The Illinois
Ornithological Society

Illinois Birding Resources

Telephone Rare Bird Alerts

• Chicago Rare Bird Alert: Discontinued
• DuPage Rare Bird Alert: (630) 406-8111•Report sightings to the same number.•Covers the western suburbs of Chicago.
• Tyson Nature Line: (314) 935-8432•Report sightings to the same number or to: (314) 664-2381•Covers St. Louis Missouri and nearby southern Illinois.

FRS Radios

FRS (Family Radio Service) radios are the small, two-way "walkie-talkies" that birders use to communicate with each other over short distances. The radios have a range of about 5 miles though newer models have a range of 10 miles or more. The channel and subcode should be set to 11/22 for effective communication with other birders.

E-mail Discussion Lists

ILbirds/IBET

ILbirds/IBET (Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts) is the e-mail list for discussing birds and birding in Illinois. Once you are subscribed to ILbirds/IBET you will receive e-mail from everyone posting to ILbirds/IBET. Likewise, when you send an e-mail message to ILbirds/IBET everyone on the list will receive your message.

• To subscribe to ILbirds/IBET, send an e-mail to ILbirds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions.
• To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to ILbirds-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions.
• To post messages, send an e-mail to ILbirds@yahoogroups.com
• To contact the list owner, send an e-mail to ILbirds-owner@yahoogroups.com

Messages and rules for posting can be viewed online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ILbirds/ but note that you must have a Yahoo username and password to access some of the other features on this site. Messages can also be viewed through Birdingonthe.Net. ILbirds/IBET is sponsored by Yahoo.

Birdnotes

Birdnotes is the e-mail list for discussing birds and birding in central Illinois. Subscribing to Birdnotes requires filling out an online form which can be accessed by going to the Birdnotes Web site.

Books (click each cover to see a larger version, which opens in a pop-up window)

Title: A Birder's Guide To The Chicago Region

Description: Identifying more than 250 top sites for birding within a 65-mile radius of downtown Chicago, this guide provides maps, directions, and other information for discovering the birds of the area in their natural habitats.

Authors: Lynne Carpenter and Joel Greenberg

Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press, 2000

Title: Birding Illinois

Description: Explores some 110 birding locations throughout the state, arranged by region. Introductory chapters discuss landscape, the birding calendar, ethics, and planning a trip. Includes b&w photographs, site maps, and bar graphs showing status and distribution.

Author: Sheryl DeVore

Publisher: Falcon, 2000

Title: Birds of Illinois

Description: Covers 319 species of birds found in Illinois. Includes full-color illustrations on each species as well as maps and descriptions of some better known birding sites in Illinois.

Authors: Sheryl DeVore, Steve Bailey, and Gregory Kennedy

Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing, 2004