Gull Frolic is a unique winter event at Illinois’ premier gull-watching hotspot, North Point Marina. Bring your binoculars, scope, and cold weather gear to join birders outside the yacht club for a close study of some of our harder-to-find winter gull species, including Iceland (Thayer’s and Kumlien’s), Glaucous, Great Black-backed, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls! An assortment of waterfowl are also typically in attendance, such scoters, goldeneye, and other diving ducks, along with the occasional raptor, owl, or winter finch. IOS volunteers will be available to help answer questions along the “boardwalk”.
This year we were able to fund 8 grant proposals submitted! Which brings our total to 121 grants and $108,511 awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.
One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.
The 2021 IOS Grants Program received eight requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2021 grant requests to be fully funded.
Sponsor Organizations: DuPage Birding Club Illinois Audubon Society Lake-Cook Audubon Society
Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!
Thanks to John Leonard and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.
Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2021 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
Recipient
Affiliation
Project
Fully Sponsored by
Julianne Bozzo
University of Illinois
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) migration and site fidelity in Illinois
This year we were able to fund 4 grant proposals submitted! Which brings our total to 113 grants and $100,521 awarded since the program’s inception, through this year. That means we hit the 100 thousand mark in grant money awarded to projects related to research and education about birds in Illinois!
One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.
The 2020 IOS Grants Program received five requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2020 grant requests to be fully funded.
Sponsor Organizations:
Chicago Audubon Society
DuPage Birding Club
Illinois Audubon Society
Lake-Cook Audubon Society
Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!
Thanks to John Andrews and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.
Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2020 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
Recipient
Affiliation
Project
Fully Sponsored by
Auriel Fournier
University of Illinois
Automated radio telemetry to track the migratory movements of wetland birds
Lake-Cook Audubon
Stephanie Schmidt
Illinois State University
Predation Risk at Marsh Bird Nests as a Result of Wetland Management at Emiquon Preserve (Havana, IL)
Chicago Audubon Society & Dupage Birding Club
Daniel Goldberg
Illinois State University
Disentangling the Effects of Visual and Acoustic Cues on Nocturnal Settlement Patterns in Soras
Illinois Audubon Society
Rachael Heaton
Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville
Does the addition of nest boxes to Illinois bottomland forest habitats improve the density of prothonotary warblers, Protonotaria citrea?
This year we were able to fund all 6 grant proposals submitted! Which totals 109 grants and $95,521 awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.
One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.
The 2019 IOS Grants Program received six requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2019 grant requests to be fully funded.
Sponsor Organizations:
DuPage Birding Club
Individual Sponsors:
Margaret Busic
Glenn Gabanski
Davida and Dale Kalina
Scott Meister
Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!
Thanks to John Andrews and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.
Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2019 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
Recipient
Affiliation
Project
Fully Sponsored by
Ian Souza-Cole
University of Illinois
Investigating the Behavior and Habitat Use of Eastern Whip-Poor-Wills (Antrostomus vociferus) in Illinois and Factors Influencing Their Decline
Dupage Birding Club
Daniel Goldberg
Illinois State University
Changes in Calling Behavior as an Antipredator Adaptation: a Test with Illinois Rallids
Individual Sponsors and IOS
Rachel DiSciullo
Illinois State University
Determining Total Sexual Selection on Male Song in Northern House Wrens
Individual Sponsors and IOS
Leah Bieniak
Illinois State University
Determining Species Abundance and Habitat Preferences of Breeding Birds in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
Dupage Birding Club
Andy Gilbert
University of Illinois
Marsh Bird Monitoring in a Restored Floodplain of the Illinois River
Individual Sponsors and IOS
Claire Johnson
University of Illinois
Unraveling the Mystery of the Black-billed Cuckoo: distribution, habitat use, and behavior
Back in 2022! The Gull Frolic is a unique winter event at Illinois’ premier gull-watching hotspot, North Point Marina. Bring your binoculars, scope, and cold weather gear to join birders outside the yacht club for a close study of some of our harder-to-find winter gull species, including Iceland (Thayer’s and Kumlien’s), Glaucous, Great Black-backed, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls! An assortment of waterfowl are also typically in attendance, such scoters, goldeneye, and other diving ducks, along with the occasional raptor, owl, or winter finch. IOS volunteers will be available to help answer questions along the “boardwalk”.
