On April 16th, 14 birders joined Laurie Voss, ABAS Recording Secretary and field trip leader, for a morning of birding at the “Burn”.  Our primary target bird was the Smith’s Longspurs that are attracted to this location due the presence of foxtail, a weedy grass which disperses bristled seeds, that the birds eat.

On March 5th, 36 birders gathered for the annual Woodcock Walk at West Park in Carmel. Promptly at 7:00 pm we began hearing “peenting” sounds coming from multiple American Woodcocks. We soon saw their amazing and unusual aerial displays directly above us. The wonderful displays went on for approximately 30 minutes. In all, we counted five American Woodcocks displaying.

February 19 a caravan formed to visit four Carmel-Clay parks. Nine birders joined leader Chuck Anderson at 9:00 am at Flowing Well Park, the starting point of the planned Great Backyard Bird Count Caravan.

Nine birders gathered at Washington Park in Michigan City at 8:00 am local time on January 8. The temp was in the mid-teens and a strong wind was out of the southeast, but at least we didn’t get sandblasted. All were greeted by Eric and Tina Rosier, the field trip leaders.

On December 5, an intrepid group of 15 birders was out on a frosty morning. Newfields strives to maintain that habitat diversity by invasive species removal and planting of Indiana native plant species in all areas of the Park. On this Saturday, the group had an immature Bald Eagle fly over and Pine Siskins among the 31 species they saw. Another highlight was a white-tailed deer and a nice buck at that. ABAS holds these hikes quarterly in conjunction with Newfields.

On November 22, 13 enthusiastic birders met at the Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area Visitor Center for an afternoon of birding.  Though the skies were gray and there was a chill in the air, spirits were lifted as 2 Whooping Cranes were in sight before the field trip was even underway.  As we caravanned around the property, we saw 4 Trumpeter Swans, multiple Northern Harriers, Rough-legged Hawks, and numerous Canvasbacks to name a few of the 39 species of birds we recorded that day. The highlight for the outing occurred just before dusk when we observed 8 Short-eared Owls flying over the fields in search of prey. Special thanks to Whitney and Jonathan Yoerger who did a fantastic job in leading this field trip.

On Saturday, November 14, 6 birders participated in the ABAS field trip to Jasper-Pulaski FWA to view Sandhill Cranes. Jasper Pulaski hosts the largest concentration east of the Mississippi River.  The temperature was cool and the skies were overcast but the rain held off.  We heard the loud, trumpeting sound of thousands of cranes as they flew into the field to socialize before roosting for the night. Also in view were several Wild Turkeys and at least two dozen White-tailed Deer. The highlight for the outing came when a hunter in the far woods shot his gun and all the cranes took to the air in mass hysteria. They settled back down in the field after several minutes.  As sunset came the group called it an end to an enjoyable afternoon afield.

Our first online program was a great success. 32 people enjoyed a wonderful presentation by Roger Hedge about Indiana's rare plants. Roger is an ecologist and botanist with the Indiana Natural Heritage Data Center in the Division of Nature Preserves, Department of Natural Resources. Roger covered the many reasons plants can be rare in Indiana along with beautiful pictures of many rare plants. Maps showed us where the plants can be found in Indiana and in the US. Some of the plants that are rare in Indiana are not rare elsewhere. Pictured is the prairie plant downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta). This species is known from several counties in northwest Indiana, and at least one record from far southern Indiana in dry upland woods. As you go west into states with more prairies it becomes more common. Roger briefly discussed some reintroductions. He also shared a few of his anecdotes from time in the field to locate rare plants. Overall it was well done. The attendees saw lots of splendid photos from the bounty of nature in Indiana.

On October 31 Chuck Anderson led an ABAS field trip to Celery Bog Nature Area in West Lafayette. Fourteen birders enjoyed a clear, cool, crisp day. It was 32 degrees at the start. We began birding at a viewing platform and were able to spot and ID 11 duck species highlighted by Redhead and Northern Pintail.  Also in view were 14 Tundra Swans, 1 Trumpeter Swan,  3 White-fronted Geese, and 2 Bald Eagles. The group was then taken by a local birder to an area where they were able to get great looks at a red-morph Eastern Screech Owl. Lastly, we shifted closer to the bridge and got close looks of an Eared Grebe, a life bird for several in the group.  In all, it was a wonderful morning of birding.