The Loess Hills Audubon Society will participate in the World Migratory Bird Day on this busy Saturday. We will be dividing into teams to survey our favorite locations, where we will record species observed and count or estimate their numbers. This date has been selected so as to see the most species of birds. Opportunities exist both to locate early migrants, like waterfowl, that may be lingering in our wetlands and to locate the newly arriving shorebirds, flycatchers, sparrows and warblers. These observations will be entered into eBird, the Cornell University Ornithology Lab’s immense database.
Teams will be determined at our monthly meeting Thursday, May 2nd. Experienced birders will lead teams while less experienced birders can select a team or a location they wish to bird. Final assignments and coordination of the teams and members will be communicated to all participants by Thursday, May 9th. Interested members of the Chapter or the public will be asked at the meeting how much of the day they wish to participate, where they want to go or which team they wish to join.
Team 1: Prairie Park activities, supporting designation of Sioux City as a bird-friendly community, begin at 9:00 AM and go until Noon. Binoculars, spotting scopes, and field guides will be available for use at Prairie Park. Prairie Park is accessible for visitors of all abilities.
Insects and their importance to migratory birds is the focus of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day. To celebrate this global campaign, families are invited to participate in some fun educational activities at Prairie Park. Join Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center Naturalist Kari Sandage at 10:00 AM for a bug hunt, learn about insects, and look for birds with experts from the Loess Hills Audubon Society.
Insects are essential sources of energy for many migratory bird species, not only during the breeding seasons but also during their extensive journeys. The loss and disturbance of insect populations at breeding sites and along avian migration routes threaten bird survival and well-being.
For more information regarding Prairie Park activities, please contact Randy Williams.
Team #2: Bill Huser group at Ponca State Park — contact me directly at 712-574-3107 or billfhuser@gmail.com.
Other teams will be determined at the Thursday meeting, 5/2/24.
Loess Hills Audubon members will also be doing much, much more as they take to the field. They will be participating in the Chapter’s annual Birdathon, our annual fundraiser that makes possible chapter activities and funds our conservation grants for deserving conservation and educational efforts in the area.
Loess Hills Audubon Chapter’s members will be soliciting funds much like other “-athons,” accepting donations or pledges based on chapter members’ ability to find as many species of birds as they can on Saturday. This collective effort will find over 100 species so budget accordingly as either an amount per species found or a flat amount for the effort.
Most importantly, the Chapter thanks all of you who have participated or donated to Chapter projects and those of you who considered such.
All LHAS outings are open to the public and offer an inviting way to begin birding and meet others with similar interests.