East Fork Lake Christmas Bird Count
2026-01-03
Sponsored by the Audubon Society of Ohio and the National Audubon Society

The Christmas Bird Count is a tradition begun in 1900. Participants divide into groups to count all the birds they can find in a circle which is 15 miles in diameter, then meet to add up their results. See the National Audubon Society web site for more information about the Christmas Bird Count.
Everyone is invited to participate regardless of skill level. There is no participation fee. You can request the area you would like to census. And you can participate all day, for just a couple of hours or just by staying home and counting the birds at your feeders if you live in the count area. Christmas Bird Counts are a lot of fun and always turn up some interesting finds. The data collected from this citizen/science effort goes into a historical database that is used in all sorts of bird related projects. Come join this long running program and help support the birds we love.
The East Fork Lake count will be held on Saturday, January 3. The count circle includes East Fork Lake State Park and Grant Lake Wildlife Management Area, along with many other smaller areas.
Contact the compiler, Bill Stanley, at tyrannus58@gmail.com, (513) 324-2796 for information on where and when to meet and for more details about this Christmas Count.

Michaela Farm - Oldenberg Christmas Count
2026-01-04
Sponsored by the Audubon Society of Ohio and the National Audubon Society

The Christmas Bird Count is a tradition begun in 1900. Participants divide into groups to count all the birds they can find in a circle which is 15 miles in diameter, then meet to add up their results. See the National Audubon Society web site for more information about the Christmas Bird Count.
Everyone is invited to participate regardless of skill level. There is no participation fee. You can request the area you would like to census. And you can participate all day, for just a couple of hours or just by staying home and counting the birds at your feeders if you live in the count area. Christmas Bird Counts are a lot of fun and always turn up some interesting finds. The data collected from this citizen/science effort goes into a historical database that is used in all sorts of bird related projects. Come join this long running program and help support the birds we love.
The Michaela Farm – Oldenberg count will be held on Sunday, January 4. The count circle includes Michaela Farm, Lake Santee, Metamora and other spots along the Whitewater River, along with other smaller areas in Franklin and Ripley Counties, Indiana.
Contact the compiler, Wayne Wauligman, at wrwpgw@aol.com, or (513) 680-4447 for information on where to meet and for more details about this Christmas Count.

Audubon SO Burnet Woods Nature Walk
2026-01-04 09:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
Theme: Birds
Location: Burnet Woods
Date: Sunday, January 4th, 2026
Meet: At 9:00 AM at the Trailside Nature Center
Leader: Brian Keane, (513) 961-4476, keaneb@miamioh.edu
This walk will focus on birds and will always be conducted on the first Sunday of every month beginning at 9:00 am. We will meet at the Trailside Nature Center in the Park. This walk will be led by ASO board member and VP Brian Keane.
Brian Keane, (513) 961-4476, keaneb@miamioh.edu
The meeting place can be found here: Trailside Nature Center

Monthly Spring Grove Cemetery Nature Walk
2026-01-18 10:00 - 12:00
Location: Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum
Date: Sunday, January 18, 2026
Meet: At 10:00 A.M. at Spring Grove Cemetery. Park along the main road, just beyond the tunnel from the main entrance on Spring Grove Avenue (see directions below).
Leader: Denis Conover, (513) 390-0863, conovedg@hotmail.com
Spring Grove Cemetery is one of Cincinnati’s most beautiful natural settings and its designation as an arboretum is well deserved. A tremendous diversity and number of native and ornamental plants can be found here. Our monthly field trips here will be general nature walks that will focus on botany and birds and all other aspects of nature we come across.
Over the years our trip leader, Denis Conover, has become our go to guy when botany is the theme of our field trips and we are fortunate to have him share his knowledge with us. Denis is a professor in the department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati and has been involved in various types of botanical research since 1981. Denis is also a current board member of our local Audubon Society of Ohio and also has a great interest in birds and will equally focus on them.
Denis’s usual plan is to take us on a long but leisurely late morning walk through the cemetery observing plants, birds and other wildlife. Each season offers its own diversity of migrant, summer and winter resident species of birds and plants in varying stages of their annual cycle. Denis will point out native plants, ornamental plantings, invasive species, shrubs and trees. Birds are usually abundant at Spring Grove and will also be pointed out.
Other than a short drive from here or there to move to a different part of the cemetery, participants should be prepared for a few hours of being on foot and moderate walking. Much of the walking will be relatively flat and on pavement, but there are a few low hills. In January we suggest wearing sturdy footwear and clothes to accommodate the temperatures, and bringing water. Binoculars are necessary to see birds well. Restrooms are available at the cemetery office. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Denis.
Directions: The Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum main entrance is located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue just west of the Winton Road intersection. To find our meeting spot, drive in the Spring Grove Avenue main gates and go straight. You will go through a short tunnel (old RR archway). Just beyond the tunnel, pull over and park alongside the road and look for Denis.
Spring Grove Cemetery website:
https://www.springgrove.org/locations/spring-grove-cemetery-arboretum/#hrs
Spring Grove Cemetery Map:
(Click on or cut and paste into your browser)
https://assets.takeshape.io/af54a46e-9d1d-4a13-84ea-ea820654ba30/dev/66f7f564-13e7-4da3-9599-d5fc44c9d764/Spring%20Grove%20Cemetery%20and%20Arboretum%20Map.pdf
The Meeting Place can be found here: Spring Grove Cemetery
(Contributed by Jay Stenger)

