This year we were able to fund 3 grant proposals! This brings the total to 133 grants and over $120,500 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 2022 IOS Grants Program received ten 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 2023 grant requests to be fully funded.
Sponsor Organizations: DuPage Birding Club Illinois Audubon Society Lake-Cook Audubon Society Illinois Ornithological 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 2023 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
Recipient
Affiliation
Project
Abhay Agarwal
Sanctuary for the Skies
Sanctuary For The Skies
Avery Dart
Illinois State University
Effects of extra-pair paternity on provisioning effort and nest defense in male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon)
Adrianna Yoder
DePaul University
Habitat Characteristics & Seasonality of Red-headed Woodpecker Cavity Use
This year we were able to fund 9 grant proposals! This brings the total to 130 grants and over $117,000 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 2022 IOS Grants Program received ten 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 2022 grant requests to be fully funded.
Sponsor Organizations: DuPage Birding Club Illinois Audubon Society Lake-Cook Audubon Society Illinois Ornithological 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 2022 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
Recipient
Affiliation
Project
Sarah Stewart
University of Illinois
Hesitant Heterotherms: Predictors of Torpor Use in a Midwestern Whip-poor-will Population
Cheyenne Beach
Northern Illinois University
Trematodiasis Monitoring in Hunter-Harvested Waterfowl of the Mississippi River System
Mac Chmaberlain
University of Illinois
Effects of cowbird chatter call on juvenile roosting behaviors
Sarah Winnicki-Smith
University of Illinois
Maternal effects, gut microbiomes, and growth of American Robins (Turdus migratorius)
Gerald W. Heinrich
Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance
Bald Eagle Viewing Scope
Christopher Gutmann
Glen Ellyn Park District
Use of Passive Bird Monitoring to Create Adolescent Birders
Matthew Scerbicke
Western Illinois University
Fear of Feathers: Do nest decorations deter nest usurpation and brood parasitism?
Dairo Gbenga Sunday
Western Illinois University
An experimental test of food supplementation on competitive and host-parasite interactions in a secondary cavity-nesting songbird
Louise Bodt
University of Chicago & Field Museum of Natural History
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
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
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 2017 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 five organizations and many individuals (see the alphabetical lists below) made it possible for all of the 2017 grant requests to be fully funded. A total of 94 Grants totaling $82,019 have been awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.
Jill Anderson
Paula Aschim
Denis Bohm
Margie Busic
Sonia Da Silva
Donnie Dann
Pen & Carl Daubach
Glenn Gabanski
Urs Geiser
Cynthia Gray
Eric Gyllenhaal
Tamima Itani
Janice Knight
Mary Krigbaum
Scott Latimer
Cindy Madsen
Vera Miller
Marsha Steffen
Dave Thomas
Ted Wolff
Chicago Ornithological Society
DuPage Birding Club
Kane County Audubon
Lake-Cook Audubon
McHenry County Audubon
Southern Illinois Audubon
Springfield Audubon
Starved Rock Audubon
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 Matt Igleski 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 2017 Grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those Grants for their donations.
#
Amount
Name/Organization
Description/Sponsor
1.
$1,000
Abigail Blake-Bradshaw
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, and Forbes Biological Station
Wetland quality for waterbirds in Illinois. 3rd year of project; shorebird habitat usage added to project.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
2.
$1,000
Therin Bradshaw
Western Illinois University and Forbes Biological Station
Marsh bird use of wetlands managed for waterfowl in Illinois.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
3.
$100
Rachel DiPietro
Illinois State University
Constructing a data-based mortality profile for avian tower kills at telecommunication towers in Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS.
4.
$1,000
Heather Herakovich
Northern Illinois University
The effects of bison reintroduction, prescribed fire, and time since restoration on grassland birds in tallgrass prairie. 2nd year of funding.
Sponsored by IOS.
5.
$1,500
Maureen Hurd
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Habitat use and foraging behavior of Chimney Swifts, a rapidly declining and poorly studied species.
Sponsored by Lake-Cook Audubon ($1000) and IOS ($500).
6.
$1,000
Alec Luro
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The function of plumage color in American robins: why do males and females differ in appearance?
Sponsored by IOS.
7.
$1,000
James Marshall, Sean Beckmann, and Troy Skwor
Rockford University
Patterns of Borrelia burgdorferi infection and antibodies in birds of northern Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS.
8.
$1,050
John O’Connell
Southern Illinois University, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory
Estimating wetland availability for inundation-dependent birds in Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS, Lake-Cook Audubon and Southern Illinois Audubon.
9.
$1,000
Heather Skeen
University of Chicago
Effects of seasonality and migration on the microbiome of Swainson’s Thrush.
Sponsored by IOS and McHenry County Audubon.
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 2016 IOS Grants Program received 13 requests for funding. 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 five organizations and many individuals (see the alphabetical lists below) made it possible for all of the 2016 grant requests to be fully funded. Funding 13 Grants is a milestone – the largest investment in research on Illinois birds IOS has been able to provide, since the inception of the Grants program!
