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Vermilion County Nature Hike Series Birds and Blooms Sponsored by Middlefork Audubon Society and Illinois Native Plant Society (Forest Glen Chapter) Our next hike is in Russell Duffin Woods Nature Preserve Forest Glen Preserve, Vermilion County, IL When:  Sunday, May 19 Where:  Big Woods (Russell Duffin) parking lot (Forest Glen Preserve) – it’s the first parking lot on the right (east) side of road after the main entrance Time:  1:00 PM Difficulty:  difficult to very difficult – many long, steep slopes Duration:  estimated 2 hours (or more) Russell Duffin Woods is a forest rich in flora and characterized by deeply dissected wooded ravines along the Vermilion River. Mesic beech-maple-tulip poplar forest fills the ravines with dryer oak-hickory forests and woodlands on the uplands. More than 145 plant species have been recorded…

Vermilion County Nature Hike Series Birds and Blooms Sponsored by Middlefork Audubon Society and Illinois Native Plant Society (Forest Glen Chapter) Celebrate the coming Earth Day!:  Hike in the Middle Fork Woods Nature Preserve Spring wildflowers, Ephemeral ponds, Shooting stars! When:  Saturday, April 20 Where:  Cypress area parking lot (Kickapoo State Park) Time:  9:30 AM AM Difficulty:  Moderate hiking  - but be prepared for wet and muddy conditions Duration:  estimated 1 to 2 hours Join us Saturday, April 20 to hike the Middle Fork Woods Nature Preserve in Kickapoo State Park. This nature preserve holds ephemeral ponds with swamp white oaks, steep ravines with mature trees, and slopes with spring wildflowers.  Keep your fingers crossed that the spring season will favor us with a beautiful display of Shooting star flowers…

Join Middlefork AudubonApril 25, 2019 @ 7:00 PM at the Danville Public Library Have you wanted to start monitoring a nest box or learn more about bluebirds? Bluebirds are already laying eggs in some places so come and get inspired for another season in the field! Come join Middlefork Audubon to hear Vicki May of the East Central Illinois Bluebird Society as she brings us a program on bluebird nest box monitoring. She will discuss nest and egg ID, box management basics, and bring tips from her own experiences in the field. She will also bring information about ECIBS, an affiliate of the North American Bluebird Society (NABS), the national organization monitoring trends on all three bluebird species across North America and Canada.  FYI: ECIBS is where our compiled data…