CALENDAR OF EVENTS

IT'S BACK!!!
BIRDING AMERICA VIII - March 6, 2010

 

Discover great places, great people and great birds at Chicago Audubon Society’s Birding America VIII. This symposium is your opportunity to get the inside information on some of the most rewarding places to bird locally, nationally and internationally. Local and national experts will help you plan birding trips and vacations around hotspots, highlighting resident birds as well as migrants. Locations to be presented range from Chicago’s North Pond to Kenya.

Birding America VIII also includes skill-building sessions for shorebird identification, nesting birds of Illinois, migrating birds navigating Chicago’s skyscrapers, and a panel discussion on advocacy/volunteerism. Throughout the day, vendor booths will be displayed with birding books, field equipment, clothing and other birding related items.

Registration for Birding America VIII is $40 for Chicago Audubon Society or National Audubon Society members and $50 for non-members. The registration fee for students is $20; college students need to show a current ID. High school students (accompanied by an adult) are also eligible for the student rate. The registration fee includes all sessions. Lunch is available for $12 but will NOT be available for those registering after February 25th. We are waiving late registration fees this year given the current economic conditions.
To download a pdf of the registration form click here.
You may also use a charge card to register (Visa, MasterCard, Discover). Call our office at (773) 539-6793. If you reach voice mail, leave just your name and phone number.

BIRDING AMERICA VIII

Saturday, March 6, 2010 — 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

North Park University, 3225 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Parking is free in the University lot on the southeast corner of Foster and Kedzie.
The entrances to the symposium are located at the southwest corner of Foster and Kedzie.

 

Symposium Schedule:

8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  Registration and Refreshments.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

9:00 a.m. Roger Tory Peterson: No Person Left Inside

A celebration of a preeminent naturalist and inspiration for the modern environmental movement, Roger Tory Peterson, and his landmark 1934 book, "A Field Guide to the Birds," which established the field mark system of identification and extended the world of nature, beyond the scientist, out to the general community.

Presenter:  Joe Lill, current Vice President and past President of the Chicago Audubon Society (CAS); a dedicated birder since 1984; coordinator and fierce competitor in the annual CAS Birdathon Beecher Cup Challenge; Associate Professor of Music at North Park University, Chicago.

NEAR CHICAGO BIRDING AREAS

10:00 a.m.    Birds of Carlyle Lake (Southern Illinois)   

Home to eagles, ospreys, shorebirds and songbirds.

Presenter:  Keith McMullen, a biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District; member of the Illinois Ornithological Society (IOS), American Birding Association, National Wildlife Federation, Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited; leads field trips throughout Southern Illinois; captain of the “Southern Illinois Hotshots,” the team that broke Big Day records in 2000.

11:00 a.m.     Birding the Frozen North (Wisconsin)    

Good birding within an easy-cheesy drive from Chicago.

Presenter:  Steve Betchkal, lifelong naturalist and environmentalist, journalist, photographer and author of "All of This and Robins Too:  A Guide to the 50 or So Best Spots to Find Birds in Wisconsin".

1:00 p.m.    North Pond in Lincoln Park (Chicago)

A small, beautiful urban park and pond hosting 195 bird species.

Presenter:  Geoff Williamson, a past president of both the Chicago Ornithological Society (COS) and IOS; co-editor of the Illinois-Indiana regional report for the American Birding Association's journal, North American Birds; leader of the popular 7:00 AM, Wednesday morning North Pond bird walks attracting workers, students, international visitors, beginning birders and world-class experts.

2:00 p.m.    North Point Marina & Spring Bluff Forest Preserve  Lake County (Northern Illinois) 

Recent habitat restoration yields a number of rare species and a promising future.

Presenter:  Eric Walters, Founder and former President of IOS, past President of the DuPage Birding Club and Research Chair for the CAS; collected avian field survey data influencing land management decisions protecting critical land from development.

SKILL-BUILDING WORKSHOPS

10:00 a.m.     Shorebird Identification

Basic ID tips, locating shorebirds and conservation concerns.

Presenter: Walter Marcisz, past president of COS; an expert bird guide who has led hundreds of field trips, bird identification classes and workshops; authored a vast number of papers and articles about birds.

11:00 a.m.    Secret Lives of Illinois’ Breeding Birds

Important tools for discovering nests and nesting evidence.

Presenter: Steve Bailey, an avian ecologist with the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP) of the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) who has conducted breeding bird censuses in wetlands, grasslands, and forests throughout the state since 1997.

1:00 p.m.     Navigating Chicago’s High-Rises 

The hazards of bird migration in the city.

