ABAS Event Calendar
Field Trips
Owl Prowl and Woodcock Walk
Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesHead to an early spring night hike at the NMP EcoLab to learn about woodcock, owls, and other native Indiana wildlife active in the spring!
Woodcock Walk – Daubenspeck Community Nature Park
Daubenspeck Nature Park 8900 Ditch Rd, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin Amy Hodson for an evening walk at Daubenspeck Community Nature Park (DCNP), a great spot to view displaying American Woodcocks.
Goose Pond Field Trip
Goose Pond FWA Visitor Center 13540 West County Road 400 South, Linton, IN, United StatesJoin Mark Welter for a trip to Goose Pond FWA in search of waterfowl.
Smith’s Longspur Field Trip – Lye Creek Prairie Burn
Lye Creek Prairie Burn – Meet Old Marsh Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin Scott Enochs and Amy Hodson as they lead a trip to the Lye Creek Prairie Burn (The Burn) in search of migrating Smith’s Longspurs.
Spring Migrant Field Trip
Join Amy Hodson and Brown County State Park Naturalist Kashena Hottinger as they lead you on a hike through Brown County State Park. This hike will target migrating warblers, vireos, tanagers, and flycatchers.
Goose Pond Area Raptor Field Trip
Goose Pond Area - Meet at Kroger 1930 East Main Street, Plainfield, IN, United StatesJoin 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. 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.
Winter Lakefront Field Trip
Meet at Dick's Sporting Goods 6030 West 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin 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. 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.
Goose Pond Field Trip with IWF
Goose Pond FWA Visitor Center 13540 West County Road 400 South, Linton, IN, United StatesIndiana Wildlife Federation is partnering with ABAS for a day of birding at one of Indiana's hottest migratory waterfowl viewing locations. Spend the day with expert birders. Hear about the work of the International Crane Foundation in Indiana. Learn how IWF helped in the creation of Goose Pond. Registration required and full details about the trip will be emailed to you closer to the date.
Woodcock Walk – West Park
West Park 2700 W 116th St, Carmel, IN, United StatesJoin Scott Enochs in a walk through West Park in search of American Woodcock. Woodcocks have a very acrobatic mating display that they perform at dusk, and West Park offers an up-close view of this display.
ABAS Goose Pond FWA Field Trip
Goose Pond Area - Meet at Target 10209 E. US 36, Avon, IN, United StatesJoin Mark Welter for a trip to Goose Pond FWA in search of waterfowl. Located in Greene County just south of the town of Linton, Goose Pond’s 8000+ acres represent Indiana’s largest and most successful habitat restoration project. Since its completion in 2008, Goose Pond has been a magnet for migrating waterfowl, waders, shorebirds, and songbirds. Mid-March can be expected to produce an interesting mix of lingering winter birds and early Spring arrivals.
Smith’s Longspur Field Trip – Lye Creek Prairie Burn
Lye Creek Prairie Burn – Meet Old Marsh Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin Amy Hodson on a trip to the Lye Creek Prairie Burn (aka “The Burn”) in search of migrating Smith’s Longspurs. The Burn is located in Montgomery County and is the most reliable place for viewing Smith’s Longspurs in Indiana, as the property is managed specifically for them.
Kankakee Sands Field Trip
Meet at Dick's Sporting Goods 6030 West 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin Scott Enochs as he leads you on a trip to Kankakee Sands in search of breeding sparrows. Targets for the trip will include Song, Field, Vesper, Henslow’s, Grasshopper and Lark Sparrows. We will seek out other species as well like Orchard Oriole and Blue Grosbeak. We will meet at the Dick’s Sporting Goods in Indianapolis and carpool to Kankakee Sands. Walking will be minimal, and we will likely stay close to the roads. Please contact Scott at 317-850-4801 or msenochs@comcast.net if you have any questions. Registration is not required, but is appreciated. This event is free and open to the public.
Lebanon Business Park Sparrow Field Trips
Lebanon Business Park - Meet at Dick's Sporting Goods 6030 West 86th St, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin Scott Enochs as he leads you on a field trip to a local hot spot in search of resident sparrows. Our target sparrows will be Song, Field, Swamp, Lincoln's, Vesper, White-throated, White-crowned, Nelson's, and LeConte's. Participants will have their choice on which day to attend, but space will be limited to 10 people each date, and each participant may only attend one of the dates. There are two dates - Saturday and Sunday. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
Lebanon Business Park Sparrow Field Trips
Lebanon Business Park - Meet at Dick's Sporting Goods 6030 West 86th St, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin Scott Enochs as he leads you on a field trip to a local hot spot in search of resident sparrows. Our target sparrows will be Song, Field, Swamp, Lincoln's, Vesper, White-throated, White-crowned, Nelson's, and LeConte's. Participants will have their choice on which day to attend, but space will be limited to 10 people each date, and each participant may only attend one of the dates. There are two dates - Saturday and Sunday. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
Wetland Birding Workshop at Muscatatuck NWR
Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge 12985 East US Highway 50, Seymour, IN, United StatesJoin ABAS Education Chair, Jessica Helmbold, for a workshop on wetland birds at Muscatatuck NWR. It will be a half day workshop ending with lunch at the visitor center around 1:00 pm. If you'd like to stay for lunch, please bring a brown bag or cooler lunch.
CILTI Thanksgiving Weekend Hike at Mossy Point
CILTI Mossy Point Nature Preserve 2732 Danforth Place, Bloomingdale, IN, United StatesWalk off your turkey and stuffing with CILTI as Executive Director Cliff Chapman leads us on a hike through this stunning Parke County nature preserve. Mossy Point’s dramatic high ridges offer views of beautiful Sugar Creek, where Bald Eagles often roost in winter months. This is a moderate hike with some slopes and hills. Participants should wear sturdy shoes for hiking on some slopes. Conditions may be muddy or wet. Space is limited for this hike, so please register.
CILTI Hike at Meltzer Woods
CILTI Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve 1522 South County Road 600 East, Shelbyville, IN, United StatesJoin the Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI) for a guided hike through the always compelling Meltzer Woods. CILTI’s stewardship specialist Joanna Woodruff will lead participants through this beautiful old growth forest just outside of Shelbyville. We will work on our bark identification and have some fun while learning about the trees at this nature preserve. This is an easy hike over level ground. Space is limited for this hike, so please register.
Goose Pond Area Raptor Trip
Goose Pond Area - Meet at Kroger 1930 East Main Street, Plainfield, IN, United StatesJoin 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. 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. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but is greatly appreciated.
Winter Lakefront Field Trip
Meet at Dick's Sporting Goods 6030 West 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin 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. 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 the time will be spent travelling to as many sites as possible to scan the lake. There will be a break for lunch in the Gary/Chesterton area.
Bird Photography Walk at Eagle Creek
Eagle Creek Park Ornithology Center 6515 Delong Road, Indianapolis, IN, United StatesJoin Amy Hodson on a walk at Eagle Creek Park to photograph birds. All levels of photography are welcome, especially beginners! Don’t have camera gear quite yet, but still want to learn? This will be a great opportunity to learn about the basics of bird photography. The group will meet at the Ornithology Center to practice shooting at the feeders. We will then head into the park to look for the famous Barred Owls, Red Fox, and Winter Wrens! Please RSVP for this event by emailing info@amosbutleraudubon.org. Registration is required. Although there is no fee for this walk, park entrance fees apply.