Bird Alliance of Central Indiana

Strawtown Koteewi Park Beginning Bird Hikes
2018-01-03 09:00 - 10:00, 2018-02-07 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Strawtown Koteewi Park, 12308 Strawtown Avenue, Noblesville, IN, 46060, United States
Birds are fascinating and watching them can be an awe-inspiring experience. Catching a glimpse of these gorgeous creatures, however, can be frustrating and learning how to identify all of them can be overwhelming! Join our naturalist staff and we will learn together. This will be a great opportunity for birdwatchers of all levels.
Meet in the parking lot of the Taylor Center of Natural History.
Pre-registration is not required. Don’t forget your binoculars!

Goose Pond Area Raptor Field Trip
2018-01-06 10:00 - 19:30 | Goose Pond Area – Meet at Kroger, 1930 East Main Street, Plainfield, IN, 46168, United States
Join Scott Enochs as he leads you to Greene County in search of migrating and wintering raptors. Goose Pond, and surrounding areas, in Greene County has become a prime wintering area, and migratory stop-over, for raptors such as Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, Golden Eagle, and Short-eared Owl. The event will take place on Saturday, January 6, 2018. We will meet at the Kroger located at 1930 East Main Street in Plainfield at 10am and carpool to Goose Pond. We will stop for lunch at the McDonald’s in Linton before we begin searching Greene County for birds. We will spend the afternoon and evening trying to find as many birds of prey as possible. We will remain in the area through sunset in hopes of seeing Short-eared Owls emerge from their daytime roost. Participants can expect to spend a lot of time driving in their vehicles until we find a raptor to study. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but is greatly appreciated. Please contact Scott at 317-850-4801 or msenochs@comcast.net if you have any questions.

Eagle Creek - Bird Hikes
2018-01-07 09:00 - 11:00, 2018-01-14 09:00 - 11:00, 2018-01-21 09:00 - 11:00, 2018-01-28 09:00 - 11:00, 2018-02-04 09:00 - 11:00, 2018-02-11 09:00 - 11:00, 2018-02-18 09:00 - 11:00, 2018-02-25 09:00 - 11:00 | Eagle Creek Park Ornithology Center, 6515 Delong Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46278, United States
Each Sunday year-round at Eagle Creek Park. Meet at 9:00 am at the Ornithology Center.
Free though gate fee to Eagle Creek Park applies.

Exploring the Incredible Country of Ecuador
2018-01-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Holliday Park Nature Center, 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46260, United States
Join Rob Ripma, ABAS President and owner of Sabrewing Nature Tours, for our January program at Holliday Park Nature Center.
There may be no better country in the world for birding than Ecuador. The massive species list, over 1700, combined with a country only the size of Colorado makes this the perfect place to see a wonderful array of our beautiful feathered friends in just a short time. Typically, a two-week trip finds well over 500 species.
The program shows us the birds and wildlife that you can expect to find while exploring the northern part of Ecuador. As we travel from the high Andes to the tropical rainforest, you’re sure to learn about some exciting birds!

Cool Creek Beginning Bird Hikes
2018-01-10 09:00 - 10:30, 2018-01-14 09:00 - 10:30, 2018-01-17 09:00 - 10:30, 2018-01-24 09:00 - 10:30, 2018-01-28 09:00 - 10:30, 2018-01-31 09:00 - 10:30, 2018-02-11 09:00 - 10:30, 2018-02-14 09:00 - 10:30 and 3 more dates | Cool Creek Nature Center, 2000-1 East 151st St, Carmel, IN, 46033, United States
Birds are fascinating and watching them can be an awe-inspiring experience. Catching a glimpse of these gorgeous creatures, however, can be frustrating and learning how to identify all of them can be overwhelming! Join our naturalist staff and other guest leaders Sunday and Wednesday mornings and we will learn together. This will be a great opportunity for birdwatchers of all levels. You may begin anytime during the season and come as often as you like. Pre-registration is not required. Don’t forget your binoculars!
These hikes meet in the north parking lot of Cool Creek Park, past the nature center.