Stay put. Count birds. Raise money! IOS invites you to join other birders throughout Illinois on the weekend of September 22-24 for the annual IOS 2023 Big Sit Competition and Fundraiser. Sign up below and pick a day on the weekend to sit in one spot and count as many species of birds as possible, whether in your yard or your favorite park or preserve. You can count as an individual or family or teams of up to five (additional participants can come and go from your count circle as long as no more than five people are in the circle at one time and social distancing and state guidelines are followed). Teams are also invited to help solicit donations for their team and use the event as a fun way to help us raise funds for IOS. The 2023 IOS Big Sit funds will go towards supporting IOS and IOS initiatives like the Illinois Young Birders and the IOS Grants program.
What is a Big Sit?
A Big Sit, similar to a Big Day, is a competition where a team of birders counts as many species as possible within a 24 hour period. While the Big Day involves moving around from spot to spot to maximize species sightings, a Big Sit is precisely as it sounds. You stay in one location, a 20ft diameter circle called a “count circle”, and only species seen or heard from that circle count for the final tally. Count wherever you want and as long as you want during your chosen count day. The Big Sit is all about slowing down and enjoying good company, great birds, and, in this case, supporting a good cause! Full rules can be read here.
Steps to Participate
1. Click the “Start a Team” button below and then click on “Start a Fundraiser” to create your fundraising team and find up to 5 people to join your Big Sit.
To start a fundraiser, you will need to create a Donately account if you do not already have one. It is very straightforward. Don’t forget a creative name! Don’t forget to set a fundraising goal for yourself!
2. Add a description which includes 1) Your teammates 2) Where you will be conducting your Big Sit 3) the date of your Big Sit.
3. Have each team member “join” by donating $10 (or more!) to your team.
4. Share, share, share! Reach out to friends and family to donate to your Big Sit by sharing your donation page.
Donors can do a 1-time donation, or they can pledge to donate an amount “per species” and complete their donation after you announce your final species total to them. NOTE: Your team is responsible for keeping track of “per species” donors and reminding them to donate afterwards! Encourage donors that they can donate both ways!
5. Have Fun!
On your competition day, sit back, relax, and have fun counting birds. Share your highlights as the day progresses in the new IOS Facebook Group. (A submission form will be posted closer to the event date to submit your final species total and any highlights you want to share from your day).
6. Join Us for the Results and After Party
Anyone interested is invited to join us for a virtual after party online as we share highlights with one another and announce winners. Prizes will be awarded for the team that counts the most birds and for the team that raises the most in donations (details to be announced).
How to Donate
If you are supporting a specific team, you can donate via the link to their team page or search for the team below.
If you are not supporting a specific team, feel free to pick one to support or you can submit a general donation to IOS.
We invite donors to follow along during the event in the IOS Facebook Group and Join Us for the Results and After Party. Thank you in advance for your support of IOS!
Ways to Promote the Big Sit with Friends and Bird Clubs
Field Sparrow from Jill Anderson’s backyard on the IOS Backyard Big Day.
April 22, 2020 – The Illinois Ornithological Society Backyard Big Day went beyond our expectations on so many levels! Nearly 200 households participated from 34 counties in Illinois. People birded from their backyards, apartment windows, apartment building rooftops or grounds. Birders are known to be competitive and spirited, and friendly exchanges were posted throughout the day. One common theme emerged, surprise at what one could find in their own backyard or outside their window or from their rooftop if they looked long enough. You would think Matthew Cvetas, ace birder, past president of IOS and past ebird reviewer for Cook County would have “seen it all” in his Evanston backyard. Yet it was only mid-morning when he posted with much fanfare that he had a LeConte’s Sparrow in his yard! Having a land-locked yard did not doom one to land birds, as one of Amanda Tichacek’s early flyovers over her Skokie yard was a Common Loon. An apartment living situation did not condemn one to a paltry null list for the day, quite the opposite in fact, especially if your apartment benefited from direct (albeit distant) views of the Montrose Harbor and fish hook Pier, as in the case of Geoff Williamson, who ended the day with some 30 species out of his window. Birders were treated to migrating Broad-winged Hawks, mating birds of all stripes, first-of-year birds, yard lifers, lifer lifers, etc. One yard however, raked in one species after the other throughout the day for a total of 54 species, including a Worm-eating Warbler, a Yellow-throated Warbler, another 8 species of warblers, vireos, tanagers…Rhonda Rothrock’s yard at the edge of Shawnee National Forest was a microcosm of the forest itself.
