Feb 25, 8:00 am Estabrook Park
Meet at the NW corner of the Beer Garden Parking lot
River trail will be slippery and muddy – prepare yourselves. We’ll go down along the river trails looking for all the birds Andy has been seeing, Signs of Life in Estabrook Park I am very interested in finding that cute little Winter Wren.
Latest eBird reports: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L385009
Milwaukee Bird Trivia Night!
Thursday Feb 29 4:30-6:00
Want to get together and play happy hour bird trivia? The questions range from easy to silly to ridiculous! It will be FUN!
Come with a team or join one when you get there.
Meet at Wantable Cafe. Prizes. A fabulous spot in Walker’s Point. They have a great set-up for us. The menu has everything from warming coffees to local beers.
Last Week:
A loud Tufted Titmouse greeted us in the parking lot at Wehr. Soon after a Bald Eagle flew over. We took a nice walk through the woods, along the grassy hill, around to the west side of the waterfall. It was a lovely morning. Saturday’s wind was gone and the sun was strong. Besides the warm temperature, we had three Red-Winged Blackbirds singing to remind us spring is coming.
By the pond, there bunches of House Finches, a couple White-breasted Nuthatches as well as a pair of Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. We had a grand tour of Judith’s murals in the building. Worth seeing! We could lead a whole Bioblitz just on her paintings. They are fabulous!
eBird list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S162499745
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 9:00am 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:
February
Winter Walk at Seminary Woods with BIPOC Bird Club
Saturday, Feb 24 9:00-11:00am
Seminary Woods is a beautiful woodland that often attracts winter finches, many species of woodpeckers, and owls (typically Great Horned and Screech Owls). In late February the Great Horned Owls will be on their nest and we may have a chance to see them. We will likely have to be quiet so we do not startle any owls, but the seminary woods are so serene that quiet is second nature there. We’ll explore an old cemetery and a grotto in the middle of the woods and see what birds can be found there as well.
Parking: Park at the north end of the Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center (formerly called the Cousins Center).
What to Expect: Expect uneven trails, stairs leading to the cemetery, and possibly icy conditions. We’ll go slow, but shoes with good traction work well here in the winter.
MARCH
Recovering a declining songbird: 25-years of Golden-winged Warbler research and conservation by Lake Michigan Bird Observatory
Thursday Feb 28 7:00-8:00pm FREE Webinar
https://lmbo.org/get-involved/events/g-4-2va3o7seqf08dfd6qiq575t06s_202402290100
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
Registration here
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.
Milwaukee Birders 