Presenter: Dave Willard, as long-time collection manager of the Bird Division at The Field Museum of Chicago, maintains a large database of spring and fall migrants from along the lake front and the Loop; research time is divided between birds in Chicago and the birds of tropical mountains in South America and Africa.

2:00 p.m.     Bird Conservation Opportunities around Chicago

Inspiring successes in habitat monitoring and easy ways to get involved and make a difference.

Presenter:  Donnie Dann, volunteer naturalist; Past-President of Bird Conservation Network of Greater Chicago (BCN), a coalition of 19 bird and conservation organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area representing over 35,000 members.

Presenter:  Steve Flexman, a habitat restoration expert; Co-Steward of Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards for the past 20 years.

Presenter: Judy Pollock, Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Chicago Region; provides support to a variety of volunteer–driven bird conservation projects; founding president of BCN, and Coordinator of Illinois Important Bird Areas.

INTERNATIONAL BIRDING TRIPS

10:00 a.m.    Birds of Southern Arizona

Hawks to hummingbirds, southern Arizona is blessed with a wide variety of birds.

Presenters: Clair and Bev Postmus.  Clair, a research chemist and former North Park University professor, developed his skills as a nature photographer over the last 40 years, while Bev, a former science teacher, started birding in the 1960’s and is now a Master Naturalist; currently residents of Green Valley, Arizona and active members of the Tucson Audubon Society, they present nature programs to birding clubs and school groups across the country.

11:00 a.m.     Birds of Kenya  

Keep your eyes and checklist ready for 2,000 species.

Presenter:  Paul Gitau, born and raised in Kenya, led birding tours in East Africa for the last 10 years; founder of the Kenya Eco Bird Guide Association training local birding guides as a way of  empowering rural conservation.

1:00 p.m.     Veracruz, Mexico Hawk Migration

Greatest birds of prey migration in the neotropical region.

Presenter:  Jorge G. Barrios is Conservation Coordinator and Membership Officer for Ecoases Nature Tours of Veracruz, Mexico. The conservation target of Ecoases Nature Tours is migratory bird conservation through the Outreach Program and Veracruz River of Raptors Project.

2:00 p.m.     Birds of Florida’s Sanibel Island Area

Colorful birdlife along sandy beaches, freshwater inland ponds, and low tide sand flats.

Presenters:  Clair and Bev Postmus (see 10:00 a.m., Birds of Southern Arizona)

CLOSING PRESENTATION

3:00 p.m.     Birds on the Wind: The Miracle of Migration

Bird migration is truly one of the most amazing natural wonders in our world today. From the unbelievable 7000 mile nonstop journey of Bar-tailed Godwits to spectacular raptor movements during migration, there are still many unanswered questions concerning the “how, why, where and when” of bird migration. The program begins with a review of different types of bird migration and then spotlights various bird families and select species that perform amazing feats of physical endurance during migration. Breathtaking photos and several musical interludes add to the interesting nature of this presentation.

Presenter: Kevin T. Karlson, an accomplished birder, professional tour leader and wildlife photographer who has traveled from the Alaskan Arctic to the rainforests of Central and South America to photograph birds; sole ornithologist for Cornell’s DVD Birds of North America, including over 800 of his own photos; co-author of "The Shorebird Guide" (Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006) with two books on the way," The Birds of Cape May NJ," due in September, and "Birding by Impression," to be published in 2011.

 

(Door prizes will be given out at this time.)

For more information contact the Chicago Audubon office at (773) 539-6793.

Directions:

From the north

Take I-94 eastbound (Edens Expressway) to the Cicero (to Foster) exit. Take Cicero south to Foster Avenue, turn east (left) on Foster and continue to Kedzie, about two miles.

From the south

Take I-94 westbound (Dan Ryan Expressway) and proceed northwest on I-90/94 (Kennedy Expressway). Exit at Kimball Avenue. Travel north (right) on Kimball about two miles to Foster Avenue and turn east (right). Proceed two blocks, to Kedzie.

From the west

(Or from O'Hare Airport) take I-90/94 eastbound (Kennedy) to the Austin (to Foster) exit. At the end of the exit ramp, turn east (left) and follow the curve to reach Foster. Turn east (left) on Foster and continue to Kedzie, about three miles.

From the east

Take Lake Shore Drive (from either direction) to the Foster Avenue exit. Travel west on Foster and continue to Kedzie, about three miles.

Again, parking is free in the University lot on the southeast corner of Foster and Kedzie.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AWARDEES!
Chicago Audubon Biennial Environmental Awards Banquet
Thursday, November 5, 2009