Audubon Morning Nature Walk May 16, 2011

Brian “Fox” Ellis will host a bird walk, Audubon exhibit and performance in character. Ellis brings history, ecology, art and literature to life in a day-long series of programs that celebrate the life work of one of America’s great artists and naturalists. John James Audubon’s Whistle Stop Tour of Southern Illinois celebrates the bicentennial of Audubon’s first journey through Illinois. In May 1811, Audubon made an epic journey walking across southern Illinois, travelling all day without seeing another human or a tree. The stories will recapture Illinois’ past as a prairie state, with trumpeter swans and wolves, Shawnee Indians and black bear. Audubon’s stories about his travels in the area will be the basis for the programs presented during this tour.
Morning Nature Walk from 7 to 8:30 a.m.
Meet at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge public parking lot. Optional: Bring binoculars and a field guide for birds. Join Audubon on a unique bird watching adventure as he regales listeners with in-depth observations of the species seen along the trail.
Audubon in Illinois: The Traveling Exhibit @ MCL from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Meet Audubon from 3 to 5 p.m. This portable museum includes more than 30 prints of Audubon’s birds and mammals, a complete set of the Royal Octavo Edition of The Birds of America and The Quadrupeds of North America, mounted birds and wood carvings.
Audubon’s Adventures in Illinois at 6:30 p.m.
Learn about the birds Audubon painted, encounters with Native Americans and his epic walk across Illinois in 1811! He will enchant you with stories of his travels in the wildest places on the planet.