Illinois Ornithological Society

Founded in 1992 by birders and scientists, the Illinois Ornithological Society has grown to serve a wide variety of avian lovers with varying interests and backgrounds. Among the members are extremely knowledgeable birders who lead quality field trips to teach beginning and intermediate birders about the wonderful places to see and identify the state's feathered creatures. Other members include backyard bird watchers, local bird club members and scientists who we support with annual grants to do important research.

One of our important goals is to document bird life in a quarterly magazine called Meadowlark, which members receive in the mail. We are on our 19th year of publishing this magazine, which contains field notes from birders throughout the state as well as articles on great places to bird, research being done on birds in the state and interesting tidbits such as how to watch hawks from your own back yard. Many of these articles, written by scientists as well as birders, will be used for centuries to come by researchers wanting to get a picture of the avian life in Illinois. Anyone who wants to learn more about the birds of Illinois - and where and when to find them - will enjoy receiving the magazine. To read more about Meadowlark, see the Meadowlark Journal Information page.