Monthly Program

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.

Join Brian Zwiebel of Sabrewing Nature Tours for an informative presentation on beginning and intermediate bird photography. This introductory program is great for beginners and will offer a few nuggets for the intermediate shooter as well. Learn what Brian does, and what you should do too, every time you get your hands on a new digital camera. Discover what a histogram is, how to read it, and how to use it to make better exposures. Speaking of exposures, you will learn which exposure modes Brian uses in various situations and why. Learn to improve your images with better compositions and backgrounds, as well as how to improve your action and behavior images. All of this and much more will be included in the program and each talking point supported by Brian’s award-winning photography. This will be an online program using Zoom. Participants will register using Eventbrite and there will be a limit of 90.

David Rupp, owner of IndiGo Birding Nature Tours in Bloomington, will give a presentation about birding in Belize, an emerging destination in Central America. David fell in love with Belize on his first visit and has led multiple birding tours to Belize since. The presentation will feature photos from recent tour participants as well as from Belizean photographers. Belize is only the size of Massachusetts but has a bird list of nearly 600 species. David will introduce you to the different regions of the country, some unique birds you can find, and give some examples of the variety of lodging that could fit a tight budget or provide a luxurious experience. This will be an online program using Zoom.

Join Ryan Slack for our September program about bats. He will touch upon everything from myths surrounding bats, their classification and specialized anatomy, their habits, conservation, why bats are important, the threats they face, bat species native to Indiana, the truth about bats and rabies, and the latest in bat call analysis. Ryan holds a BS from Purdue University in Wildlife Science.

Join Chuck Anderson, ABAS President and Field Trip Chair, for an informative program about the Brown Bears of McNeil River State Game Sanctuary in Alaska. Chuck will share his four-day experience watching Brown Bears interact, feed, sleep and play.  Many of the bears photographed were within 25 feet and one curious cub came within 5 feet before mom called him back to her side.

Join Geriann Albers as she tells us the story of Bobcats in Indiana. Geriann is a Furbearer Biologist for the Indiana DNR.  She received her Bachelors in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois and her Masters in Wildlife Management from West Virginia University in 2012.  She starting with the Indiana DNR in May 2017.

Join Jenna McElroy, Assistant Park Manager, and Rachael Ledbetter, Naturalist, to learn how the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center’s Raptor Ambassadors are trained for educational programs. Jenna and Rachael will share their training successes and challenges through video clips and with some help from a few of their feathered coworkers.