All Events

From guided bird walks to interactive learning sessions and meetings, the Champaign County Audubon Society offers a variety of regular events throughout the year (although we typically take off the summer!).

May
4
Bird Counts

2024 Spring Bird Count

The Illinois Spring Bird Count was initiated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in 1975. It occurs annually on the Saturday that falls between May 4th and May 10th. Each county has a compiler responsible for recruiting volunteers and assigning them areas to count within their county, to avoid double-counting. This year’s Champaign County compiler will be CCAS Member-at-Large Beth Chato (ejchato@gmail.com, 217-344-6803).

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May
4
Events by Our Partners

Native Plant Festival and Sale

This Native Plant Festival and Sale aims to provide the resources for people to establish their own pollinator gardens. Environment-based organizations will be present to discuss how attendees can shape their impact on the environment. There will be workshops about plant photography and biodiversity, native plants available for purchase, and more.

For more info visit:

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May
5
Field Trips

Homer Lake Bird Walk

Join us for this walk at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve and participate in the CCAS Spring Bird-a-thon! This event helps raise money for CCAS and helps the Champaign County Forest Preserve District take inventory of the bird species occurring at their sites.  Migration will be in full swing and we should see plenty of songbirds, raptors, waders, and other fun surprises at this excellent CCFPD hotspot near Homer, IL  in southeast Champaign County!

You must RSVP in advance! Limit: 10 people.  Use this link to sign up:  https://forms.gle/8AhHpyQaym1eLUos6

Leader: aerin tedesco; please email aerin at aerintedesco@gmail.com if you have questions.

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

This trip can be a bit muddy at times and we will be walking primarily on wood chip and grass paths.  Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.  

Please bring binoculars if you have them.  We will have some pairs to loan.

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May
9
Monthly Programs

Monthly Program: The History of 50 Years of Illinois Spring Bird Count Data

Overview:

Tara Beveroth will present “The History of 50 Years of Illinois Spring Bird Count Data” at the Urbana Free Library. Tara Beveroth is an avian ecologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Her work involves collaborating with a group of dynamic researchers to look at the effects of landscape changes and farming practices on bird, plant, and insect communities in forests, grasslands, and wetlands in Illinois. She also coordinates or co-coordinates multiple citizen science programs, including the Illinois Spring Bird Count, Monitoring of Owls and Nightjars Program, project MOON, and more recently the Illinois Breeding Bird Survey. In 2019, she also started a local migratory bird banding station that she operates with the assistance of fellow University of Illinois staff, graduate students, and sometimes undergraduate students.

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May
11
Field Trips

Heritage Park/Kaufman Lake Bird Walk

Join us for a walk at Heritage Park and Kaufman Lake, adjoining parks in the city of Champaign, and participate in the CCAS Spring Bird-a-thon! This event helps raise money for CCAS and helps the parks departments take inventory of the bird species occurring at their sites.  Migration will be in full swing and we should see plenty of songbirds, raptors, waders, and other fun surprises at these two excellent Champaign Park District hotspots!

You must RSVP in advance! Limit: 10 people.  Use this link to sign up: https://forms.gle/hbiBsgUCguxnqqHv7

Leader: aerin tedesco; please email aerin at aerintedesco@gmail.com if you have questions, or have signed up but cannot make it after all.

We will mainly be on paved paths but may need to walk on gravel paths or grass at some point.  

Please bring binoculars if you have them.  We will have some pairs to loan.

The meeting spot will be emailed to participants. 

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May
11
Events by Our Partners

World Migratory Bird Day Mist Netting Demo

Learn more about the birds that live in this region with avian biologists from the University of Illinois. They will capture and band live birds with mist-nets, and talk about unique traits of each species as well as the importance of bird banding for conservation. Rain backup date: May 18. All ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

For more info: https://ccfpd.org/events/details/world-migratory-bird-day-mist-netting-demo

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May
11
Events by Our Partners

Meadowbrook: A History Walking Tour

A new book, Meadowbrook: A History by CCAS Vice President Roger Digges, tells the story of how the Urbana Park District turned a farm into an iconic park that provides a unique blend of nature, art, recreation, and learning.

Join this walking tour for ages 14+, led by Roger Digges, to witness firsthand Meadowbrook Park’s rich history. Meet at the Meadowbrook Park Garden Pavilion (Race Street entrance) at 2pm, and the tour will depart from there. The walk will cover approximately two miles along accessible paved paths.

