INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Public Library is partnering with the City’s Office of Sustainability and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to introduce Indy’s kids and families to the fun of urban bird watching. Through the City’s BirdIndy program, the Office of Sustainability is providing birding kits for educators, naturalists, youth leaders, and bird watching enthusiasts.
The kits include bird watching essentials such as binoculars, field guides, activity books, and Audubon bird calls. Kits for larger groups are also available and feature curriculum guides for students in preschool through fourth grade. Larger kits also feature materials for groups participating in service learning projects.
Birding kits will be available to rent at no cost at 6 locations: Central Library, 40 E. St Clair Street; Glendale Branch, 6101 N. Keystone Ave.; Irvington Branch, 5625 E. Washington Street; Garfield Park Branch, 2505 E. Shelby Street; Spades Park Branch, 1801 Nowland Ave.; and Eagle Creek Park Ornithology Center, 6515 Delong Road.
Funding for the BirdIndy program is provided to the City through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In 2013, the City launched the Indy Birding Trail. The trail is designed to guide residents and visitors to 35 of the City’s best areas for bird watching. Through the Indy Birding Trail, city parks, green spaces, and environmentally conscious institutions throughout the city are celebrated as havens for biodiversity within an urban setting. The Indy Birding Trail is supplemented by the BirdIndy website, mobile application and trail guide, which will be available online and at sites along the trail.
For more information about the City’s BirdIndy program, visit indy.gov/birdindy