Depending on circumstances, we may hold another backyard competition in May. Please watch the IOS Facebook page, Red Hill Birding Facebook page and the IBET mailings for further announcements.
If you are new to IOS and would like to learn more about the organization please spend some time exploring the website. We would love to have you join as a member or make a donation to support many of our initiatives. The Illinois Ornithological Society publishes Meadowlark, which documents the highlights of bird life in Illinois. IOS also provides grants to college students for ornithological research, and is the parent organization for Illinois Young Birders. Adam Sell is a board member and secretary of the organization.
Josh and Adam both lead tours for Red Hill Birding, which has run fundraising tours for IOS to Panama, Montana, and (soon) to Colombia. Show them your support by liking Red Hill Birding on Facebook and following them on Instagram.
[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.illinoisbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IOS-Backyard-Big-Day-Results.pdf” title=”IOS Backyard Big Day Results”]
This year we surpassed 100 grants given out to support a wide variety of bird-related research and conservation projects! A total of 103 grants totaling $90,564 have been awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.
One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.
The 2018 IOS Grants Program received nine requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2018 grant requests to be fully funded.
Sponsor Organizations:
Chicago Ornithological Society
DuPage Birding Club
Lake-Cook Audubon
Kane County Audubon
Individual Sponsors:
Paula Aschim
Denis Bohm
Margie and Alan Busic
Donnie Dann
Sonia Da Silva
Daniel Daubach
Glenna Eaves
Joyce Gettleman
Tamima Itani
Janice Knight
Katy Krigbaum
Rosemary McLeod
Sue Roellig
Marsha Steffen
Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!
Thanks to John Andrews and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.
Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2018 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
Recipient
Affiliation
Project
Fully Sponsored by
Luke Malanchuk
University of Illinois
Abundance and Distribution of Shorebirds in the Illinois River Valley, and Stopover Ecology of Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos) in East-Central Illinois.
Chicago Ornithological Society
Benton Hendrickson
Southern Illinois University
Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Selection of Breeding Mississippi (Ictinia mississippiensis) in Southern Illinois
Dupage Birding Club
Abigail Danner
Monmouth College
Do Northern Cardinals and American Goldfinches Use Non-Visual Cues to Determine the Carotenoid Content of a Potential Food Source?
Individual Sponsors and IOS
Daniel Goldberg
Illinois State University
Acoustic and Behavioral Monitoring of Threatened and Declining Rails in Illinois through Call-Playback Surveys and Autonomous Recorders
Dupage Birding Club
Krti Tallam
University of Illinois
Impacts of Human Disturbance on American Robin Incubation
Individual Sponsors and IOS
Todd Jones
University of Illinois
Do pre- to post-fledging carryover effects drive patterns of differential post-fledging survival in altricial songbirds?
Individual Sponsors and IOS
Kayce Miller
DePaul University
Problem-solving performance of songbirds in urban and rural environments
Lake-Cook Audubon
Alex Glass
Southern Illinois University
Responses in grassland bird productivity to habitat structure, management actions, and grassland community dynamics
Individual Sponsors and IOS
Shelby Lawson
University of Illinois
Exploring the Perceptual and Neural Basis of Functional Reference Signaling in Yellow Warblers
Individual Sponsors and IOS
A few 2018 research highlights!
For Luke Malanchuk’s project, VHF transmitters are attached to Pectoral Sandpipers and American Golden-Plovers, in spring, to look at stopover duration and habitat use in the agriculturally dominated landscape of east-central Illinois.
