Overview:

What is it like to bird in the Illinois River valley during January? Roger Digges will talk about the experiences he and Cathy Digges had on their official mid-winter eagle survey in the Illinois River valley between Havana and Beardstown. He will also discuss the bald eagle’s life cycle, diet and behavior, and how they recovered from a population loss of more than 99%. You’ll learn more about the federally organized Mid-Winter Eagle Survey as well as the threats and hopes for improvement in the Illinois River valley. Roger will also talk about a CCAS field trip to view bald eagles that turned out to offer some spectacular views of other birds, from trumpeter swans to bluebirds and snow geese to merlins.

About our speaker:

Roger Digges is a member of the Champaign County Audubon Society board and authors the Bird of the Month column. He has been a birder since 1986, and during that time has birded in 45 of the lower 48 states and 5 Canadian provinces. Here in Champaign County, he participates in Sunday morning bird walks, the spring bird count, and Project FeederWatch for 10 years. Although Roger is handicapped with total deafness in one ear, Cathy helps him locate songbirds with her two good ears. He enjoys sharing bird sightings with whomever will listen.