interested in how to join, please email mail@champaigncountyaudubon.org.

Board meetings were historically held at the Champaign Public Library’s Friends Conference Room and are currently held online via Zoom.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Kendeigh Grant Applications Due

Each year, CCAS funds research projects about the biology, ecology, and conservation of Illinois birds, through our Kendeigh Grants for Ornithology Research. Researchers can apply for up to $2,000 for their project. Preference is given to applied projects or those that advance bird conservation, habitat management, or education.

Since 1982, our S. Charles Kendeigh research grants have funded over $50,000 in research on Illinois birds. After the completion of their proposed research, grantees present their results in writing to CCAS as well as give a presentation at a CCAS general meeting (typically the first Thursday in February through May, September through December, the year following the grant award).

Applications are due March 15, 2026. Notifications of awards will be made in April.

To learn more or to apply for a grant, visit https://www.champaigncountyaudubon.org/apply-for-a-grant.

Join CCAS on an evening hike to observe the spectacular mating dance of the elusive American Woodcock. All experience levels are welcome on this twilight adventure.

Please dress appropriately for the weather with multiple layers as temperatures can drop rapidly after sunset. Loaner binoculars will be available.

Trails are unpaved often muddy and wet so sturdy, waterproof footwear is strongly recommended.

You must RSVP in advance! Limit: 8 people. Use this link to sign up:
https://forms.gle/tPmzk9489gNjPKbVA

Leader: Mariska Harshbarger.  Please email Mariska at mariskaharshbarger@gmail.com if you have questions or if you cannot make it after signing up. The meeting spot will be emailed to participants.

Our friends at the Urbana Park District are also hosting a free Woodcock Walk at Meadowbrook Park!

Click this link to learn more.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

Our Sunday Morning Bird Walks are our most popular events! Meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 AM for a free guided bird walk through either Busey Woods or Crystal Lake Park (decided on the day). All skill levels and ages are welcome (under 15 with adult).

Learn more about our Sunday Morning Bird Walks.

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets at 7:00 PM on the third Monday of each month January – May and August – November (no meetings in June, July, and December) to discuss CCAS business and planning.

All CCAS members are welcome to attend board meetings; if you are interested in how to join, please email mail@champaigncountyaudubon.org.

Board meetings are held online via Zoom.

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets at 7:00 PM on the third Monday of each month January – May and August – November (no meetings in June, July, and December) to discuss CCAS business and planning.

All CCAS members are welcome to attend board meetings; if you are interested in how to join, please email mail@champaigncountyaudubon.org.

Board meetings were historically held at the Champaign Public Library’s Friends Conference Room and are currently held online via Zoom.

Champaign County Audubon Society (CCAS) is hosting a field trip to the Illinois River to search for Bald Eagles and any other birds that might be in the area. Every year since 2018, CCAS members Roger and Cathy Digges have spent a day in early January conducting a count of Bald Eagles along the river and its backwaters between Havana and Beardstown, Illinois, for the US Army Corps of Engineers. These counts help ornithologists assess the relative health of the population of these iconic birds.

Roger will be leading our field trip, which will follow the same route and stop at the same sites that he and Cathy will survey earlier in the month. On January 17, participants will meet at the north end of the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot at 7:30 am, same place and time we leave for Sunday morning bird walks.

If winter weather interferes, we will try again on January 18 or 24. Participants will be notified of any change. To avoid disturbing the eagles and to ensure that all participants can see them, we will limit participant numbers to how many can comfortably fit into no more than three vehicles, including Roger’s (which seats 4, including him).

Two other participants are needed to volunteer to drive. Vehicles should have a higher clearance (SUV height or higher) and all-wheel drive. There may be snowy, icy, or muddy areas and uneven gravel roads although most of the route is paved.

The search for eagles will begin in Havana, Illinois, which is about 100 miles from Urbana, and drivers should plan on driving an additional 110 miles along our route. We will lunch at Beardstown. There will be an opportunity to gas up if necessary before we leave Havana on our way home. We should return to the Anita Purves Nature Center parking lot around 4:30 pm.

Depending on the amount of ice on the river and other factors, based on Roger and Cathy’s counts, we can expect between 8 and 49 bald eagles on the route. The 2024 count was 29. In addition to bald eagles, we may see tundra swans, greater white-fronted and snow geese, northern harriers, owls, ruddy ducks, and even a golden eagle.

Bring binoculars if you have them- (a spotting scope would be helpful). CCAS will provide binoculars for those who need them.

All spots for this trip have been filled.

CCAS has been participating in National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count for over 50 years!

This year, we will be collecting data for our area on December 20. For more info: https://www.champaigncountyaudubon.org/bird-counts-citizen-science. Contact aerin tedesco aerintedesco@gmail.com to get involved!