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May
20
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Aug
19
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Sep
16
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Oct
21
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Nov
18
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Apr
27
Field Trips

Middle Fork Field Trip

Join CCAS’s Field Trip Chair Aerin Tedesco at this absolute gem of a birding hot spot in central Illinois!  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.

You must RSVP in advance! Limit: 10 people.  Use this link to sign up: https://forms.gle/FFg4JrcVtHJ6sMcZ6

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

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Apr
15
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Apr
13
Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Event: Invasive Woody Removal

  • Interpretive Center at Homer Lake Forest Preserve (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

CCAS volunteers are invited to help the Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD) remove woody invasive plants from Homer Lake Forest Preserve! Work will likely take place along the Oak Ridge Trail or the Timberdoodle Trail.

CCFPD will supply all the tools and provide a cooler to refill water bottles. 

Volunteers should wear long pants and closed toe shoes. Folks should also bring their own work gloves, if they wish, and a refillable water bottle.

Meet at the Interpretive Center parking lot at 9:00 AM.

Please contact CCAS Conservation Chair Zak Sutton (zaksutton2@gmail.com) with any questions.

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Apr
4
Monthly Programs

Monthly Program: Kendeigh Grant Awardees

Join us on Zoom to learn about the research conducted by our Kendeigh Grant Recipients from 2023!

Meeting ID: 833 0787 7940
Passcode: CCAS

Overview:

Our two 2023 awardees will each give a short talk about their research and how they used their grants from the generous donations of our CCAS members to the Kendeigh Research Grants fund.

Lauren Leischner is a graduate student at Illinois State University in the department of Biological Sciences, lab of Pirmin Nietlisbach. She conducts research with the House Wren population in the Mackinaw study area, collaborating with Charles Thompson and Scott Sakaluk. Some House Wren females, after successfully laying a clutch of eggs and feeding their young until they leave the nest, go on to produce a second nest, called a second brood. This is beneficial because raising offspring a second time increases the chance some offspring will reproduce and carry her DNA on. However, surprisingly, not all females do so. Lauren studies the factors that contribute to whether an individual produces a second brood: timing and individual quality. Her work includes cross-fostering experiments in the field as well as analysis of the long term dataset. She plans to graduate in the spring of 2024.

Cullen Mackenzie is currently a Ph.D student in the Eichholz lab at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Broadly, Cullen’s research is focused on anthropogenic disturbance ecology and community related interactions. Current work investigates the potential effects prescribed burn management has on tall grass prairie snakes and associated flora, and fauna in Southern Illinois. The Kendeigh Grant provided by the Champaign County Audubon Society has helped support this project that aims to better understand the relationship between grassland bird nesting success, prescribed burns, and snake predation in tall grass prairie ecosystems. In his free time Cullen enjoys swimming, biking, hiking, dancing, and building naturalistic terrariums.

About Our Monthly Programs:

Guest speakers present on a variety of topics throughout the year. Programs are typically held in the Urbana Free Library auditorium (no programs in January, June, July, or August).

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Mar
18
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Mar
7
Monthly Programs

Monthly Program: Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Migratory Population

Presented by Stephanie Schmidt, International Crane Foundation

Join us on Zoom
Meeting ID: 893 2837 0260
Passcode: CCAS

Overview:

In the 1940s Whooping Cranes, once found throughout North America, faced near extinction as a result of increased threats from habitat loss, hunting, and more. It wasn’t until 2001 that Whooping Cranes returned to the eastern United States following a collaborative reintroduction program led by the International Crane Foundation (ICF). Today over 70 Whooping Cranes make up this population and many will migrate through or winter in eastern Illinois each year. Please join Stephanie Schmidt, Whooping Crane Outreach Coordinator for the International Crane Foundation, to learn about the Whooping Cranes of the Eastern Migratory Population and the work ICF and crane conservation partners are doing to safeguard their future.

Speaker Bio:

Stephanie Schmidt graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and a certificate in Environmental Studies in 2018. Following graduation, she began working with cranes as an intern at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI and the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center in New Orleans, LA. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she studied nesting marsh birds and predation risk following wetland management practices. Following graduation in 2022, she returned to the International Crane Foundation where she now works as the Whooping Crane Outreach Coordinator.

