Jennifer Fishburn
University of Illinois Extension
During the months of April and May, the bird watching station at Kickapoo Creek Park will be manned periodically by experienced birdwatchers to help visitors identify the many birds that visit the nearby feeders. University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist volunteers will be on duty from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 10, 17, 24, and May 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29. This year the event will follow COVID-19 safety precautions, including wearing a face covering and socially distancing. The shelter can hold two visitors at a time.
Observers are likely to see not only the familiar cardinals, blue jays and chickadees, but also red-winged blackbirds, at least three species of woodpecker, nuthatches, titmice and finches, among others. Colorful orioles or rose breasted grosbeaks also stop by occasionally. Though the feeders are within 20 feet of the station’s large windows, participants are encouraged to bring binoculars.
Melody Arnold, President of the Macon Co. chapter of the Audubon Society, will describe the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, happening February 12-15 this year. She will talk about a few of the birds that we are most likely to see in this area and how we can participate.
Melody Arnold was in the first class of Master Naturalists in Unit 17, now the Glacier s Edge MNs. She holds a B.S. in Education from Eastern Illinois University. She is retired from the Macon County Conservation District where she was the Education Specialist. Melody is the current President of the Macon Co. chapter of the Audubon Society.
In contemporary American culture, nature is often construed as existing “out there” somewhere, especially in parks and preserves. But that’s not where most of us live. Through a slideshow of photographs taken close to home (and work), Rob Kanter encourages people to cultivate their appreciation for the wild creatures that live among us. The presentations will be followed by a discussion. Come, learn, and have fun.
Speaker Introduction: Rob Kanter is a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Earth, Society, and Environment at the University of Illinois, where he teaches courses in environmental communications and issues and serves as an academic advisor. He also writes and narrates “Environmental Almanac,” a weekly program that runs as a column in the Sunday edition of the Champaign News-Gazette and a radio commentary on WILL-AM 580 and other NPR affiliates in Illinois.