Field Trips

Video by Corey Sitkowski from Pexels

Our field trip chairman is Bob Meier, so if you have questions about any of the EAS field trips you can contact him at or 812-449-3723. For the Jr. Birder hikes listed, the contact is Jim Campbell at

EAS HIKES

FRIDAY HIKES RETURN:

We are offering local hikes lead by Bob Meier every Friday in September . Hikes will occur at different locations for each trip with a 4:45 pm start time.

September 6. Burdette Park. Meet at the parking lot behind the lake.

September 13. Audubon Wetlands. Meet at the parking lot off of Wolf Hills Road. This area is very diverse, consisting of lowland woods and marshy areas. The hike will last 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

September 20. Angel Mounds Boat Ramp Trail. The trail, located SE of Evansville on Lynn Road, is a diverse area and has been a haven for migrants of late. We will meet at the parking lot and depart on the trail at 4:45 pm. The hike will last 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

SATURDAY HIKES (WBU):

Wild Birds Unlimited will offer local hikes lead by Jessie Meier on Saturdays in September and October, beginning September 28th. All hikes will begin at 7:30 am.

September 28th Eagle Slough Natural Area

October 5th Howell Wetlands

October 12th Eagle Slough Natural Area

October 19th Howell Wetlands

October 27th* Eagle Slough Natural Area

* Please note the date and day change for this hike

EAS Field Trips for 2019-2020:

SEPTEMBER 28 WESTSIDE SWIFT SIT.

Meet at the playground on Franklin and Tekoppel at 6 pm. Bring friends, kids, grandkids and join us as we watch the swifts gather at the big chimney by the school.

NOVEMBER 2* HEMLOCK CLIFFS/PATOKA LAKE AREA

Hemlock Cliffs features unique trees and plants for the area and a box canyon trail with a waterfall that should be great for late fall migrants. After a visit at Hemlock Cliffs, we will stop at Patoka Lake, Indiana's second largest reservoir, in search of early waterfowl.

Meet at the north side of the Schnucks parking lot at Highway 41 at 6:30 am. The trip should last about 4-6 hours.

* Please note the change in date from October 26 to November 2 for this trip.

NOVEMBER 23 HOVEY LAKE/DNR TRIP

Please note that this trip has been rescheduled to Saturday, November 23 (originally November 9). We will meet at the OLD Westside Walmart parking area behind McDonalds on the Lloyd expressway and Rosenberger Avenue. We will depart at 7 am.

DECEMBER 7 SOMERVILLE MINE OWL PROWL

Also in December will be Local Christmas Bird Counts

JANUARY 100 IN JANUARY CONTEST

FEBRUARY 8 KENTUCKY DAMS TRIP

MARCH 14 GOOSE POND FISH AND WILDLIFE AREA

APRIL 25 BLUEGRASS FWA EVENING TRIP*

*as part of the Ohio Valley Birding Festival

MAY 30 HARMONIE STATE PARK TRIP

Additional details will follow for all hikes listed for the 2019-2020 season. For any questions, contact Bob at or 812-449-3723.

JR. BIRDERS

Many of the hikes and activities planned for the Jr. Birders this year will focus on citizen science. Jr. Birders will participate in Global Big Days, Christmas Bird Counts, and Great Backyard Bird Counts. All the birds they see and hear on any given trip will be recorded and submitted via eBird to scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for analysis.

OCTOBER 19TH, 2019 EAGLE SLOUGH NATURAL AREA

We will meet in the parking lot at 8:30 am and hike to the observation deck. We will be taking part in the October Big Day, a citizen science project sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All the birds seen or heard on this trip will be recorded on eBird.

NOVEMBER 16TH, 2019 HOWELL WETLANDS

Meet at the parking lot off of Tekoppel Road at 8:30 am and we will hike the trails through the grasslands and then the boardwalk though the bottomland forest. Expect to see resident birds, like woodpeckers, titmouse, and chickadees, as well as wintering species like white-throated sparrows.

DECEMBER 14TH, 2019 2930 LENOX DRIVE

Jr. Birders will participate in the Christmas Bird Count by observing feeder birds at 2930 Lenox Drive. Arrive by 9 am and we will count birds, drink hot chocolate and enjoy some snacks. Our observations will be submitted to eBird as part of the Christmas Bird Count. Each Jr. Birder will receive a Bird Journal to use for the count and during the month of January (we will not meet in January).

FEBRUARY 15TH, 2020 WESSELMAN WOODS NATURE CENTER

Meet at the parking lot of the Wesselman Woods Nature Center at 8:30 am and we will enter the center as a group and proceed to the bird observation room. We will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count and submit our observations to eBird. Bring your Bird Journals.

MARCH 21ST, 2020 BLUEGRASS FISH & WILDLIFE AREA

Meet at the parking lot off of Boonville-New Harmony Road at 9:00 am and we will drive the area looking for resident birds, and check to see if the eagles are nesting.

APRIL 18TH, 2020 J.J. AUDUBON STATE PARK

The Jr. Birders will again participate in the Ohio Valley Birding Festival and lead a hike at Audubon State Park. The time is yet to be determined, so more information will follow. Remember that this is Family Day at the festival and there are lots of activities in addition to our hike that will be of interest (e.g. bird banding).

MAY 9TH, 2020 AUDUBON WETLANDS

Our last citizen science project will be the May Day Count. Meet at the Audubon Wetlands parking lot, off of Wolf Road, at 8:30 am and we will hike the trails and boardwalks at the wetlands and record birds that we see and hear for the count, and then submit our results to eBird. This will be an exciting hike because many of the spring migrants (e.g, warblers) will be moving through the area.

(https://www.facebook.com/Jr-Birders-of-the-Evansville-Audubon-Society-1439312132956216/)

EVV Audubon