Part of the University’s campus charm is the local wildlife, such as the eastern gray squirrels or the Northern Cardinals, and while walking around, individuals see these animals existing on campus. While most walk by clueless to the surrounding ecosystem, some stop to see what the animals are up to, watching and valuing the wildlife in the heart of campus.
The Squirrel and Bird Watching Club focuses on observing and appreciating the birds and squirrels on campus, creating a space for enthusiasts of these animals.
Kayla Tagudar, junior in LAS, is the vice president of the Squirrel and Bird Watching Club. Tagudar described the RSO as an educational and social club with birdwalks, educational events about local wildlife and socials, like board game nights or craft nights.
“When I first joined, I kind of felt out of place because I’ve never been birdwatching before,” Tagudar said. “But I think our club is really good about welcoming beginners, people that don’t know a lot about birds or squirrels.”
As vice president, Tagudar plans many of the bird walks, and for the past two months, the Squirrel and Bird Watching Club has been going on bird walks with the Champaign County Audubon Society.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
While on bird walks, members learn how to identify birds based on their appearances, behaviors, calls, seasonal patterns and patterns of sexes, according to Tagudar. For example, the coloration of the Northern Cardinal differs between the males and females. The bright red birds are males. The females are brown with some red on the wings, crest and tail, and they are duller than males.
“It’s fun to learn about different birds and appreciate the wildlife around us,” Tagudar said. “You don’t think that it would be that exciting, but there’s a lot around us that you wouldn’t expect.”
Eugene Lim, a graduate student studying aerospace engineering, is a member of the Squirrel and Bird Watching Club. He can be seen at events with his camera, taking photos of the animals. The camera Lim uses has a long telephoto lens to get more reach of small birds for his photos. The camera can also capture some good images, even without a lot of zoom.
“There’s so many other birds … that I didn’t know existed until now,” Lim said. “There’s a lot more biodiversity in Champaign that I never have encountered before.”
Linsenate Zheng, senior in Education, is a member, and there are two parts of the RSO, according to her. One part is the Discord server where members post pictures and ask for tips, and the other part is going with the other members to look for squirrels and birds.
She also helps to direct people to find information on the server and sometimes goes bird watching.
Previously, Zheng had an interest in bird watching and identifying different animals and plants. By joining the RSO, she has strengthened her skills and can meet individuals with similar interests.
“A highlight for me was seeing a Merlin … in real life for the first time,” Zheng said. “That was pretty cool.”
Lim said the purpose of the Squirrel and Bird Watching Club is to bring individuals together who are enthusiastic about squirrels and birds. The RSO allows members to enjoy the natural world and learn about the local wildlife. It also lets Lim incorporate breaks from his classwork and projects to have fun with other people.
“It’s been a great experience,” Lim said. “It’s a reason for me to get out and take photos.”
Zheng enjoys going on bird walks because it allows her to take herself out of “school mode” and appreciate the nature around her. Because of the RSO, she learned how to utilize the bus routes better and see more birds than she would have in Chicago, her hometown.
For Lim, he saw a Red-tailed Hawk flying and a Merlin on a tree while on a bird walk, and Tagudar saw a Belted Kingfisher for the first time and a Great Blue Heron.
As Lim explained, the RSO lets members share their passions for birds and squirrels, and he finds joy in that.
“It made me realize what makes an RSO,” Zheng said. “It’s the people that show up, right … It means a lot to me when I see people again, and we learn more about each other each time.”