Jill Anderson
John Baker
Denis Bohm
Donnie Dann
Pen & Carl Daubach
Joy & Jon Duerr
Karen & Bob Fisher
Steve Fluett
Glenn Gabanski
Jon Grainger
Warren Jones
Vera Miller
Joan Norek
Vicky Sroczynski & John Burke
Marsha Steffen
Dave Taliaferro
Chuck Westcott
Ted Wolff
Chicago Ornithological Society
DuPage Birding Club
Kane County Audubon
Lake-Cook Audubon
Lake County Audubon
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 birdlife!
Thanks to Jeff Walk and Steve Bailey for reviewing and rating all the requests.
Congratulations to the Grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of The Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2016 Grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those Grants for their donations.
#
Amount
Name/Organization
Description/Sponsor
1.
$1,000
Abigail Blake-Bradshaw
U of I Urbana, Illinois Natural History Survey, and Forbes Biological Station
Wetland quality for waterbirds in Illinois.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
2.
$1,000
Olivia Choy
Northeastern Illinois University
Migration and parasite communities in avian hosts.
Sponsored by IOS ($750) and COS ($250).
3.
$1,000
Brett Dorak
U of I Urbana and Illinois Natural History Survey
Ecology of wintering Canada Geese in the Chicago metro area. Sponsored by IOS ($500) and individual donors ($500).
4.
$1,000
Elizabeth Errickson
U of I Springfield
Winter movements and habitat use of Short-eared Owls in an agriculture-dominated landscape.
Sponsored by individual donors.
5.
$1,000
Andrew Gilbert
Western Illinois University
Detection and disturbance rates of waterbirds during aerial surveys.
Sponsored by IOS.
6.
$1,000
Jesse Hacker
DePaul University
Effects of urbanization on neophobic behavior and problem solving performance in American Crows.
Sponsored by IOS ($750) and COS ($250).
7.
$1,000
Heather Herakovich
Northern Illinois University
The effects of bison reintroduction, prescribed fire, and time since restoration on grassland birds in tallgrass prairie.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
8.
$1,267
Taylor Joray
Illinois State University
Summer origins of American Kestrels wintering in Illinois.
Sponsored by Lake-Cook Audubon.
9.
$1,000
Jaime L. Lange
U of I – Springfield
Spatial and temporal interactions between Brown-headed Cowbirds and bison at Nachusa Grasslands.
Sponsored by IOS ($850) and Lake County Audubon ($150).
10.
$1,000
Aderinsola Odetunde
Illinois State University
Effects of blood loss and mite infestation on nestling developmental trade-offs and parental provisioning.
Sponsored by IOS.
11.
$1,000
Ben O’Neal and Heath Hagy
Franklin College and Illinois Natural History Survey
Breeding ecology of waterbirds at Emiquon Preserve.
Sponsored by Lake-Cook Audubon.
12.
$1,000
Emilie A. Ospina
U of I – Urbana
The role of incubation behavior in shaping developmental physiology in a wild passerine.
Sponsored by IOS ($500) and individual donors ($500).
13.
$1,000
Cassandra Wilcoxen
U of I – Urbana
Cover crops in an agricultural landscape: Beneficial to birds during spring migration?
Sponsored by IOS.
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 2015 IOS Grant Program received 10 grant requests. As a result of the generosity of several groups and individuals, 10 grants were awarded. In addition to IOS provided funds, thanks to the following groups and individuals for their generous support:
The DuPage Birding Club
The Lake-Cook Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society
The Kane County Audubon Society
The Chicago Ornithological Society
Valyn P. Dall
Joan Norek
Marj Lundy and Jamie Godshalk
Marsha Steffen
Glenn Gabanski
Donald Dann
John C. and Carolyn Baker
Carl and Pen DauBach
Karen and Bob Fisher
Vickie Sroczynski and John Burke
Jeffrey Smith
John Heneghan
Jill Anderson
Urs Geiser
Steve Fluett
Marcia and Bob Shelby
Charles Wescott
Ted Wolff
Thanks to Jeff Walk and Steve Bailey for reviewing and rating all the requests.
Congratulations to the winners and watch for their project articles in future issues of The Meadowlark.
The following grants were awarded:
#
Amount
Name/Organization
Description
1.
$1,000
Alexander Winter
Eastern Illinois University
Study the ecological and behavioral implications of Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism on Northern Cardinals. Sponsored by Illinois Ornithological Society.
2.
$980
Bryan Reiley
U of I – Champaign
Study the benefits of restored habitats for declining shrubland birds – Specifically Bell’s Vireo and Willow Flycatcher. Sponsored by Karen and Bob Fisher, Vicky Sroczynski and John Burke.
3.
