By Deb Patrick, Bird Safe Indy Chair
Thanks to Donna McCarty, Environmental Committee Chair at Hoosier Village, for inviting ABAS and Bird Safe Indy to table at their Earth Day celebration on April 22!
Hoosier Village, a 300-acre Life Plan Community near Zionsville, was a wonderful host. Our table, with those belonging to many other attendees (including Zionsville Parks and Recreation and Marty Risch with a LEAP display), were set-up by their lovely, spacious main dining room. Pat Stutz, Conservation Chair, and, Deb Patrick, Bird Safe Indy Chair, thoroughly enjoyed talking birds and providing educational materials to many wonderful residents.
Several bird sculptures and decoys from Donna’s own personal collection helped to dress up our displays. Hoosier Village thoughtfully provided drinks and lunch (and cookies!). The highlight of the day was meeting skilled woodcarver Bill Gray, who showed us his 1983 duck decoys of a male and female Green-winged Teal. Such skill!
Eagle Creek Ornithology Center’s Bird Fest took place on the first weekend in May. ABAS/BSI enjoyed a prime outside location, setting up our canopy tent and two 6-foot tables in a L-shape configuration between the OC and the Bird Migration Display, with neighbors Renewal by Andersen Windows (and their new Feather Friendly window display) and the Indiana Audubon Society.
“Take Action – For the Birds!” was our 2026 Bird Fest theme. Five action stations were set up starting with SEND: we provided a stamped postcard guests could write to their city-county councilor encouraging bird-safe window legislation. The remaining four action stations consisted of SIGN (BSI petition), LIGHTS OUT (during migration), DONATE (Birdathon) and JOIN (as an ABAS member).
Our table was busy from start to finish on both days with 30+ postcards completed, 15 new petition signatures, significant numbers of informational materials handed out, and many questions from the diverse attendees answered. The best part was all the fun, fantastic, bird-interested people we had the opportunity to meet! Origami birds were a huge hit with the kids—especially the owls, with the penguins sadly neglected.
Thank you to the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center for this incredible bird-filled weekend, especially Jenna McElroy and Donna Riner; Pat Stutz, Mitra Parsapour, and Randy Patrick for tabling shifts; Roxy Evans and Wes Homoya for providing bird photographs for our postcards; Craig Murphy and his daughter Megan for help with set-up and tear down; Sam Urquidez and Indiana Audubon Society for sharing informational materials and leaving us their leftover candy for Sunday’s kids; and to all the Bird Fest attendees for caring enough to “Take Action.”
