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Birding Tour of the Illinois River
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Steve Zehner: Good Practices for eBird and Merlin
Wednesday, February 11 @ 7:00 p.m. CST Live at Forest Park
Peoria Audubon's Steve Zehner will review how to get started and use the Merlin Bird ID and eBird Mobile birding apps. These are FREE for download from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This will be an interactive presentation as Steve demonstrates how these work and the features that enhance your birding experience. Everyone will be encouraged to ask questions so that we all can share good practices.
eBird.org is an online platform developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that allows birders to record and share their observations of birds. It serves as a global database for bird sightings, enabling scientists and researchers to gather real-time data on bird distribution and abundance. Users can submit checklists of birds they observe, contributing to a vast collection of biodiversity data that aids in conservation efforts and scientific research. eBird is accessible to everyone, regardless of experience, and is a key tool for citizen science in the field of ornithology.
eBird Listings for Peoria County - Click for Updated Status
The FREE eBird Mobile app makes it easy to record the birds you find and seamlessly link observations with eBird–a global online database of bird records used by hundreds of thousands of birders around the world.
The FREE Merlin app listens to the birds around you and shows real-time suggestions for who's singing. The Sound ID works completely offline, so you can identify birds you hear no matter where you are.
Merlin Bird ID
The eBird Illustrated Checklist is a feature that allows birders to access a visual guide of bird species recorded in specific regions or hotspots, enhancing the birding experience with images and audio. The image below shows a portion of the 306 species that have been documented in Peoria County as of January 2026. Among the features are Frequency Bar Charts that show how often each species has been observed and recorded in a region, providing valuable insights into local bird populations.
Illustrated Checklist for Peoria County - Click for Full Checklist(Status on Jan. 17, 2026) Keep watching our Calendar of Events for the latest updated information on meetings, field trips and special events.
Peoria Audubon meetings always feature timely topics and everyone is welcome. And, the meetings are always FREE!
---------------------- Public is Always Welcome Meetings are free and open to the public
Monthly meetings of Peoria Audubon Society are held at |
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Peoria Audubon Society Local Natural Areas Open to Public for Birding The Peoria Audubon Society is inviting members and visitors on to its conservation properties. The Oak Bluff Savanna Nature Preserve and the Brimfield Railroad Prairie Nature Preserve are now birding hotspots open for public birding.
The Oak Bluff Savanna Nature Preserve is a 22-acre high quality oak woodlands, savanna and hill prairie in Marshall County. It is located about 4 miles southwest of Henry, Illinois; 2 miles west of Route 29 on County Road 1150N. Dozens of warbler species may be found in the preserve during spring and fall migration. Resident birds such as Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting and Baltimore Orioles can be found nesting on the site. Bird Surveys have shown over 150 species of birds utilize this natural area.
Oak Bluff Savanna Nature Preserve
The Brimfield Railroad Prairie Nature Preserve is a 6-acre restored native prairie in Peoria County. It is a ˝ mile long strip near Brimfield that was once railroad right of way, located at 18320 W Forney Road, Brimfield. The Jubilee Prairie Dawgs, a volunteer group dedicated to native prairie restoration, have partnered with Peoria Audubon Society to help maintain this prairie. It contains over 100 native prairie plant species, which are a critical part of the food web for many species of birds, butterflies and bees.
Black Swallowtail on Thistle at Brimfield RR Prairie Nature Preserve
Both of these high quality habitats are listed as protected lands by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission to assist with the protection of high quality natural areas and habitats of endangered and threatened species. Peoria Audubon Society is committed to long term conservation of these areas and is excited to share them with the public.
Peoria Audubon Society encourages visitors to record their bird sightings on these properties at eBird.org. Both nature preserves are listed as public birding hotspots. The nature preserves are open for hiking, viewing and enjoying the natural areas. No camping, no fires, no hunting or fishing, no collecting, and no restroom facilities are available. Visitors are asked to follow “Leave no Trace” principles when visiting Peoria Audubon properties, or any natural area.
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Keep watching the Calendar of Events for details on Peoria Audubon and other local activities. The public are always welcome! We would like to see you there!