April 2019 Meeting & Program – Bluebirds!

Join Middlefork Audubon
April 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 is registered.

Attention Vermilion County monitors: Replacement boxes will be available for Vermilion County trails at this meeting.

Hope you can stay for conversation and refreshments after the program.

Questions? Contact Suzanne Smith at suzanne56smith@gmail.com

About Vicki May:
ECIBS, East Central Illinois Bluebird Society, is an Affiliate of the North American Bluebird Society (NABS). We were organized in the early 2000’s in Paris IL and membership is open to all. Our Annual Conference in April is our big yearly event where we all come together to listen to a keynote speaker and participate in round table discussion, educational presentations, buy/sell birding paraphernalia, give awards, and just generally visit and have a great time!  We also compile member bluebird nesting/fledgling statistics and communicate to our members and to NABS. Our newsletter is published 3 times/year. We do of course have a Facebook Page, ECIBS-Bluebirders, and continue the discussion year round.

As far as myself, I’m a retired Environmental/Safety/Security Manager (B.S. in Biology, M.S. in Environmental Science). I now manage my own personal 35-acre wildlife preserve, including restored native prairie, woodlands, and a bluebird nest box trail. Besides wildlife activities I’m a beekeeper, and maintain large organic vegetable gardens and an organic apple orchard. I love outdoor activities and sports and also love to travel the world with my husband, learning about wildlife. Here’s a picture just taken recently on a trip to the Galapagos Islands: