The Meadowlark Messenger
Check out the latest news and announcements from Champaign County Audubon Society and our partners!
For decades, our print newsletter, The Meadowlark Messenger, has informed our members about the latest news and events. We’re pleased to now bring you all the info you count on through our online blog too!
Bird of the Month: Northern Flicker
One of Champaign County’s six nesting woodpeckers, this distinctive species increases in numbers during the fall as birds that nested and hatched north of Illinois migrate through.
Bird of the Month: American Goldfinch
One of Champaign County’s latest breeding songbirds, this colorful species can be seen year-round, with males shifting from winter’s dull gray-green to spring’s brilliant yellow and back again.
Bird of the Month: Gray Catbird
You may not have seen this month’s star songster hidden in dense thickets, but you’ve likely heard its rapid chorus of songs and distinctive mewing!
2023 Mini-Grants for Educators Awardees
Congratulations to this spring’s 2023 Mini-Grants for Educators awardees!
2023 Bird-a-Thon Results
Thank you to all who supported this year’s annual fundraiser for the Kendeigh Memorial Fund! Our four participating teams saw a total of 142 species!
2023 Kendeigh Grant Awardees
Congratulations to our 2023 Kendeigh Grant awardees! This year’s funded projects will study why only some female House Wrens lay two clutches of eggs in a season and how prescribed burns affect nest predation by snakes.
Bird of the Month: Great Blue Heron
June’s bird of the month nests in colonies that can range in size from just a few nests to more than 500, all located high in tall trees, and will come back to these nests year after year.
Bird-Friendly Shrubs Planted by CCAS Volunteers
Our CCAS Volunteer Planting Day on April 29 was a success, with over 200 live stakes of native shrubs planted at Busey Woods. Thank you to all of our volunteers!
Bird of the Month: Baltimore Oriole
One of the brightest, boldest, most colorful members of the avian family is coming to our area this month, all the way from Central America.
Sixty More Cedars Planted in Urbana for Owls
CCAS Conservation Chair Zak Sutton recently expanded a planting project near the Anita Purves Nature Center to help create wintering habitat for owls.
Live in Champaign-Urbana? Then This Local Bird Survey Is For You!
The Human-Bird Interactions research project at the University of Illinois is seeking input from people just like you who live in Champaign-Urbana! Learn more about how you can participate.
Bird of the Month: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Arriving in our area in late April, this month’s featured bird weighs as little as a dime or a nickel, can beat its wings 53 times per second, hovers effortlessly, and can even fly backwards!
Bird of the Month: Red-winged Blackbird
From late February through March, male Red-winged Blackbirds noticeably begin to fill marshes, meadows, and field edges. The females, sporting very different plumage, are much more secretive.
Field Notes: Spring Is On Its Way
March brings migrating waterfowl, Woodcock Walks, and the return of our Sunday Morning Bird Walks!
Bird of the Month: Turkey Vulture
As the air begins to warm and snow and ice recede, Turkey Vultures begin moving back into Champaign County.