Mar 3, 8:00 am Milwaukee Soldier’s Home Grounds
Meet at the parking lot north of Gen Wolcott Blvd (red P on map)
We will bird the grounds and along the Hank Aaron Trail. The Soldier’s Home has quite a history, https://milwaukeesoldiershome.com/history/ and is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation registry, https://savingplaces.org/places/milwaukee-va-soldiers-home
Native Plant Sales are coming! Feeders are great but having natural habitat and food supplies is even better. List of local sales next week!
Bird Trivia was fun! Wantable Cafe was an excellent host! We all now know the smallest owl (Elf Owl), the bird with the most feathers (Emperor Penguin) and the children’s cartoon Peep and the Big Wide World.
Check out a new column by Kyle Arpke: https://milwaukeerecord.com/city-life/bird-city-milwaukee-county-exploring-the-schlitz-audubon-nature-center-in-the-village-of-bayside/
American Woodcocks are arriving. Many nature centers have evening walks to see their fabulous courtship flight. We will be returning to Harrington Beach this month. Stay tuned for the date. Scheduled woodcock walks in the area:
Woodcock Wander
Thursday April 17, Mequon Nature Preserve
Join local bird expert Dan Panetti, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited – Mequon, on a Woodcock Wander around the Mequon Nature Preserve.
This program is being presented by the Mequon Nature Preserve and is co-sponsored by the Ozaukee-Washington Birding Coalition, a consortium of environmental organizations consisting of the Mequon Nature Preserve, the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, the Riveredge Nature Center, the Lac Lawrann Conservancy, and the Cutright Bird Club. Rain date: Thursday, April 18th
Click here to register: https://ticketstripe.com/woodcockwander-2024
Last Week:
Andy led us on a walk around Estabrook Park. While the winds kept lots of birds hunkered down, we did have a some nice sightings. A Goldeneye on the Milwaukee Rives, loads of Mourning Doves and a fly over by a Sharpie and some Swan species. See pictures here, https://signsoflifeinestabrookpark.net/2024/02/25/a-surprise-ending/
eBird list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S162875579
Ongoing Bird Walks:
Last one coming up: Second Saturday (Nov-March) 11:00am Duck Watch on Lincoln Memorial Drive -east side heading north of Bradford Beach up the hill -yellow highlighted area –>. Look for all the people and scopes.
Sundays 8:00am Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society Bird Walk (WMAS)
Wehr Nature Center 9701 W College Ave. No registration required.
WMAS Bird Club meets third Wednesday at 7:00pm at Wehr Nature Center
Tues 8:00am Menomonee Valley Urban Ecology Center (UEC), 3700 W Pierce St
Wed 8:00am Washington Park Urban Ecology Center (UEC) 4023 W Galena St
Thurs 8:00am Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center (UEC) 1500 E Park Place
Third Saturdays 8:00am Schlitz Audubon Nature Center 1111 E Brown Deer Rd, Registration required, https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/saturday-morning-bird-walk-15/
Schlitz Audubon Bird Club meets second Wednesday at 6:30pm
Nearby Bird Clubs to checkout:
Ozaukee Washington Birding Coalition meets at Riveredge Nature Center, Lac Lawrann in West Bend, Mequon Nature Preserve and Cedarburg Bog
Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club meets at Retzer Nature Center
Hoy Audubon Society meets in Racine
Upcoming:
MARCH
Bluebirds and other Cavity Nesters Workshop,
Saturday Mar 2 1:00-2:30pm
Riveredge Birding Series-Registration recommended
Learn how to attract a wide variety of cavity-nesting birds to your yard. Nest box styles, placement and maintenance will be discussed as well.
Duck ID Two-part series
By Jeff Bahls, president of Horicon Marsh Bird Club
Riveredge Birding Series- Registration Required
Tuesday March 5th at Riveredge 6:00-8:00 pm
https://www.riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/ducks-of-wisconsin-field-identification-workshop/2024-03-05/
Saturday March 9th Duck ID Field Trip to Horicon Marsh https://www.riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/ducks-of-wisconsin-field-identification-workshop/2024-03-09/
Intro to eBird: Every “Birdy” Counts
Wednesday March 6, 6:30-8:00pm WMAS with Wehr Nature Center
Register here, $5 per person
It’s easy to discover where birds are, enter bird sightings, and contribute to worldwide research! This is a basic interactive demonstration of the eBird bird-tracking software; an advanced session may be available later. Have no fear – anyone can do it, even beginning birders – and every bird, and birder, counts!