$1,000
Ben O’Neal and Heath Hagy
Franklin College. Illinois Natural History Survey
Determine nest success, nest density, and nesting characteristics of marsh birds and other waterbirds at Emiquon Preserve to determine if reconnection to the Illinois River affects these parameters in the future. Sponsored by the Lake-Cook Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society.
4.
$1,000
Phred Benham
U of I – Champaign
Study local adaptation to spatially varying environments in widespread species to improve our understanding of how populations might respond to future climate change. Study will use Savannah Sparrow populations. Sponsored by the DuPage Birding Club.
5.
$1,000
Brett Dorak
U of I – Champaign / Illinois Natural History Survey
Study Canada Geese wintering in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area. Describe their home ranges, time budgets, roost selection, response to harassment, and movements that may pose a threat to human health and safety.
6.
$1,000
Todd M. Jones
U of I – Champaign
Evaluate possible associations between fledgling traits and survival in the Dickcissel with an automated telemetry system. Sponsored by the DuPage Birding Club.
7.
$1,000
Josh Engel
A bird monitoring pilot project will be undertaken during the 2015 growing season with the goal of developing an effective bird monitoring protocol for the Montrose Beach Dunes (MBD) site. Sponsored by Illinois Ornithological Society
8.
$1,000
Tim Lyons
U of I – Champaign
Genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation on ring-necked pheasants at the Sibley Pheasant Habitat Area.
9.
$1,000
John R. O’Connell
Southern Illinois University – Center for Ecology – Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab
A remote sensing approach to identifying wetland availability for waterfowl, shorebirds and secretive marsh birds in Illinois using satellite radar imaging. Sponsored by the DuPage Birding Club.
10.
$480
Emilie A. Ospina
U of I – Champaign
Investigate the effects of predation on nest attentiveness as well as the effects of incubation temperature on immune system response and stress response in American Robin nestlings.
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 funds.
The 2014 IOS Grant Program received 14 grant requests. As a result of the generosity of several groups and individuals, 12 applicants were awarded, totaling $9,742. In addition to IOS provided funds, thanks to the following for their generous help:
Bob and Karen Fisher and Vicky Sroczynski
Pat Durkin
Carl and Pen Daubach
Southern Illinois Audubon Society
The DuPage Birding Club
The Lake-Cook Audubon Society
Quad Cities Audubon Society
Kane County Audubon Society
Many IOS Members
Thanks again to Steve Bailey and Jeff Walk for reviewing and rating all the requests and to Bob Fisher who raised much of the funds.
Congratulations to the winners and watch for their project articles in future issues of The Meadowlark.
The following grants were awarded, with information regarding how the funding will be used:
#
Amount
Name/Organization
Description
1.
$500
Amber Wingert
U of I – Champaign
Video monitoring of Barn Owl Nests to help estimate factors influencing reproductive success in this declining species.
2.
$1,000
Antonio Celis Murillo
U of I – Champaign
Genetics to help elucidate patterns of extra-territorial forays in Field Sparrows; helping to answer “Why cheat on your partner?”
3.
$500
Christie Trifone-Simon
Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
Funds would help defray costs of a 5-day educational day camp, which provides outdoor experiences, many of which are bird oriented.
4.
$492
Janice Kelly
U of I – Champaign
Playback experiment to understand if Yellow Warblers use information associated with their two distinct song types during habitat selection.
5.
$1,000
John Maddux
U of I – Champaign
Molecular techniques to identify the importance of bumble bees as a food source for North America songbirds. A large collaborative project that attempts to connect the population declines among songbirds and bumble bees.
6.
$500
Justin Shew
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Hire student technicians to complete analyses on various projects including studying the factors influencing Red-winged Blackbird aggression and Brown-headed Cowbird nest predation.
7.
$750
Kattie Morris
DePaul University
Cameras to investigate the competition for cavities Red-headed Woodpeckers experience during the winter and spring within Cook Co., IL.
8.
$1,000
Kevin Sierzega
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Transportation and arthropod quantification to support ongoing research on the factors that influence migratory songbirds in southern Illinois.
9.
$1,000
Maria Stager
U of I – Champaign
Genomic techniques used to understand how birds are physiologically capable to cope with environmental change. Maria is using Dark-eyed Juncos that endure winter conditions as her model species.
10.
$1,000
Matthew Craffey
Eastern Illinois State University
Radio-telemetry to study the behaviors of Red-winged Blackbirds using Miscanthus, a potential new agricultural crop in the Midwest. This research will help assess the environmental impact on bird communities in response to a shift in agricultural practices.
11.
$1,000
Scott Chiavacci
U of I – Champaign
Camera equipment and other materials to experimentally test for the cues used by nest predators (e.g. odor vs. visual) in central Illinois.
12.
$1,000
Ben O’Neal and Heath Hagy
Franklin College and Illinois Natural History Survey
Investigation of the nest success and density of waterbirds in various habitat types at Emiquon in response to changing water levels.