Hello, I’m Oliver Burrus, a fourteen-year-old birder from northern Illinois and founder of Whimbrel Birders Club (WBC).

The author at Dixon Waterfowl Refuge


Whimbrel Birders Club was established at the first annual Illinois Young Birders Symposium in August 2016. At first, my mission was to get some of the Illinois Young Birders Club members together more frequently, but then our mission gradually shifted to uniting all birders throughout the world! We are a birding club truly meant for everyone, no matter your age, disability, or ethnicity. Ever since our founding we have continued improving our organization by starting competitions, offering two or more bird walks a month, blogging, and now by having other birders begin their chapter of WBC in their part of the country (or world). Please see more about us at whimbrelbirders.org.

Participants on a walk at Illinois Beach State Park – North


Out of the numerous great things our club offers, some of my favorites are our competitions such as the Whimbrel Patch Birding Competition (WPBC) – when trip leaders guide people throughout their 7-mile local patches. Another, the Backyard Migratory Bird Count Competition (BMBCC) is a contest where people bird in their yard (or patch) for a weekend and submit their counts through the website. Our final competition is the Whimbrel Big Day Competition (WBDC) in which several birders of each chapter will go around their state trying to find as many birds as possible during a 24 hour period! Although the WBDC does have a $10 entry fee (which will pay for a prize and the leftover money will go to a charity of the winning team’s choice), in my opinion, it is the most thrilling contest that we offer.

Dixon Waterfowl Refuge


This exceptional opportunity is not restricted to birders just in northern Illinois. We are asking birders everywhere if they would like to start a chapter of Whimbrel Birders Club in their part of the country or the world.
We are looking for (preferably young) birders that can:

  • ID the birds by sight and sound in their area
  • Feel comfortable leading bird walks with everyone including adults
  • Keep an up-to-date upcoming trip list
  • Write trip reports

If this sounds like you, please fill out this form  and I will get your chapter of WBC up and running ASAP.
We additionally have the opportunity for already existing birding clubs to become a partner! If you are interested in partnering with us, please contact me at whimbrelbirders(at)yahoo.com so I can provide you with more info!
Benefits of becoming a WBC chapter founder:

  • You will meet many new birders who share your passion.
  • Starting a chapter with us is the easiest way to start a birding club.
  • You can chat on our site with every other member of every chapter!
  • You get to compete in all of our competitions.
  • Many other great benefits.

If you are interested in starting your chapter of WBC, just click here to get the ball rolling.
Lastly, a huge thanks to Lucas Rot, another young birder from Illinois who has helped me immensely with this project.