Luke Malanchuk’s project uses five aerial surveys, conducted in both spring and fall, to look at abundance and distribution of shorebirds in the Illinois River Valley, telemetry of Pectoral Sandpipers and American Golden-Plovers in east-central Illinois is conducted in spring.
Field Sparrow nest with newly-hatched nestlings. A big part of Alex’s project is searching for grassland songbird nests and monitoring them to determine success Photo taken just after finding the nest.
Alex Glass holds a prairie kingsnake. Alex surveys for snakes to determine nest predator activity on different grassland patches and how they may respond to land management actions, as well as influence grassland bird nest success.
Abigail Danner’s project uses bird-cams to study diet choice in songbirds. Blue Jay pictured.
Abigail Danner’s project using bird-cams to study diet choice in songbirds. Black-capped Chickadee and Northern Cardinal pictured.
Kayce Miller fills her bird feeder to attract birds to her experiment on problem-solving in birds.
Kayce Miller sets up a motion-activated camera for her experiment on problem-solving in birds.
As the state organization “Dedicated to Illinois Birds and Birding,” the IOS board thought it was time to form an IOS conservation committee to work on behalf of this motto. Myself and Ted Wolff volunteered to take up this endeavor and have already been meeting and talking with members interested in joining the committee. As this committee continues to solidify its role, we are looking for any IOS members interested in being a part of the conservation committee.
Matt Igleski, Conservation Committee
There are many responsibilities that this committee will immediately be taking on. One, to send representatives to the Birding Conservation Network (BCN) quarterly meetings; BCN is a Chicago area coalition focused on conserving Chicagoland birds. Two, to communicate Illinois bird conservation issues to members via email and regular contributions to the IOS website. Three, to evaluate issues and develop IOS’s stance on these issues, especially when issues might be particularly complicated.
Our aim is to focus on few issues with greater potential impact, this overarching strategy will allow us to concentrate on issues that will be both actionable for members and high impact for bird conservation. In addition to rallying support around actionable issues, we intend to follow up on and communicate outcomes from past conservation actions to keep members feeling up-to-date and informed. We believe meaningful and actionable notification of conservation issues to members will make a difference within the state and community overall.
Please consider reaching out to us if you have any interest in Illinois bird conservation and want to help guide this committee.
Plain Chachalaca, Rio Grand Valley Texas (Photo: Matt Igleski)
If you haven’t already heard, there is talk of building a wall along the entire US-Mexico border. Without going into all the political and logistical minutia, the big takeaway is that the wall cannot go on the border itself and will actually be several feet to miles into the US from the border. Due to the placement of the potential wall, many areas will be trapped in a “no-man’s land” and one of these areas includes the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. All the experts agree that this will be devastating to wildlife and will further fragment habitat vital to many birds in the region, many of which aren’t readily found anywhere else in the US, and other animals such as the Ocelot—only found in the US in south Texas. Access for birders is still unclear, there may well be a way to access the area after the wall is built, but nothing has been confirmed and no one will be holding their breaths even if promises are made.
Alright, so we recognize that this is not an Illinois conservation issue per se, however it does have the potential to impact migratory birds traveling through this area. And it has the potential to impact Illinois birders looking to explore an exciting part of the country for birding. It is undoubtedly one of the most important bird conservation issues we are currently facing in the US. However, it is also an issue that all of us can take action on today!
As Congress continues to debate the 2018 budget there are ongoing attempts to attach money for Trump’s border wall. Construction in Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is poised to begin as soon as money is allocated! You can help by calling your members of Congress today and tell them no money for walls! Call the Senate switchboard, 202-224-3121, and read the script below. You’ll have to call it twice to leave a message for both Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin. Calls are the preferred mode of communication as it’s been shown that it is more effective than letters or emails, and brings immediate attention to the issue.
Green Parrots, Rio Grande Valley Texas (Photo: Matt Igleski)
Example script:
“Hello, I am a constituent and I am calling to ask _____________ to oppose all money for border walls. The Trump administration has already announced that the first border walls they would build will slice through the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. This is a refuge that is so biodiverse that it is called the “Crown Jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System.” I ask that _________ protect this jewel for its wildlife and for future generations of Americans by voting down ALL funding for border walls.”
