McLean County Fluddles

Grand Prairie Bird Alliance partnered with the Geography Department at Illinois State University to create a Fluddles Map of McLean County. We selected a small subset of the thousands of small wetlands in the county based on criteria like size, proximity to a road, and frequency of flooding. We are using this interactive map to collect data on bird use in fluddles so we can make the case for conservation and restore these critical habitats for birds and other wildlife. For more more information, read the article in the Redbird Impact magazine.

A vast avian river flows over McLean County twice a year - once in the spring and once in the fall. Hundreds of thousands of birds migrate through our area. Most pass through unnoticed, but these tired migrants are looking for places to stop so they can rest and refuel. That is where fluddles - “flooded puddles” - come in. They are important stopover habitats for birds. Restoring fluddles will increase the diversity of plant life, which will increase insect diversity, which will increase bird diversity. More birds will use these areas, and they will be able to rest and gain weight so they are better able to complete their arduous journeys.

How can you help?

The Fluddles Map contains highlighted areas for each fluddle. If you zoom in, you will see a pink area that represents the low spot in the field. In the center of this area is a dot. If you click on the dot it will bring up data that includes a name presented as a five-digit number. Please include this number in your eBird submissions. Copy and paste the latitude and longitude numbers just below the name so that we can minimize the number of points for any given location.

This map is not comprehensive. You will find wetlands that are not included in the map. Please report birds for these areas as well. We will incorporate them into our data at the end of the year. Thank you for supporting this project, and happy birding!