Holliday Park Bird Hike
2018-01-16 08:30 - 10:00, 2018-02-20 08:30 - 10:00 | Holliday Park Nature Center, 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46260, United States
Join us at Holliday Park for a bird hike through the woods and along the White River. Meet in front of the nature center. For more information call (317) 327-7180. Beginning birders welcome!

Owl Prowl
2018-01-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab, 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46222, United States
It’s that time of year again! Come out to enjoy an evening hike to look for owls and see the handiwork of our resident beaver colony! We’ll start with a hike at dusk, do some owl calling, and look for owls and other winter wildlife. We’ll learn about the role of owls in the ecosystem, owl adaptations, and about calling owls.
All ages welcome and encouraged! Bring flashlight, binoculars, and dress appropriately for the weather since we will be outside.
Parking is available near the Allison Mansion and in the Marian Hall lot across from Allison Mansion. We will meet at the St. Francis statue on the west side of the mansion, and then head down to the EcoLab shortly after.
This event is free and family friendly! Registration is not required, but is appreciated. You can register here. Questions can be directed to Stephanie Schuck, sschuck@marian.edu.

Winter Lakefront Field Trip
2018-02-03 06:30 - 18:30 | Meet at Dick’s Sporting Goods, 6030 West 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46278, United States
Join Scott Enochs as he leads you to the Indiana Lake Michigan lakeshore in search of wintering gulls, waterfowl, and any vagrants that may be in the area. The event will take place on Saturday, February 3, 2018. We will meet at the Dick’s Sporting Goods located at 6030 West 86th Street at 6:30 am and carpool to lakefront. We will spend the morning and early afternoon visiting various sites around the Indiana lakeshore. Little time will be spent hiking, though some hiking terrain would be considered moderate to rugged. Most of time will be spent travelling to as many sites as possible to scan the lake. Some stops may require travelling on toll roads. Depending on weather conditions, an evening stop to Kankakee Sands could be added to the trip. In that event, we will break for lunch in the Gary/Chesterton area. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but appreciated. Please contact Scott at 317-850-4801 or msenochs@comcast.net if you have any questions.

Trivia for the Birds!
2018-02-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Ash & Elm Cider Co., 1301 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46201, United States
Come to Ash & Elm Cider Co. to test out your birding knowledge with our resident birder, Wesley Homoya! He’s back from his world travels and we are celebrating with a night of birder trivia! Prizes available with purchase and play. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Amos Butler Audubon Society.

The Road to 1000!
2018-02-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Holliday Park Nature Center, 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46260, United States
By today’s birding standards, a goal of seeing 1000 species of birds seems somewhat trivial. But to some people, it’s a big goal! With a family of 5 children, a full-time salaried job, and all of the full-time tasks that go along with it, getting to the goal has been no easy task. Join speaker Chad Williams as he takes you on a brief journey through some of his travels in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Chad Williams has been actively birding since 2007 and has been interested in birds since the 5th grade. He loves nature and loves to promote the enthusiasm of birds and nature to others. He is the adult Chair of the Indiana Young Birders Club and is currently on the board of the Amos Butler Audubon Society. In addition to birding, Chad grows and sells Carnivorous Plants and Orchids. He is married to Carrie and has 5 children and 2 granddaughters.

Great Backyard Bird Count
2018-02-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Eagle Creek Park Ornithology Center, 6515 Delong Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46278, United States
Join the Eagler Creek Ornithology Center for this year’s count. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a free, fun, and easy event that allows bird watchers of all ages and skill levels to count birds. This citizen science event creates a real-time snapshot of bird populations over four days. Counts can be for 15 minutes or more on one or more days of the four-day event. Sightings are reported online at birdcount.org
There are three time windows to count at the Ornithology Center:
Saturday, February 17 from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. or 2:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 18, 2:00 to 2:30 p.m.
On Saturday, February 17, Jessica Helmbold, the ABAS Education Chair, will be hosting a table with fun activities from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Come out and join us or count anytime at home from February 16 to 19 and report your results at birdcount.org!
