Eagle Creek Ornithology Center

Check out Carson's (Eagle Creek Ornithology Center's Bald Eagle) two siblings! The eagles at Mentor Marsh are at it again, raising two chicks this year into two huge eaglets that are preparing to leave the nest. Best of luck to these beautiful eagles!

Indy area museums, cultural institutions, and parks are collaborating to elevate Black Birders Week events in and around Indianapolis in partnership with Outdoor Afro. These events celebrate Black Birder's Week (The Black AF in STEM Collective) and are designed to uplift Black participants, though allies are welcome to attend in a supportive role. Please join for as many events as you’d like!

Monday, May 25: Black Birders Week kick-off events at Conner Prairie: Beginning Birding 9:00 am -11:00 am, Stationary Birding 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Sunset Stroll 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. More information here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.connerprairie.org/calendar/?cal-477189-endDate=2026-05-31&cal-477189-page=1&cal-477189-startDate=2026-05-01&cal-477189-tags=68096__;!!AqUccmB9Oakh!wAhNob65ipEBsHeKncAIl1OmF4R4hx2ZqGJ8W91fSGnRag0HCjV1mstUdmZrNWbked96ph4wYWErK4Q4iyAVmTRraQ$

Tuesday, May 26: Birding Stroll with Sam Ivande at the Indianapolis Zoo and along the White River. 9:00 am - 11:00 am. For more information, contact [email protected]

Wednesday, May 27: Celebrating Black Birders Week Birding Tour with Doug Gray at Crown Hill Arboretum 9:00 am - 11:00 am. More information here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://event.ontaptickets.com/events/celebrating-black-birders-week-birding-tour-with-douglas-gray-5-27-2026__;!!AqUccmB9Oakh!wAhNob65ipEBsHeKncAIl1OmF4R4hx2ZqGJ8W91fSGnRag0HCjV1mstUdmZrNWbked96ph4wYWErK4Q4iyB-V3jhMg$

Thursday, May 28: Guided Nature Walk with Nicole O'Neal at Conner Prairie. 11:00 am - 12:00 pm More information here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.connerprairie.org/calendar/?cal-477189-endDate=2026-05-31&cal-477189-page=1&cal-477189-startDate=2026-05-01&cal-477189-tags=68096__;!!AqUccmB9Oakh!wAhNob65ipEBsHeKncAIl1OmF4R4hx2ZqGJ8W91fSGnRag0HCjV1mstUdmZrNWbked96ph4wYWErK4Q4iyAVmTRraQ$

Thursday, May 28: Poetry Workshop with Michelle Banks at Conner Prairie. 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. More information here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.connerprairie.org/calendar/?cal-477189-endDate=2026-05-31&cal-477189-page=1&cal-477189-startDate=2026-05-01&cal-477189-tags=68096__;!!AqUccmB9Oakh!wAhNob65ipEBsHeKncAIl1OmF4R4hx2ZqGJ8W91fSGnRag0HCjV1mstUdmZrNWbked96ph4wYWErK4Q4iyAVmTRraQ$

Thursday, May 28: Sit and Song at Washington Park (Shelter 3). 6:30-8:00 pm For more information, contact [email protected]

Friday, May 29: “Behold the Land”: Black Ecopoetic Traditions Keynote with Michelle Banks, Curator with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage at Conner Prairie. 6:00-8:30 pm. More information here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.connerprairie.org/calendar/?cal-477189-endDate=2026-05-31&cal-477189-page=1&cal-477189-startDate=2026-05-01&cal-477189-tags=68096__;!!AqUccmB9Oakh!wAhNob65ipEBsHeKncAIl1OmF4R4hx2ZqGJ8W91fSGnRag0HCjV1mstUdmZrNWbked96ph4wYWErK4Q4iyAVmTRraQ$

Saturday, May 30: Birding at Betley Woods at Glacier's End with Nicole O’Neal, Doug Gray, and Central Indiana Land Trust. 9:00 am -12:00 pm. More information here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-birders-week-hike-at-betley-woods-at-glaciers-end-tickets-1987397839437__;!!AqUccmB9Oakh!wAhNob65ipEBsHeKncAIl1OmF4R4hx2ZqGJ8W91fSGnRag0HCjV1mstUdmZrNWbked96ph4wYWErK4Q4iyB_unWBkw$

Saturday, May 30: Birding around the Park with Sam Ivande at Belmont Beach 4:00-5:00 pm. For more information, contact [email protected]

Sunday, May 31: Sunday morning birding at the Eagle Creek Park Ornithology Center with Outdoor Afro Indy and Bird Alliance of Central Indiana (formerly Amos Butler Audubon Society) 9:00 am-11:00 am. FREE with park admission. For more information contact [email protected]

Update 3pm: OC is OPEN! Power is restored.

