Monthly Program

Join ABAS member, shutterbug, and local birder Doug Vine as he presents photo highlights from his recent visit to South Africa. African creatures are majestic and awe-inspiring, and so are the birds! Doug's trip included a Capetown-based pelagic trip, and safaris into Kruger National Park, the Karoo, and KwaZulu-Natal regions. 

Join ABAS Board Director Brian Cunningham for an informative program about feeding the birds. Anyone who has ever fed wild birds knows that it can bring joy to their lives. But, does bird feeding just benefit people? Do the birds become dependent on the food we provide? We’ll take a look at what we have learned from various scientific studies and citizen science data on why feeding wild birds makes a difference for the health and well-being of people and for our backyard feathered visitors.

Join Brad Beaubien, Long Range Planning Administrator for the City of Indianapolis, as he presents an update on the White River Vision Plan.

Join Dan Boritt, Holliday Park Manager, for an informative discussion of the time he spent doing field research in Antarctica. Weddell Seals inhabit one of the most inhospitable places on earth.  How can they reproduce in such a place?  How do people live there?  Come and learn how these seals survive, how the researchers survive, and some chance encounters with the few birds that call this land home!

Join ABAS President and Sabrewing Nature Tours owner Rob Ripma as he explains what factors you should consider when deciding which country in Central America you want to visit. From birding and experiencing the culture of Guatemala to discovering the remote and exciting Darién province in Panama, Rob will help you explore all the best birding options in this incredible region!

Join Liz Hatton for an informative discussion of bird rehabilitation. Located in Westfield, Liz has been a DNR permitted wildlife rehabilitator since 1995. Her husband, Chris, joined her in 1991. Last year they registered over 800 birds for rehabilitation. She will have a few live birds that aren't candidates to be released and will demonstrate feeding techniques with some young birds if possible.

Join Amanda Smith, Superintendent of Natural Resources and Education for the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department, for an informative discussion about the dark side of Lepidoptera, specifically moths. They make up 90% of the Order of Lepidoptera, however, they share very little of the excitement or appreciation that surrounds their more popular cousins, the butterflies. Moths are critical to the food webs, extremely diverse, understudied, and many are more striking than the prettiest butterfly. In this program we will discuss moth identification, their importance in the ecosystem, how to attract them, tips on moth photography, and provide connections to resources and projects geared to helping people learn about these fascinating and yet often overlooked insects.

Join Roger Hedge for an online program about Indiana’s rare plants. From oak savannas, prairies, dunes, and natural lakes of northern Indiana, to southern Indiana’s forested hills, glades, barrens, and cypress swamps, our state has a rich biodiversity.  These and other Indiana natural communities support a spectacular array of plant and animal species, including nearly 450 vascular plants that are considered endangered or threatened in the state.  Many of these species occur on dedicated state nature preserves and other public lands.  The Indiana Natural Heritage Data Center in tracks and monitors these rare species and high-quality natural communities.  Roger Hedge is an ecologist and botanist with the data center. This will be an online program using Zoom. Participants will register using Eventbrite and there will be a limit of 100.

Join ABAS President and Sabrewing Nature Tours owner, Rob Ripma, as he takes us on a photographic journey through the incredible country of Guatemala. Not only is Guatemala a birder’s paradise with species such as Pink-headed Warbler and Horned Guan, it’s also one of the best countries in Central America to experience the ancient Mayan culture. From the UNESCO World Heritage site of Antigua to the ancient Tikal ruins, there are numerous fascinating cultural and historic sites to see. Combine that with a wonderful diversity of birds, and Guatemala is a country that you don’t want to miss! This will be an online program using Zoom. Participants will register using Eventbrite and there will be a limit of 90.

Join Amanda Smith, Superintendent of Natural Resources and Education for the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department, for an informative discussion about the dark side of Lepidoptera, specifically moths. They make up 90% of the Order of Lepidoptera, however, they share very little of the excitement or appreciation that surrounds their more popular cousins, the butterflies. Moths are critical to the food webs, extremely diverse, understudied, and many are more striking than the prettiest butterfly. In this program we will discuss moth identification, their importance in the ecosystem, how to attract them, tips on moth photography, and provide connections to resources and projects geared to helping people learn about these fascinating and yet often overlooked insects. This will be an online program using Zoom. Participants will register using Eventbrite and there will be a limit of 90.

Join Taylor Franklin for an update on the Eastern Migratory Population ow Whooping Cranes. Taylor is a Whooping Crane Outreach Program Assistant with the International Crane Foundation (ICF). Taylor will cover where and when whoopers are in Indiana, how people can help by reporting locations of birds they see, and a protocol for watching them. He'll also cover how to turn in people that are harming them, and other interesting and important information for folks to know about whooper conservation. This will be an online program using Zoom. Participants will register using Eventbrite and there will be a limit of 90.

Join Amanda Cantrell, a Board Member of Indiana Phenology for our March program. Phenology is the study of the timing of recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, such as leafing, flowering, and fruiting in plants and migration and reproduction in animals.  These changes are driven by climate and other abiotic factors and govern how living organisms interact with each other.  In this presentation, we will explore how changes in phenology, such as earlier Spring leafing and flowering or insect emergence driven by warming temperatures, can be indicators of climate change's impact on ecosystems.  You will also learn how you as a citizen scientist can help track these changes through phenology observation to build a local dataset useful to scientists, policymakers, land managers, and conservationists to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This will be an online program using Zoom. Participants will register using Eventbrite and there will be a limit of 90.