Sunday May 26 8:45 Meet at Blue Heron Landing 305 Mill St Horicon 53032 for a 9:00 departure on the two-hour Birding Adventure Tour around the marsh.
Tickets are needed for this boat tour. Purchase here for $38
Optional additional birding – Bring your own lunch and drink:
8:00 Palmatory St Scenic Overlook. Parking near viewing point
8:45 Blue Heron Landing Boat Tours 305 Mill St Horicon 53032
9:00-11:00 Boat Tour
11:30 BYO Picnic Lunch at the Palmatory Overlook. There are bubblers and bathrooms there.
12:30 Head to Marsh Haven Nature Center or the Auto Tour
Around 2:00pm head back to Milwaukee
For additional SE Wisconsin Bird Walks – scroll all the way down!
Still time to contribute to a Birdathon. See all the Birdathon Teams HERE. Contribute to as many as you want! Funds are split between the Wisconsin Natural Resources Foundation and each birdathon’s organization.
What was your spark bird? WUWM Chirp Chat wants to know! Take a minute and tell them
Last Week:
A few birders checked out Virmond Park and Donges Bay Gorge.
Milwaukee parks that need birding this week
The county tracks every parkland and records to see if there are surveys recorded on eBird. Every year they identify priority parks by week. A park could be a priority because there are no surveys done in that week; or because there are surveys but they think there may be more species there than previously identified.
Based on the spreadsheet they create, Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society curates suggested locations based on accessibility to the property (some of the parkway locations are difficult to access) and availability on the ebird hotspots tool. Click on the triangle to see this week’s list.
Milwaukee Parks that need birding this week
- Barnard Park
- Cambridge Woods
- Chippewa Park
- Currie Park
- Dineen Park
- Doyne Park
- Franklin Savanna (wear rubber boots)
- Madison Park
- Melody View Preserve
- Mitchell Blvd Park
- Oak Creek Pkwy #1 (called Oak Creek Parkway Trail in ebird)
- Pulaski- Cudahy
- Pulaski – Milwaukee
- Rawson Park
- Root River Pkwy #10
- Southwood Glen
Please track your time spent! At the end of the year WMAS provides hours to the county. Find a park and a park map: https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Find-a-Park
Note- even if it’s already been birded this week, going another day (or a different time of day) helps. The parks department has a number of surveys it wants for each park, so birding more than once this week is very helpful!
Ongoing Bird Walks:
Sundays 8:00am Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society Bird Walk (WMAS)
Wehr Nature Center 9701 W College Ave. No registration required.
Second Sundays 10:00-11:30am The Art of Birding with Chuck Stebelton at Lynden Sculpture Gardens will run April through August. Register for walks HERE by the Friday before
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
Fridays 7:30am Riveredge Nature Center Migration Bird Walks in May
Fridays 8:00am Bird walks at Retzer Nature Center walks with Goss Bird Club
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 – Next event Saturday at Monches Woods
Saturdays 8:30 Lake Park Warbler walks run April 20 through end of May
Check out Chirp Chat episodes all about birding Milwaukee
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:
Have a birding event to share? Let me know, share on the Contact Page
May
UWM Field Station at Cedarburg Bog starting in May. Click on class link for more information and to register:
- Introduction to Bird Song, Thursdays 6:00-7:30pm, May 02 – June 06, 2024
- Field Herpetology: Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin, May 31-June 01, 2024
- Sedges of Wisconsin, June 07-08, 2024
- Experiences in Great Lakes Ethnobotany, June 28-29, 2024
- Frolic, Fetch & Sketch, July 26-27, 2024
- Got Algae? Algal Diversity of the Kettle Moraine, August 02-03, 2024
- Wetland Delineation, August 09-10, 2024
- Restoring Upland Plant Communities, August 23-24, 2024
- Understanding Bird Populations and How They Change,
Thursdays 6:00-7:30pm, September 12 – October 17, 2024
Chiwaukee Prairie Bird Walk in Pleasant Prairie
Thursday, May 23 7:00-9:00pm with Hoy Audubon
We will meet near the orange gate at 122nd Street and 2nd Avenue. Meet by 7:00 P.M. We’ll walk the trails in search of early spring migrants. Or, meet by 8:15 P.M. at parking area. We’ll walk a portion of the trail or drive to an adjacent roadside to listen for possible Eastern Whip-poor-will. Details HERE
River Bend Bird Walk in Racine
Friday, May 24 8:00-10:00am with Hoy Audubon
River Bend Nature Center 3600 N Green Bay Rd, Racine, WI, United States
Meet in front of the nature center. NOTE: Please check back on the day prior or early on the day of the event for any updates/cancellations due to weather (strong winds, thunderstorm activity, moderate- heavy rain), etc. We will post an update when possible. Details HERE
Details HERE
Birding Forest Home Cemetery with Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society
