Enjoy your holidays! Bird when and where you can
We’ll return to scheduled walks on Jan 7
Heather Wolf’s book “Find More Birds” gives great tips! As she says birding is watching the “wildest free show on earth”
Here are Katie’s top 10:
- Take a seat. Sitting we appear smaller and less threatening. Then give the birds time to show themselves (Wolf’s #9)
- Don’t lose hope if it files away. Watch it, see where it lands, move slowly in that direction. (#13)
- Check open patches of ground after snowfall (#29)
- Scan ebird bar charts to see what’s most likely, ebird.org + explore regions (#46)
- View photos from hotspots for habitat scenes and clues at the Macaulay Library, macaulaylibrary.org/hotspot . See Judith’s pic below: we can tell the goose was found on the beach not the grass. (#51)
- Bird at the zoo (#64)
- Visit a cemetery (#65). Forest Home Cemetery is great for birding!
- Check ebird.org/targets to see where what you haven’t see has been spotted (#101)
- Practice tracking birds in flight with common birds (#102)
- Stay in the car (#108). Practice this on Six-mile road when looking for Short-eared Owls
Last Week:
Did you do a Christmas Bird Count area? Reports will be out in the next few weeks.
Ongoing Bird Walks:
Second Saturday (Nov-March) 11:00am Duck Watch on Lincoln Memorial Drive -east side heading north up the hill -yellow highlighted area. Look for all the people and scopes.
Sundays 9:00am Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society Bird Walk
Wehr Nature Center 9701 W College Ave
Tues 8:00am Urban Ecology Center, Menomonee Valley 3700 W Pierce St
Wed 8:00am Urban Ecology Center Washington Park 4023 W Galena St
Thurs 8:00am Urban Ecology Center Riverside Park 1500 E Park Place
Upcoming:
No organized Milwaukee Birder trips until Jan 7
Jan. 1 (Monday)
New Year’s Day Birding Field Trip (7:30 a.m.) and Luncheon (Noon)
The Noel J. Cutright Bird Club is inviting all members of Ozaukee Washington Birding Coalition organizations to participate in their annual “Every Bird Is a New Bird” Field Trip to launch your 2024 list! We will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Coal Dock Park in Port Washington and end at noon with a celebratory lunch (sub sandwiches, chips, cookies and beverages) in the Riveredge Nature Center barn. Please RSVP to Carl Schwartz at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com or at 414-416-3272 by Dec 28 or sooner so that we have enough food.
Yes — there is such a thing as free lunch!
Trip leaders: Carl Schwartz and Joan Sommer
Jan. 10 (Wednesday) @ 7 p.m.
A Citizen Science Perspective on the Bald Eagle Nest Watch Project in Southeast Wisconsin by Beth Berger Martin
Hybrid live and Zoom program at Lac Lawrann Conservancy
In coordination with the Wisconsin DNR, the Badgerland Bird Alliance (formerly Madison Audubon) launched the Bald Eagle Nest Watch (BENW) project in 2018 with the goal of monitoring and better understanding how Bald Eagle populations are doing in Wisconsin. It has grown to include more than 100 nests in 36 counties! While Bald Eagles have made a remarkable recovery in Wisconsin, they continue to face significant threats. BENW is looking for more volunteers to assist in finding and monitoring nests. Volunteers are especially needed in Ozaukee and Washington Counties. Beth Berger Martin (and her husband Ken) have been actively looking for and monitoring Bald Eagle nests since 1917. She is passionate about raptors and works as a raptor volunteer at the Schlitz Audubon Center in Brown Deer.
Registration for in-person attendance: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4CADAE23A1FB6-46387323-bald#/
To join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86441798331?pwd=cktpVkJ6aWo3L3F6TVBzd1BVU2owdz09
Meeting ID: 864 4179 8331
Passcode: 527508
Plant Physiology for Fun class
Thursdays Jan 18 – Feb 29 4:40-6:30pm
Urban Ecology Center – Riverside Park
Great class, Register here: https://30781a.blackbaudhosting.com/30781a/Plant-Physiology-for-Fun
Milwaukee Birders 