November 2021

2021 Grants Summary

This year we were able to fund 8 grant proposals submitted! Which brings our total to 121 grants and $108,511 awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.

One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.

The 2021 IOS Grants Program received eight requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2021 grant requests to be fully funded.

Sponsor Organizations:
DuPage Birding Club
Illinois Audubon Society
Lake-Cook Audubon Society

Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!

Thanks to John Leonard and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.

Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2021 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.

Recipient Affiliation Project Fully Sponsored by
Julianne Bozzo University of Illinois Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) migration and site fidelity in Illinois Illinois Audubon Society
Blake Baum Southern Illinois University Effects of Habitat Management and Raptor Abundance on Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) Habitat Selection and Population Ecology Lake-Cook Audubon Society
Alex Glass Southern Illinois University The effects of habitat structure on grassland songbird nest success, mediated through predator activity and food availability Individual Sponsors and Illinois Ornithological Society
Chad Cremer University of Illinois Connectivity of Migratory Virginia Rail Using Illinois River Valley Wetlands Illinois Audubon Society
Peggy Simonsen Citizens for Conservation Shrubland Bird Study Illinois Audubon Society
Gracie McMahon Independent Creating Avian Sculptures Out of Found Trash and Recyclables to be Installed Around Winnebago County to Spread Awareness About Bird Conservation Dupage Birding Club & Illinois Ornithological Society
Katie Vogler Illinois Wesleyan University Determining Latitudinal Summer Origins and Subspecies Distribution of Wintering Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) in Illinois Dupage Birding Club
David Hohl DePaul University Urban habitat effects on tree cavity availability & bird population trends Illinois Audubon Society

2020 Grants Summary: Over $100k in Grants

This year we were able to fund 4 grant proposals submitted! Which brings our total to 113 grants and $100,521 awarded since the program’s inception, through this year. That means we hit the 100 thousand mark in grant money awarded to projects related to research and education about birds in Illinois!

One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.

The 2020 IOS Grants Program received five requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2020 grant requests to be fully funded.

Sponsor Organizations:
Chicago Audubon Society
DuPage Birding Club
Illinois Audubon Society
Lake-Cook Audubon Society

Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!

Thanks to John Andrews and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.

Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2020 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.

Recipient Affiliation Project Fully Sponsored by
Auriel Fournier University of Illinois Automated radio telemetry to track the migratory movements of wetland birds Lake-Cook Audubon
Stephanie Schmidt Illinois State University Predation Risk at Marsh Bird Nests as a Result of Wetland Management at Emiquon Preserve (Havana, IL) Chicago Audubon Society & Dupage Birding Club
Daniel Goldberg Illinois State University Disentangling the Effects of Visual and Acoustic Cues on Nocturnal Settlement Patterns in Soras Illinois Audubon Society
Rachael Heaton Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville Does the addition of nest boxes to Illinois bottomland forest habitats improve the density of prothonotary warblers, Protonotaria citrea? Illinois Audubon Society

2019 Grants Summary

This year we were able to fund all 6 grant proposals submitted! Which totals 109 grants and $95,521 awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.

One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.

The 2019 IOS Grants Program received six requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2019 grant requests to be fully funded.

Sponsor Organizations:
DuPage Birding Club

Individual Sponsors:
Margaret Busic
Glenn Gabanski
Davida and Dale Kalina
Scott Meister

Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!

Thanks to John Andrews and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.

Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2019 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.

Recipient Affiliation Project Fully Sponsored by
Ian Souza-Cole University of Illinois Investigating the Behavior and Habitat Use of Eastern Whip-Poor-Wills (Antrostomus vociferus) in Illinois and Factors Influencing Their Decline Dupage Birding Club
Daniel Goldberg Illinois State University Changes in Calling Behavior as an Antipredator Adaptation: a Test with Illinois Rallids Individual Sponsors and IOS
Rachel DiSciullo Illinois State University Determining Total Sexual Selection on Male Song in Northern House Wrens Individual Sponsors and IOS
Leah Bieniak Illinois State University Determining Species Abundance and Habitat Preferences of Breeding Birds in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois Dupage Birding Club
Andy Gilbert University of Illinois Marsh Bird Monitoring in a Restored Floodplain of the Illinois River Individual Sponsors and IOS
Claire Johnson University of Illinois Unraveling the Mystery of the Black-billed Cuckoo: distribution, habitat use, and behavior Individual Sponsors and IOS

20th Annual Gull Frolic

February 19th, 2022

Start Time – 9:30 a.m.

Back in 2022! The Gull Frolic is a unique winter event at Illinois’ premier gull-watching hotspot, North Point Marina. Bring your binoculars, scope, and cold weather gear to join birders outside the yacht club for a close study of some of our harder-to-find winter gull species, including Iceland (Thayer’s and Kumlien’s), Glaucous, Great Black-backed, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls!  An assortment of waterfowl are also typically in attendance, such scoters, goldeneye, and other diving ducks, along with the occasional raptor, owl, or winter finch. IOS volunteers will be available to help answer questions along the “boardwalk”.

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