Peoria-Area Birding Home
About me: Evan Carlson
I have lived in the Peoria area and had an interest in birds my entire life, but I only became serious about birding in June 2012. I was immediately disappointed in the amount of readily available information about local birding. This website is my attempt to make as much information available as possible for others.
If you have any questions or comments or if you would like to report a rare bird, you can email me at emcarlson8@gmail.com.
For the purposes of this site, I define the Peoria area as being roughly anywhere within a half-hour drive from downtown Peoria. Banner Marsh, Elmwood, Brimfield, Princeville, Chillicothe, Eureka, Mackinaw River Fish & Wildlife Area, and Powerton Lake are roughly the outer edges of the area (click the above image for a larger view).
There are some great hotspots just outside the area that I don't discuss on this site but are definitely worth checking out if you are in the Peoria area: Emiquon and Chautauqua in Fulton and Mason Counties are two of the best hotspots in the state, and Spring Lake in Tazewell County is also a great place to see a large variety of birds. To the north, Dixon Waterfowl Refuge in Putnam County is a great restored wetland that has had a number of rare birds in recent years.
A map of local hotspots and a few detailed guides.
A guide for where and when to look for each species in the area.
A few links to birding resources as well as some of my personal birding pages.
A list of sightings in the area of birds too rare to be included in my species guide.
Whatever lists I happen to be working on at the moment.