Field Notes: 2024 Bird-a-Thon Results

Blackburnian Warbler. Photo by Yixiao Liu.

By Aerin Tedesco, CCAS Field Trip Chair

Migration is in full swing and so many great birds are flocking to our area!

CCAS kicked off our Spring Bird-a-Thon on May 5, continuing through May 12.  Birders from all over the county chose their favorite birding hotspots and diligently counted birds all week. The three teams –– Champaign Park District (CPD), Urbana Park District (UPD), and Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD) –– got together for a little friendly competition to see who could see the most bird species on their respective properties.  Champaign and Urbana were neck-and-neck, but CPD edged out UPD 88 to 86! But the clear winner was CCFPD with a whopping 114 species, proving diverse habitat brings in diverse bird species. Highlights included an out-of-season Ring-necked Duck at Homer Lake, a Black-billed Cuckoo at Busey Woods, and a surprising Blue Grosbeak at Robeson Park!  All of this hard work was to raise money for the CCAS research and education grant programs.  

We are looking forward to June, where we shift from enjoying the flash of migrants to observing the behavior of breeding birds.

Homer Lake birding group. Photo by Aerin Tedesco.