The Ornithology Center will be closed today (5/7) due to a power outage on site. Hopefully it will be restored today!

All staffed Indy Parks facilities will be closed Tuesday, May 5th for Election Day, with park grounds remaining open from dawn to dusk. Normal hours and activities will resume Wednesday, May 6th.

A selection of Indy Parks family centers will be open on May 5th as voting centers. To view the full list of sites, visit https://www.indy.gov/activity/vote-centers

Attention plant enthusiasts! At Bird Fest, we have a selection of plant plugs for sale on Saturday 10-5pm and Sunday 1-5pm. Available while supplies last! (Each plant for $6-7 each, many have several starts in a single plug!)

All proceeds go directly to the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center's Fund with the Eagle Creek Park Foundation, Inc. to support the long-term care of our avian ambassadors and our educational programming!

Check out this list of plants:

‘Blue Fortune' Agastache - Mesmerizing powder blue flower spikes bloom nonstop in upright form and are highly attractive to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Drought resistant. Prefers full sun.

Canadian red columbine – red and yellow flowers, blooms late spring. Best wildflowers to attract hummingbirds to your shady gardens!

Swamp milkweed - Perfect start to your butterfly garden, rain garden, stream bed, or anywhere you want to see beautiful flowers and pollinators in wet soil. Pink and white flowers on tall stems with lovely long green leaves. Full sun. Host plant of Monarch Butterflies.

'Grape Crush' New England aster - Densely packed, deep purple flowers above dark green foliage, forming a neatly rounded mound approximately 26–30 inches tall. Striking late-season display when many other plants have finished blooming. The flowers attract hummingbirds, monarch butterflies, and other pollinators. Full sun can tolerate part sun (4-6 hrs).

'Wood's Light Blue' Aster - Soft blue, gold-centered flowers carried above deep green foliage from late summer through fall, compact 15” tall. Prefers full sun to light shade. Attractive to butterflies.

'Ruby Star' Echinacea – Purple coneflower. Best in full sun, or partial shade. Attracts birds and Butterflies

'Autumn Gold' Helianthus - Golden-yellow flowers blanket wispy, emerald-green foliage from September to a hard frost with a tidy, shrub-like appearance. Dried seedheads nourish songbirds. Blooms mid-summer to late fall. Full sun.

'Jeana' phlox paniculata - Bright purple-pink, fragrant flowers appear from midsummer to autumn. The tubular shape of the florets appeals to butterflies. Full sun to part shade.

Rudbeckia 'American Gold Rush' - buttery golden yellow blossoms and chocolate button centers that attract butterflies, birds, and other pollinators. Expect steady stream of these vibrant beauties from summer through fall. Attracts butterflies, birds, and other pollinators.

Rudbeckia triloba 'Prairie Glow' - Prairie Glow' is a selection of brown-eyed Susan that features a multi-branched growth habit and a profusion of orange and yellow blooms from mid-summer into fall. Full sun. Attracts butterflies and birds.

Verbena hastata - Dramatic elongated candelabra-like spikes of pink petite flowers bloom during the late summer lasting four weeks. Attractive to bees and butterflies. Full sun.

'Jacob Cline' monarda didyma - Loved hummingbirds and bees, crimson red crown-shaped blooms appear on tall, plants in mid summer. Fragrant. Tolerates dry soil. Full to partial sun

In the spring tornado of 2025, one of the Eagle Creek Park Purple Martin boxes at the Marina was badly damaged.

Purple Martins are a bird of special concern due to declining populations. The Purple Martin Conservation Association reported that the number of purple martin young fledged in 2025 was the lowest number in the 31 years they have been monitoring their populations!

A grant from the Efroymson Family Fund replaced the damaged box this spring. This grant was written by Becky Lomax-Sumner, a long-time Eagle Creek Park volunteer and facilitated by Amos Butler Audubon Society.

Keep your eye out for the Purple Martins when you are at the Marina!

To read more about Purple Martins, visit this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_Martin/overview