Habitat Restoration and Bird Monitoring on Oneida Nation’s Lands
Wednesday Mar 13, 7:00 pm Mequon Nature Preserve
A presentation by Tony Kuchma, Oneida Nation wetland program coordinator; and Erin Giese, data scientist at UW-Green Bay’s Cofrin Center for Biodiversity Hybrid live and Zoom program. More here: https://mequonnaturepreserve.org/get-involved/events
Author visit from Dr. Trish O’Kane
Thursday Mar 14, 6:00-7:30pm at UEC, Riverside
Author, educator, and activist Dr. Trish O’Kane. She’ll give a reading and answer questions about her new memoir, Birding to Change the World. From Boswell Book’s:
“In Birding to Change the World, O’Kane details the astonishing science of bird life, from migration and parenting to the territorial defense strategies that influenced her own activism. A warm and compelling weave of science and social engagement, this is the story of an improbably band of bird lovers who saved their park. And it is a blueprint for muscular citizenship, powered by joy.”
BIPOC Birding Hike at Wehr
Saturday Mar 16, 9:00-11:00am
Walk around the Wehr Nature Center Trails looking for birds in the woodlands, grasslands, and on the pond. More info here: https://www.bipocbirdingclub.org/events/hike-wehr-nature-center-milwaukee-2024
eBird and Beyond: Advanced eBirding
Saturday Mar 16 Noon-2:00pm WMAS with Wehr Nature Center
Explore how to optimize eBird for personal listings, contribute valuable citizen science data for research, and elevate your birding adventures. From uncovering top hotspots during your travels to creating detailed trip reports encompassing multiple locations, we’ll guide you through maximizing the platform’s potential.
Learn how to seamlessly integrate media, delve into location- specific life list predictions, and more! It is optional to bring your laptop for a hands-on experience using Wehr Nature Center WiFi to understand differences between computer eBird and mobile eBird.
Weather permitting, join us for a short walk to showcase the functionality of the eBird mobile app. Elevate your birding journey with our advanced eBird class!
Presented by Derek & Ryan Sallman of Badgerland Birders. Registration here
Where Meteorology and Ecology Meet with Eric Manches
Wednesday Mar 20, 7:00pm at Wehr Nature Center
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society March Meeting
Eric Manches, Fox6 Meteorologist will present a program, “Where Meteorology and Ecology Meet; How Gardening for biodiversity and mimicking native landscapes in your own yard can have profound positive impacts even with a small area. And this talk is how I learned that firsthand.
I’ve been a meteorologist in Milwaukee since late summer of 2019. Born and raised in Rochester Minnesota, went to Iowa State University for college. Worked in Tyler Texas for two years before coming here. My passion for meteorology all started with my love of trees growing up. But since moving to Wisconsin, I still love trees but I’ve certainly expanded to all forms of life.
Backyard Naturalist Lecture: Bill Mueller on Aerial Insectivores
Friday Mar 29, 9:00-10:00am
Backyard Naturalist is a series of Friday lectures by local experts coordinated and sponsored by UEC, Urban Ecology Center. Register to join Backyard Naturalists.
APRIL
WINGS – Bird Window Collision Monitoring
April 15- May 31, Run by UEC
Training provided by Urban Ecology Center. At training, sign up for mornings to monitor two downtown buildings. It takes 30-45 minutes for a team of two volunteers and begins at dawn. It is important data collection. Learn more about the program here and fill out our interest form (for new volunteers).
Book a spot in a bird blind to watch Sharp-tailed Grouse mating dance.
April and May
Book through Namekagon Wildlife Barrens.. View dates are April and May on Sundays, Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays
https://www.namekagonbarrens.org/2024/01/12/the-2024-viewing-blind-reservation-schedule-is-open-on-the-friends-of-the-namekagon-barrens-wildlife-area-website/
Greater Prairie Chicken Mating Dance Viewing at Buena Vista Grasslands
April Booking will be available through UW Stevens Point. Watch here for more info: https://www3.uwsp.edu/wildlife/pchicken/Pages/viewing.aspx
Woodcock Wander
Thursday April 17, Mequon Nature Preserve
Join local bird expert Dan Panetti, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited – Mequon, on a Woodcock Wander around the Mequon Nature Preserve.
This program is being presented by the Mequon Nature Preserve and is co-sponsored by the Ozaukee-Washington Birding Coalition, a consortium of environmental organizations consisting of the Mequon Nature Preserve, the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, the Riveredge Nature Center, the Lac Lawrann Conservancy, and the Cutright Bird Club. Rain date: Thursday, April 18th
Click here to register: https://ticketstripe.com/woodcockwander-2024
Brew City Bird Fest
May 10-17, 2024 Urban Ecology Center and other sites around the city
Celebrate spring migration with Urban Ecology Center at the Brew City Birding Festival Friday May 10th to Friday May 17th. We’ll have bird themed lectures, field trips, and other events all week including bird art night, Wingspan game night, and of course, the return of our popular Horicon Marsh field trip! Kick it all off with our 12th Annual Green Birding Challenge on Saturday May 11th. Compete to see the most species without using fossil fuels or bring the family for some Fledgling Fun! Registration links coming soon.
Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Annual Convention
May 17-19 Two Rivers
Talks, Keynote on Climate Change and Birds, and field trips
Details and registration info here, https://wsobirds.org/what-we-do/annual-convention
Milwaukee Birders 