Mar 17, 8:00 am Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
1111 E. Brown Deer Rd Bayside, WI
Meet at main parking lot by building
Come bird Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. With over 180 acres that stretch from Lake Michigan through woods and into prairie, we can walk over three miles birding. A variety of woodpeckers, sparrows and ducks likely.
BOOK NOW:
Horicon Marsh Boat Tour
Sunday, May 26 9:00-11:00 am cost $38
Buy your ticket here: https://horiconmarsh.com/tours.php at Blue Heron Landing tours. We can car pool over. Before and/or after boat tour we can check out a few other places in the Marsh. Details to follow.
Contribute to Bird Science. Document bird casualties from window collisions in downtown Milwaukee. Run by Urban Ecology Center(UEC) and Wisconsin Humane Society, WINGS window collision monitoring, provides critical data. Documenting counts, species and time of year provides evidence supporting window modifications. We can’t bring back three-billion birds overnight, but we can work to stop the number from increasing. Attend the informational meeting WINGS at UEC-Riverside in April. Learn more about the program here and fill out our interest form (for new volunteers).
Native Plant Sales are coming! Feeders are great but having natural habitat and food supplies is even better. Check out the Milwaukee-area list on SOS Save Our Songbirds. Save Our Songbirds is a Wisconsin organization providing Wisconsin specific solutions for reversing songbird population decline. Highly recommend their newsletter
Last Week:
Katie reported: On a cold windy day at Mequon Nature Preserve, six hardy souls met at 8:00am. Ready to bird even with the loss of an hour of sleep. As we made our way to the observation tower we heard a familiar and very welcome sound of spring, the Eastern Meadowlark. We continued north west to check out the new scrapes. They are full of water and should bring nice shore bird looks later this spring. The highlight was a male Northern Harrier swooping just above the fields. We ended our morning looking for the owl at Kohl Park, alas no luck. On the drive back to the lot we circled MNP and saw the new ponds on the north side of the property. Lots of good things are happening at the Mequon Nature Preserve. We will be coming back!!
eBird list here: Mequon Nature Preserve: https://ebird.org/checklist/S164310506
Kohl Park: https://ebird.org/checklist/S164315392
Pics: Jeff Bentoff
Ongoing Bird Walks:
Sundays 8:00am Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society Bird Walk (WMAS)
Wehr Nature Center 9701 W College Ave. No registration required.
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/
Saturdays 7:00am Goss Bird Club bird around Waukesha County. See Field Trip Schedule
Migration Walks starting in April (details later):
Saturdays 8:30 Lake Park Warbler walks start mid-April
Fridays 8:00am Bird walks at Retzer Nature Center walks with Goss Bird Club start April 5
Fridays 7:30am Riveredge Nature Center Bird Walks starting in May
Nearby Bird Clubs to checkout:
Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club meets at Retzer Nature Center.
Hoy Audubon Society meets in Racine
Ozaukee Washington Birding Coalition meets at Riveredge Nature Center, Lac Lawrann in West Bend, Mequon Nature Preserve and Cedarburg Bog
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Bird Club second Wednesday at 6:30pm
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society (WMAS), third Wednesday at 7:00pm Wehr Nature Center
Upcoming:
MARCH
BIPOC Birding Hike at Wehr
Saturday Mar 16, 9:00-11:00am at Wehr Nature Center
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 at 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.
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.”
Backyard Naturalist Lecture: Bill Mueller on Aerial Insectivores
Friday Mar 29, 9:00-10:00am at Urban Ecology Center
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
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 – Still a few spaces left!
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/
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).
Woodcock Wander
Thursday April 17, at 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
Lights Out! author reading
Saturday, April 27 10:00-11:00am at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Free, Registration required, Family event children welcome
Join us to hear author Jessica Stremer read her book Lights Out! Based on the real-life Lights Out movement, this inspirational picture book shows how even the smallest of actions, like flipping a switch, can make a big difference in helping migrating birds. Our event includes a reading followed by a book signing and a craft. Books will be available for purchase at this event courtesy of Boswell Book Company. Registration and info here: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/story-time-with-jessica-stremer-author-of-lights-out/
May
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 in 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 