About Our Monthly Programs:

Guest speakers present on a variety of topics throughout the year. Programs are typically held in the Urbana Free Library auditorium (no programs in January, June, July, or August).

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Feb
19
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Feb
19
Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Event: Invasive Woody Removal

  • Interpretive Center at Homer Lake Forest Preserve (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD) will be removing invasive species, such as autumn olive, honeysuckle, and Callery pear. Weather pending, they will likely have a burn pile so wear clothes that you don’t mind getting a little smoky and follow the arrow signs once you enter the preserve. CCFPD will supply all the tools.

Meet at the Interpretive Center parking lot at 10:00 AM.

For more information, visit: https://ccfpd.org/events/details/volunteer-eventinvasive-woody-removal-2

Note: CCFPD has set up another volunteer event specifically for CCAS members on April 13, 2024!

Please contact CCAS Conservation Chair Zak Sutton (zaksutton2@gmail.com) with any questions.

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Jan
15
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Dec
7
Monthly Programs

Monthly Program & Board Election | Meadowbrook: A History

Presented by Roger Digges, CCAS Vice President

Our December program will feature Roger Digges, author of a newly published book, Meadowbrook: A History. Roger will focus on how the Urbana Park District created a diversity of habitats from corn and bean fields. He will show photos of the various habitats and point out how they benefit wildlife. Roger and his wife, Cathy, both long-time Champaign County Audubon Society members, have walked at Meadowbrook in the early morning for more than 17 years and are intimately familiar with the park, its habitats through seasonal changes, and its wildlife.


This will be CCAS’s second in-person meeting of 2023, in the downstairs auditorium at the Urbana Free Library. The presentation will be preceded by a brief business meeting for the election of next year’s CCAS Board.

About Our Monthly Programs:

Guest speakers present on a variety of topics throughout the year. Programs are held in the Urbana Free Library auditorium (no programs in January, June, July, or August).

View Event →
Nov
20
Board Meetings

Board Meeting

The Champaign County Audubon Board meets monthly 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 (no meetings in June, July, or December).

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Nov
2
Monthly Programs

Monthly Program: Exploring the Factors Contributing to the decline of Eastern Whip-poor-wills

Presented by Dr. Mike Ward, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Overview:

The vocalizations of Eastern Whip-poor-wills were once a common occurrence just after dusk throughout Illinois, however the species is being lost from many areas. Dr. Ward and his colleagues are investigating why this species is disappearing via studies of the food they eat (moths), their survival and reproduction, and the habitats they use both on the breeding and wintering grounds.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Mike Ward is originally from Jacksonville, IL and received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2004. He is currently a professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois and an Ornithologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. He and his students are working on a variety of projects throughout the Midwest but also in Texas, Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba. In summary, Dr. Ward studies the ecology and behavior of birds in natural and modified ecosystems in order to inform conservation and management.

About Our Monthly Programs:

Guest speakers present on a variety of topics throughout the year. Programs are held in the Urbana Free Library auditorium (no programs in January, June, July, or August).

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Oct
26

Members-Only Owl Night

Members of the Champaign County Audubon Society are invited to attend a night of Northern Saw-whet Owl banding by Dr. Mike Ward of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign!

Meet at the Kennekuk Educational Center on October 26 at 6:15 pm for a short presentation before mist netting and banding begins. The first net run will be around 6:45 pm, then as nets are checked throughout the night we will hopefully get to see some owls up close! Attendees may come and go as they please.

Not a CCAS member yet? Sign up here!

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Ongoing CCAS Events

  • A group of birders with binoculars look into the trees along a boardwalk. Photo by Rachel Vinsel.

    Sunday Morning Bird Walks

    Guided bird walks are held on Sunday mornings during the spring and fall migration seasons: March through May and September through October.

    Learn More
  • A group of birders with binoculars look up into the trees. Photo by Jen Redwood.

    Spring Bird-a-Thon

    Held each year in May, the Bird-a-Thon is our annual fundraiser. It starts the Sunday after the Illinois Spring Bird Count and lasts one week.

    Learn More
  • American Tree Sparrow perches on a branch in winter. Photo by Rob Kanter.

    Christmas Bird Count

    The National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) provides a rich dataset that scientists have used to learn about trends in bird populations since 1900!

    Learn More