Upcoming Events
Meeting Schedule:
Big Bluestem Audubon society will hold monthly meetings on the third Thursday of the month from September through May at the Ames Public Library. The meetings begin at 6:30pm with a guest presentation at 7:00pm. Meetings and presentations are free and open to the public.
Our meeting schedule and topics for this season are below:
September 17: Xiaoqing Wu:
My Birding Trip to Florida
October 15: Ty Smedes:
Loon Magic
November 19: Greg Courtney:
Birding in Costa Rica
December 17: Christmas Party
January 21: Xiaoqiing Wu:
Birds of Arizona
February 18: Joan Van Gorp:
The Big Week in Ohio
March 18: Nancy Franz:
Southeast Arizona Sky Island: Birds, Blooms, Trails, and Canyons
April 15: Greg Courtney:
Birds of Oregon
May 20: Paul Demoto:
Pollinator Friendly Ames.
November Meeting
Speaker: Dr. Greg Courtney
Topic: Birding in Costa Rica.
Date: 11/19/2026
Time: 6:30PM
All meetings are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
BBAS Christmas Party!
Join us to celebrate the holiday season and look back on another year of birding in our amazing community!
Members are encouraged to bring a snack to share for the party.
Members can also exhibit some of their own bird photos and videos throughout the night. Just bring the photos you want to share on a USB flash drive. We ask that members limit the number of photos to about 10-12 so that all members have time to share during the evening.
January Meeting
Speaker: Xiaoqing Wu
Topic: Birds of Arizona
Date: 01/21/2027
Time: 6:30PM
All meetings are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
February Meeting
Speaker: Joan Van Gorp
Topic: The Big Week in Ohio
Date: 02/18/2027
Time: 6:30PM
All meetings are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
March Meeting
Speaker: Nancy Franz
Topic: Southeast Arizona Sky Island: Birds, Blooms, Trails, and Canyons
Date: 03/18/2027
Time: 6:30PM
All meetings are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
April Meeting
Speaker: Greg Courtney
Topic: Birds of Oregon
Date: 04/15/2027
Time: 6:30PM
All meetings are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
May Meeting
Speaker: Paul Demoto
Topic: Pollinator Friendly Ames
Date: 05/20/2027
Time: 6:30PM
All meetings are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
Dakins Lake Park Birdwalk
Tyler Morrison will lead a bird walk at Dakins Lake Park.
Date: 10/17/2026
Time: 8:00AM
Address: Dakins Lake Park, 70613 130th Street, Zearing, IA 50278
Meeting Location: The group will meet at the main shelter near the boat ramp before the walk begins.
Dakins Lake includes remnant and restored prairie, successional timber, trails, and 20 acres of open water in two lakes. The 103-acre park offers hiking, camping, fishing, picnicking, bird watching, geocaching, and a natural playscape.
Monthly bird walks are free and open to the public.
Participants will meet the group at the designated meeting site unless an alternate meeting place is announced to facilitate carpooling.
Unless it is stated otherwise, the walk will generally end sometime between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM, depending on interest and success in finding birds.
Bird walks will usually involve some hiking, often away from hardened surfaces and in less-than-ideal conditions. Please come prepared with appropriate dress and footwear.
October Meeting
Ty Smedes has had to cancel our Oct. 15th presentation due to health issues. But we now have another speaker graciously agreeing to step in at the last minute. Here is the information about the program and speaker.
Program: Southeast Arizona Sky Island: Birds, Blooms, Trails, and Canyons.
Speaker: Dr. Nancy Franz, ISU Prof. Emeritus School of Education
Nancy served 33 years with Cooperative Extension in five states. She worked with all of Extension’s program areas in a variety of positions but engaged most deeply with 4-H Youth Development and program evaluation. She retired from ISU Extension and Outreach in 2014. She holds degrees in environmental studies, outdoor education and recreation, and education. These days you can find her hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, birding, botanizing, volunteering, traveling, gardening, reading, and savoring dark chocolate.