Midwest Birding Symposium

Kim and I have just arrived at the Midwest Birding Symposium, being held this year at Moline, Illinois, on the Mississippi River.  This particular symposium has been held every other year since 1989, moving to various cities around the Midwest. It has always been a fine event, and since 2001 it has had an added benefit:  each time, it raises money for a specific conservation project.   The project this year is habitat management on a floodplain area known as the Milan Bottoms, where the Quad Cities Audubon chapter has taken the lead.  This year's symposium has more content on conservation than ever before, and it's becoming obvious that the birding community is fully engaged in protecting the bird populations that we all enjoy watching.