Put a Bird On It!

Well, I happened to go onto eBird and view some of the bird sightings at Allerton (a hyperlink from the last post).  Lo and behold, one of the most active birders at Allerton works in my building!  So, I just walked down one flight of stairs, and got some great tips and hints for birding at the park!   But first, take a look at this map of Allerton below.....here is a link for the same map online, which is interactive!

My colleague was very helpful, and he/she suggested a couple of trails (he/she indicated that each is about 2 miles).  The RED TRAIL traverses largely through the prairie habitats.  The BLUE and GREEN trails are forest trails, which host different habitats and different birds.  Then we can use any of the trails to make our way down toward the Sangamon River, which hosts more aquatic habitats.  

PLAN:
My initial plan is to park at the Buck Schroth Trail parking area (#3 on the map) at 9:00 AM on Saturday, May 18th.  At this point, I think we'll start along the north part of the red trail, then walk along the big loop that is made by the combined red and blue trails.  That'll be about 4 miles total.  If we decide to move into the green trail, we can do so...I intend to be back at the parking area no later than 12:00 PM.  Certainly, anyone is welcome to cut it short, head back, or go longer!

STUFF:
If you have them, bring binoculars!  or a camera!  or a bird field book!  or a tree ID book!  or a  lunch!  Bring one of these.....bring all of these!

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
eBird seems to be the most accessible resource for birds specific to Allerton.  A big "THANK YOU" to the birders that post on the website!  I encourage you to go to the Allerton eBird website and check out some of the sightings.  It seems that someone is posting every day!  One of the most rigorous posters on the site works at Allerton, so it's likely a trustworthy resource.  We should be able to have a good knowledge of some birds to view!!

WHAT NEXT:
If you think you may join, I encourage you to post in the comments on this website.  That will help a bit with planning and waiting for stragglers, but if you want to just show up, that's ok too.  Look forward to it!