By Chandler Bryant
Birdathon Chair for Amos Butler Audubon Society
2025 marks the 38th Amos Butler Audubon Society Birdathon and this year we have received the largest number of grant requests in our history. The Birdathon Committee did an excellent job of selecting the most impactful grants with a heavy focus on research projects, habitat restoration and conservation projects. North American birds continue to face big challenges, like habitat loss, climate change and environmental pollutants. ABAS is working hard to address these challenges through this year’s grants.
ABAS continues to work with long-term partners like the American Bird Conservancy, Purdue University, and the Marian University EcoLab while also building new relationships at Conner Prairie, Hamilton County Parks, and Indianapolis Parks. We are thrilled about the grant requests we received this year and all of the great work being done throughout Central Indiana and beyond. Please help us raise the $40,256 necessary to fund the largest amount of grant requests in Birdathon history.
Continuing Reforestation in the Central Andes
In 2024 the American Bird Conservancy once again far exceeded its goals in producing and planting native trees- 52,388- to create migratory corridors in the Central Andes Birdscape of Colombia. It also went beyond its goal to engage farmers to participate in conservation projects by engaging 102 farmers in total. With such great results, we will continue to support ABC and its local partner in Colombia, Vivo Cuenca, to create winter habitat for migratory birds such as Golden-winged, Cerulean, and Canada Warblers. All three of these species, which pass through Indiana on their way to their breeding grounds, are facing population declines due to habitat loss. This year ABC’s goal is to protect the existing forest fragments and improve habitat quality and connectivity by planting native trees within coffee-growing landscapes. ABC is seeking support from Amos Butler Audubon Society for 10 months of salary for one forestry technician, a crucial project role, as well as funds to support other project staff.
Preserving and Enhancing Local Habitats
- Marian University EcoLab: $2,500 to continue a multiyear, ongoing project using students to plant native trees and perennials in an urban gem. The restoration work will be led by the EcoLab Director, Dr. David Benson, EcoLab Science Director, Dr. Zachary Sylvain, and Taylor Lehman, the full-time Restoration Ecologist for the EcoLab. This year, the project will specifically focus on a lowland forest location used by Eastern Box Turtles and the prairie patches planned to be burned this spring (before planting). These plantings will provide excellent habitat for insects and the birds that feed on them in addition to improving the habitat for Eastern Box Turtles.
- Keep Indianapolis Beautiful: $2,000 for support of the KIB Native Plant Nursery which will provide native plants for KIB Greenspaces throughout Marion County. KIB plans to grow 23 species of native plants and 4,000 plants total.
- Hamilton County Parks & Recreation: $1,500 for habitat restoration at Cool Creek Park in Westfield. This project will work on restoring a three-acre riparian corridor inside the park with native plants.
- Mud Creek Conservancy: $5,000 to fund intensive restoration in the Blue Heron Nature Preserve along Mud Creek. This will specifically focus on six acres of the 12-acre reserve, where invasives have been removed and native plants need to be introduced. This is part of a $80,000 overall budget that is being used to establish this new preserve in one of the largest corridors of habitat in Indianapolis.
Research
- Purdue University: $1,500 to cover the cost of testing for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Northern Saw-whet Owl feathers. PFAS are resistant and toxic “forever chemicals” made for household items, but are persistent in the environment and bioaccumulate in wildlife such as the owls. Besides collecting data on Northern Saw-whet Owls to better understand this cryptic species, the project aims to provide undergraduate students with opportunities to gain experience with natural resources fieldwork in an accessible and educational environment.
- Purdue University: $800 to cover one year of data processing for four MOTUS towers installed by Purdue. The initial research impetus for the installation of these Purdue University Motus towers was to conduct an Eastern Towhee breeding phenology project. In addition to learning more about Eastern Towhee migration phenology, the Purdue University Motus towers have also collected data from birds banded at research stations across North America, traveling from locations like Montana, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.
- Indiana University Kokomo: $8,000 for continuing work on a research project tracking and monitoring the migration of Northern Saw-whet Owls at Eagle Creek Park. Funding will go towards receivers, antennas and nanotags. The research will improve understanding of the biological and ecological needs of Saw-whet Owls in urban environments and help with targeted habitat management.
- Indiana Audubon Society: $1,275 for Indiana Audubon’s “Echoes of the Night Sky” program that focuses on monitoring nocturnal bird migration across Central Indiana. This proposal aims to improve data collection, increase community participation, and provide a new, accessible platform for Hoosiers to engage with real-time nocturnal migration data. IAS will pilot the use of BirdWeather PUC devices—portable, AI-powered bioacoustic recorders—to automate NFC detection and analysis for nocturnal flight calls. These devices will facilitate continuous, real-time monitoring and data analysis, enhancing both the scope and efficiency of monitoring efforts, and by providing unique outreach opportunities at participating nature centers and parks.
Education and Outreach
- Conner Prairie Museum: $1,000 to sponsor Conner Prairie’s second year of Black Birders Week (May 24-May 30). Black Birders Week is a dedicated week of virtual and in-person events and programs to uplift Black nature enthusiasts and highlight the visibility of Black birders in nature. Activities will include Beginner Bird Walks, Owl Pellet Dissection, Bird Focused Play Invitations, Bird Rehabilitation Presentation – hosted by Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators, and a Community Book Discussion in collaboration with Indiana Humanities.
- Indianapolis Parks & Recreation: Krannert Park: $1,681 for the purchase of approximately 30 pairs of binoculars. The purchase will allow those interested in birding to have a resource to begin interacting with and learning about birds in the places where they live. The binoculars would be used for countless events, particularly those involving birdwatching at the park. Programs will specifically focus on young audiences with one youth summer program, that includes birdwatching, having over 100 participants during the season.
Make a Difference, Make a Pledge
Birdathon teams will be scouring the state during May, counting birds and asking donors to sponsor their efforts. If you don’t know a team member, you could choose to make a donation directly to the Birdathon. Either way, your dollars will go far to ensure the future of our Indiana birds.