Monthly Meeting Program
2026-01-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom Meeting
Theme: A Few Favorite Photos and Things Learned
Speaker: Steve Maslowski
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Meet: At 7 PM on Zoom only
Leader: Ryan Jorgensen at jorgensen28ryan@gmail.com
Steve Maslowski began photographing wildlife around Cincinnati and beyond in the early 1970’s. He was trained by his father, Karl Maslowski, a pioneer in wildlife photography, and a founder of the Cincinnati Bird Club, which recently melded with the Audubon Society of Ohio.

Photos by Steve and the Maslowski family have appeared in countless outdoor magazines. An assignment for a calendar on birds has continued uninterrupted for more than 50 years.

Steve has also been a cameraman for numerous PBS shows. His recent documentary about his father won the President’s Award from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, an honor given to the best of the winners in the annual Outdoor Writer competition.

In “A Few Favorite Photos and Things Learned” Steve will revisit some enlightenments in life and wildlife he had while afield.

The Zoom link for the program is: https://zoom.us/j/98717747214?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 987 1774 7214

(Contributed by Steve Maslowski and Ryan Jorgensen)

Behind the Scenes at the Cincinnati Museum Center Zoology Collection - Update
2026-01-22 19:00 - 21:00
Theme: Behind the Scenes at the Museum Center Zoology Collection
Location: Geier Center
Date: Thursday January 22, 2026
Meet: 7 PM (directions upon registration)
Organizer: Ryan Jorgensen at jorgensen28ryan@gmail.com.
Update: All spaces are booked for this program, including both the January and February dates. Email to join the waitlist.
Come join the Audubon Society of Ohio as we tour behind the scenes at the Museum Center’s Zoology Collection! Cincinnati Museum Center’s Zoology Collection includes birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and shells. These animals represent wildlife diversity from all over the world, but with a regional focus. We’ll explore all of these collections, as well as learn about how specimens arrive at the museum, how they are prepared, and how we use them. You’ll also meet our extinct birds (one in particular has been in the news lately). The museum is planning a major collections move in 2027 – we’ll share some details on that, as well.

The collections cover a wide range of birds and other critters, and we will have a chance to look at any attendee’s specimens of choice. This trip will be led by Dr. Heather Farrington, the current Curator of Zoology at the Museum Center (and a former president of our Audubon Chapter!). The field trip will be on Thursday, January 22nd at 7pm. We will meet at the Geier Center. Directions for parking will be shared with registered attendees prior to the field trip.

Since there is limited space available in the collections, we are only able to accommodate 15 people for this field trip. If you wish to attend, please email Ryan Jorgensen at jorgensen28ryan@gmail.com. The first 15 to email will be given slots to attend. If there is high demand, we are planning a second field trip date in February. If you do not make the list for January, please let Ryan know if you would like to be first considered for February.
(Contributed by Ryan Jorgensen)

Nature Walk in Burnet Woods - Canceled Due To Weather
2026-01-25 14:30 - 16:30
Theme: Botany and Birds
Location: Burnet Woods
Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026
Meet: At 2:30 PM at the Trailside Nature Center
Leader: Denis Conover (513) 390-0863, conovedg@hotmail.com
This walk will focus on plants and birds and will always be conducted on the last Sunday of every month beginning at 2:30 pm. We will meet at the Trailside Nature Center in the Park. This walk will be led by ASO board member Denis Conover.
Denis Conover (513) 390-0863, conovedg@hotmail.com
The meeting place can be found here: Trailside Nature Center
