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Birding Tour of the Illinois River
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Peoria Audubon Meetings
Steve Zehner: Becoming a Citizen Scientist with eBird and iNaturalist
CANCELLED - Wednesday, May 13, 2020 7:00 p.m.
Steve Zehner, a local eBird and iNaturalist user, will be with to us lead us in becoming citizen scientists with eBird and iNaturalist. We’ll use eBird to plan a trip to local hotspots, record and share bird observations, attach pictures, create lists by location, and set up alerts for birds of interest.
Introduction to eBird eBird is the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science project, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed each year by eBirders around the world. A collaborative enterprise with hundreds of partner organizations, thousands of regional experts, and hundreds of thousands of users, eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Submit Your Birding Sightings on eBird Mobile App
We’ll learn how to use iNaturalist to request identification of plants and other animals and compare eBird to iNaturalist. Steve will start with a brief discussion of the scientific use of the gathered data, but the majority of the meeting will be using eBird with a taste of iNaturalist.
Scientific Research in Your Back Yard with iNaturalist
iNaturalist provides a place to record and organize nature findings, meet other nature enthusiasts, and learn about the natural world. It encourages the participation of a wide variety of nature enthusiasts, including, but not exclusive to, hikers, hunters, birders, beach combers, mushroom foragers, park rangers, ecologists, and fishermen. Through connecting these different perceptions and expertise of the natural world, iNaturalist hopes to create extensive community awareness of local biodiversity and promote further exploration of local environments.
Come on out to Forest Park for the evening as Steve demonstrates in real time how using these apps can simultaneously enhance your enjoyment of nature while providing valuable data as a citizen scientist.
Peoria Audubon Society hosts public meetings the second Wednesday of each month, from September to the following May, at Forest Park Nature Center. The meetings always feature timely topics and everyone is welcome. And, the meetings are FREE!
Keep watching our Calendar of Events for the latest updated information on meetings, field trips and special events. ---------------------- Public is Always Welcome Meetings are free and open to the public
Monthly meetings of Peoria Audubon Society are held at |
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Peoria Audubon Society Local Natural Areas Open to Public for Birding The Peoria Audubon Society is inviting members and visitors on to its conservation properties. The Oak Bluff Savanna Nature Preserve and the Brimfield Railroad Prairie Nature Preserve are now birding hotspots open for public birding.
The Oak Bluff Savanna Nature Preserve is a 22-acre high quality oak woodlands, savanna and hill prairie in Marshall County. It is located about 4 miles southwest of Henry, Illinois; 2 miles west of Route 29 on County Road 1150N. Dozens of warbler species may be found in the preserve during spring and fall migration. Resident birds such as Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting and Baltimore Orioles can be found nesting on the site. Bird Surveys have shown over 150 species of birds utilize this natural area.
Oak Bluff Savanna Nature Preserve
The Brimfield Railroad Prairie Nature Preserve is a 6-acre restored native prairie in Peoria County. It is a ˝ mile long strip near Brimfield that was once railroad right of way, located at 18320 W Forney Road, Brimfield. The Jubilee Prairie Dawgs, a volunteer group dedicated to native prairie restoration, have partnered with Peoria Audubon Society to help maintain this prairie. It contains over 100 native prairie plant species, which are a critical part of the food web for many species of birds, butterflies and bees.
Black Swallowtail on Thistle at Brimfield RR Prairie Nature Preserve
Both of these high quality habitats are listed as protected lands by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission to assist with the protection of high quality natural areas and habitats of endangered and threatened species. Peoria Audubon Society is committed to long term conservation of these areas and is excited to share them with the public.
Peoria Audubon Society encourages visitors to record their bird sightings on these properties at eBird.org. Both nature preserves are listed as public birding hotspots. The nature preserves are open for hiking, viewing and enjoying the natural areas. No camping, no fires, no hunting or fishing, no collecting, and no restroom facilities are available. Visitors are asked to follow “Leave no Trace” principles when visiting Peoria Audubon properties, or any natural area.
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Keep watching the Calendar of Events for details on Peoria Audubon and other local activities. The public are always welcome! We would like to see you there!