Illinois Ornithology

INHS staff at the Stephen A. Forbes Biological Station and Frank C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center inventory 23 locations on the Illinois River and 18 locations on the central Mississippi River weekly. Flights are generally scheduled for each Monday beginning in early September and once a flight is completed, results are posted as soon as possible.

Annual winter bird count coordinated by the Illinois Ornithological Society. Count circles are organized statewide, and volunteers counters are needed. Find a count circle near you from the link.

MOON is a volunteer based program for monitoring owls and nightjars throughout Illinois coordinated by the Illinois Natural History Survey. Volunteers monitor routes located along suitable habitat for owls and nightjars from April to June. Routes are 9 miles long with 10 stops per route. Volunteers are encouraged to report all species they hear during the listening period, providing insight into the life histories of other species as well. Learn more about MOON and volunteering from the link.

A yearly bird count that consists of volunteers conducting bird censuses on the Saturday that falls between May 4th and May 10th. Each county has a compiler responsible for recruiting volunteers and assigning them areas to count within their county. The Spring Bird Count database, hosted by the Illinois Natural History Survey, provides access to Spring Bird Count data back to 1975.