Kick off the spring migration season on this once-a-year tour to the Kentucky and Indiana border near Evansville. You’ll encounter some of the year’s first sightings of warblers, tanagers, thrushes, grosbeaks, and more, as they make their way back to their breeding grounds. Nestled in a picturesque state park, our charming cottage accommodations provide the perfect setting for bird enthusiasts to connect with nature and find amazing species right outside your door!

Our journey will take us through diverse habitats, ensuring a long and varied species list, with special emphasis on finding the beautiful Prothonotary Warblers and secretive Henslow’s Sparrows. The time of year was chosen to coincide with the arrival of warblers and many other migrating birds in the area. All levels of birders are welcome! 

We will meet in Bloomington early on Tuesday, May 5 to load the van and depart for southern Indiana. First stop will be Columbia Mine Nature Preserve and the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge. After a picnic lunch, we will go birding at Eagle Slough Natural Area before heading to the Audubon State Park. Here are the other places we hope to visit on the the tour, with exact timing dependent on weather and how many birds we are seeing:

• Howell Wetlands - a fantastic park for birding in Evansville

• John James Audubon Museum - learn about the naturalist that lived in Henderson from 1810-1819

• Slough Wildlife Management Area - a Kentucky state property with a range of habitat

• Wesselman Woods - old growth forest in Evansville park

• Blue Grass Wildlife Management Area - last stop in Indiana on the way back to Bloomington if we have time on the 7th

The beginning of May is a great time to see shorebirds, migrating warblers and other songbirds. We'll try for 100 species on the trip, including: 

Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs

Baltimore and Orchard Orioles

Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes

Other Warblers: Prothonotary, Palm, Prairie, Yellow-throated, Northern Parula

Henslow's Sparrow

Scarlet and Summer Tanagers

Indigo Bunting

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

For an eBird Trip Report from 2025, click on this link:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/358973

For the 2023 eBird Trip Report:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/123693

For the 2022 eBird Trip Report:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/52682

TOUR PAYMENTS: All payments, including initial deposit, can be made through WeTravel. We do accept credit cards for an additional 2.9% fee, but you may also pay by bank transfer or check. Full payment is due 30 days prior to departure for this tour.  

CANCELLATIONS: 

IF WE CANCEL a tour due to low attendance, severe weather, or other unforeseen event, participants may either move their payments to another trip of their choice or receive a full refund.   

IF YOU CANCEL your place on the tour more than 30 days from departure, a full refund will be available. If cancelling within 30 days of departure, no refund will be given UNLESS we are able to fill your spot(s) with another participant. In that situation, $100 will still be withheld for administrative purposes, but the rest of your payments will be refunded.