Upcoming events
Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021
FREP Membership Meeting 1 – 2:30 PM
Creek Bend Nature Center, St. Charles
Program: Singing Insects by Carl Strang
RSVP to Becky Hoag at foxriverinto@comcast.net
Past Events
Take a virtual soundwalk with the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology!
Wednesday, Aug. 11; 7-8 p.m.
Singing Insects Walk
Creek Bend Nature Center
Hampshire Forest Preserve
44W780 Allen Rd., Hampshire
Fee: $2/person
The late summer soundscape is amazingly beautiful and intricate. Venture out to explore the world of nocturnal singing insects with a naturalist. Before heading into the field, we’ll learn about the calls of some of the more common evening music-makers, then use our new-found listening skills to get up close and personal with some of the songsters.
Contact Erica Lemon, Naturalist,Forest Preserve District of Kane County
630-444-3193
Wednesday, August 11 @ 7:00 PM
Night Out in the Parks: Singing Insects Soundwalk
Big Marsh Park
111555 S. Stony Island Ave, Chicago IL
Eric Leonardson will lead the group through listening exercises during a short soundwalk which will then be followed by a singing insect monitor training and a second soundwalk led by Dr. Carl Strang.
Facebook Event
https://mwsae.org/2021-calendar-of-events/
Virtual Monitor Training Via Zoom
Forest Preserves of Cook County
Thursday, June 24, 2021 @ 7pm
Sunday, June 27, 2021 @ 1pm
Learn songs of the most commonly heard singing insects and how to monitor for the Singing Insects Monitoring Project. This is an online presentation that you can enjoy at home via Zoom and is open to people throughout northeastern Illinois. To register, email Mary.Busch@cookcountyil.gov and include the date you wish to attend.
Sunday, July 11, 2021 @ 7:00 PM CDT via Zoom
Tune your Ears to Singing Insects
Tune your ears to the full chorus of charismatic singing insects in this interactive program. Join naturalist and musician Negin Almassi as she demonstrates creative ways to listen to crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, and cicadas. Almassi will explain their ecology, introduce some commonly heard species as well as some unique ones, and demonstrate how you can contribute to conservation by recording insect songs in your local preserve or backyard.
Nature’s Fireworks and Symphony
Thursday, July 15, 2021 AT 8 PM CDT – 10 PM CDT
Sagawau Field Science Station, 12545 W 111th St, Lemont IL
Enjoy the chorus of singing insects and the light show of fireflies. Learn how to conserve these nocturnal insects. Unvaccinated visitors must wear a mask indoors at all times; and they must wear a mask outdoors when physical distancing (six feet from other people) is not possible. REGISTRATION REQUIRED:
Call Sagawau at 630-257-2045.
Sunday, February 21, 2021 11:00 AM
Tune your Ear to Singing Insects
Negin Almassi of the Forest Preserves of Cook County
Wild Things virutal conference – register at https://www.wildthingscommunity.org/
Singing Insects Monitor Training: Two dates
Thursday, July 9 @ 7pm | Saturday, July 11 @ 10 am
Online via Zoom
Learn songs of the most commonly heard singing insects and how to monitor for the Singing Insects Monitoring Project. This is an online presentation that you can enjoy at home via Zoom and is open to people in northeastern Illinois. To register, email Mary.Busch@cookcountyil.gov and include the date you wish to attend.
June 26, 2019 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Monitor Training
River Trail Nature Center, 3120 Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook IL
Author Dr. Carl Strang will introduce commonly heard katydids, crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas in northern Illinois. Learn the monitoring protocol of the Singing Insects Monitoring Project and practice recording songs with your smartphone or a digital recorder. Volunteers will submit recordings from their monitoring site via email or iNaturalist, depending on their preference. Register online at the Cook County Volunteer website.
June 27, 2019 7:00pm – 9:00 pm
Monitor Training
Sagawau Field Science Station, 12545 W 111th St, Lemont IL
Author Dr. Carl Strang will introduce commonly heard katydids, crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas in northern Illinois. Learn the monitoring protocol of the Singing Insects Monitoring Project and practice recording songs with your smartphone or a digital recorder. Volunteers will submit recordings from their monitoring site via email or iNaturalist, depending on their preference. Register online at the Cook County Volunteer website.
July 13, 2019, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Field Recording Workshop
West Ridge Nature Preserve, 5601 N. Western Ave, Chicago IL
Learn how to listen and record outdoors with Eric Leonardson, Inferno (Chicago Park District) and Experimental Sound Studio. Limited places available, visit mwsae.org to sign up (Eventbrite).
July 25, 2019, 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Singing Insects Listening Walk
Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W Lunt Ave, Chicago, IL
Free, no registration required. Walk with others and learn to listen to soundscapes and focus on sounds from large to small with Eric Leonardson of the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology and Dr. Carl Strang. Download the Night Out in the Parks app for more information or just meet us at the fieldhouse at 7:30.
August 1, 2019 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Singing Insects (Child friendly, introductory workshop)
Gillson Park, Wilmette IL
Mid-to-late July is the time of year when the great insect chorus begins. Learn about the charismatic insects we hear after dark, how to identify them, and how you can learn more about the many bugs that go “buzz” in the night! Location: Lakeview Center in Gillson Park. $24 registration fee – register online at https://www.wilmettepark.org/
Singing Insects Walk
Thursday, August 29, 7 – 9 pm
Adults and ages 12+, registration required, 630-257-2045, FREE
Sagawau Field Science Station, 12545 W 111th St, Lemont IL 60439
Who is singing tonight? Enjoy the chorus of insects as the sun sets: crickets, katydids, cicadas, and grasshoppers. Indoor presentation followed by a naturalist-led night walk. Contact Negin.almassi@cookcountyil.gov to register.
Other Bug Workshops
Not specifically limited to singing insects, Kathleen Soler will be leading family-friendly bug collection nights at various parks in Chicago this summer. Check out the Night Out in the Parks app or click here to see dates and locations.
Past Events
February 23, 2019, Rosemont IL
Wild Things Conference Carl Strang will give his latest update on singing insects of the Chicago region.