Memphis Chapter TOS

The Memphis Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society became officially affiliated with TOS in 1929.

Chapter meetings are held September through May at 7:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month atat St. George’s Episcopal Church, 2425 South Germantown Road, Germantown, TN. Parking is ample and well-lighted. Meetings always include an interesting program, reports of unusual sightings, and announcements of future hikes and other birding opportunities, plus refreshments and social time. Chapter members range from the backyard birder to the professional ornithologist . We would love to have you visit us!

Field trips (traditionally known as hikes by chapter members, although many do not involve hiking) are scheduled twice a month to nearby areas. Click on the link on the left for a list of scheduled field trips. This schedule is subject to change. Please contact Field Trip/Hike Chair Susan Davis, susansusang@aol.com for more information on these hikes.

Photo by Ed Thomas

Some favorite destinations include the forest and fields of Shelby Farms Park in east Memphis (on either side of Walnut Grove Rd. from the Wolf River to Germantown Rd.), the upland and bottomland hardwood forest of Meeman Shelby Forest State Park (10 miles north of the city), the sludge ponds, fields, and forest of the EARTH Complex (at T.E. Maxon Sewage Treatment Plant off Mitchell Rd. in southwest Shelby Co.), and numerous other locales in the tri-state area. Click the link on the left for more information on these and other favorite birding sites.

The chapter publishes a monthly newsletter, available at the link on the left. It contains details about upcoming meeting programs and field trips, special events, and recent bird observations.

Memphis chapter members participate in Christmas Bird Counts, Breeding Bird Surveys, Point Counts, the Midwinter Eagle Survey, and Roadside Raptor Surveys. The Memphis Christmas Bird Count began in 1928. The Chapter has created checklists for all the major birding areas in west Tennessee including state parks, refuges, and wildlife management areas. Over the past 25 years, we have hacked Bald Eagles, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Mississippi Kites, and Barn Owls. The Memphis Chapter has provided funds and worked on grant applications for the acquisition of major natural areas in West Tennessee including the more than 4000 acre Wolf River Wildlife Management Area.

Data collected by members of the Memphis Chapter were compiled by Martha Waldron into a booklet, Seasonal Occurrences of Shelby County, Tennessee Birds. This booklet is available here in PDF format; a printed version can be purchased for $3 from the chapter. It displays graphically, for each bird species found in Shelby County, the dates and frequency of occurrence of the species within proper habitat.

Click here for a brief history of the Memphis Chapter.