Saturday, May 25 8:00am
Join Rita Wiskowski for a walk through beautiful and historic Forest Home Cemetery as we look for migrating and resident birds. We will meet at 8 AM on Saturday May 25th outside the main office (near the corner of 27th & Layton Blvd). Extra binoculars will be available so this is the perfect event to bring those new birders in your life! Details HERE
Bird Conservation in Coffee
Saturday, May 25, 2024 8:00 am – 10:00 am Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
$27.00 – $37.00
This program will look at the relationship between migratory birds and our coffee habits. Over the last 50 years, North America has lost 3 billion birds. In this presentation, we will explore current research into how the cultivation of coffee plays a part in this population decline. Then, we’ll have an opportunity to meet Nicco, our Broad-winged Hawk, and learn about how coffee farms impact their migration. Lastly, we will taste some “Bird Friendly” coffee and bring it with us for a walk out on the grounds to search for some of the spring migrants arriving from these very regions! Registration HERE
Warbler Life History and ID Workshop
Saturday May 25 7:00-10:0am at Riveredge
$30-40
Explore the fascinating world of Wisconsin Warblers in this immersive workshop! Learn expert techniques for field identification, delve into the unique life histories of these vibrant birds, and enhance your birdwatching skills. Join us for an enriching experience connecting with the diverse warbler species that grace Wisconsin’s landscapes. Register here: https://www.riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/warbler-life-history-id-workshop/
Kanow Park and Rock River Jefferson County
Saturday May 25 8:00am
Meet at Kanow Park on Rock River Road just north of Hwy 16 (west of Oconomowoc but east of Ixonia). This is a river bottom area that is often flooded, providing habitat for Prothonotary Warblers as well as numerous other warblers, vireos, and migrants. Led by Tim Hahn. https://www.gossbirdclub.org/fieldtrips.html
June
Black Birders Week Hike with Sierra Taliaferro and Nearby Nature
Saturday June 1 8:30am at Hopkins Hollow 4410 N Hopkins St
Honoring Black Birder’s Week, Nearby Nature is featuring a guided bird walk in Hopkins Hollow led by our illustrious board member Sierra Taliaferro. Black Birders Week got its start in 2020 as a way for Black Birders to help create a safe space in the outdoors for people of color. According to a press statement by http://www.BlackAFinSTEM, they seek to normalize the historically overlooked presence of Black birders, scientists and nature enthusiasts and make the natural sciences more inclusive, diverse and welcoming. We welcome all our friends to join us in this outing. Bring your binoculars or borrow a pair of ours. We’ll also be talking about our summer plans for wildlife monitoring and land stewardship. Please register here: https://forms.gle/7Qxw6EY974vmKbpo8
We are starting early, both to see more birds, but also so we can join the Promise Zone Bike Ride at 10 am
Cicadas!
Walworth County, Big Foot Beach State Park
1550 S Lake Shore Drive, Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Date TBA – Tentative 6/1/24 or 6/8/24 – 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
We will be meeting at the park. Send an email to wimetrobird@gmail.com to receive updates.
Register on this Form: https://shorturl.at/FZ249
2024 is an especially exciting year for the 17 year cicada. This year Brood XIII will emerge in Northern Illinois and a few areas in the Lake Geneva, WI area. According to Cicada Mania, not since the Thomas Jefferson presidency (1803) has a 13 year cicada, Brood XIX also emerged in Illinois and Indiana at the same time.
WSO Field Trip Northern Kettle Moraine
Saturday June 1
Details and registration HERE
Birding Exploration
Sunday June 2 8:00-9:30am Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
$17-23
This outdoor hike led by Schlitz Audubon naturalists will teach you how to locate and identify birds from our trails. We will focus on identification characteristics such as size, shape, color, pattern, behavior, song, and habitat preference. You will also learn how to practice looking and listening for birds to get a better view without disturbing them. https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/birding-exploration/
Cedar Grove Ornithology Reserve at Lac Lawrann Nature Conservancy in West Bend
Wednesday, June 12 7:00-8:30pm
“The History, Research, Thrills and Surprise Findings at the Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station” by station manager Danny Erickson. The western shore of Lake Michigan has long been known to concentrate birds of prey during their annual southward migration each Fall. To study this movement, scientists long ago established the Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station, the longest continuing raptor banding operation in North America, to band migrating raptors and track avian migratory trends. Erickson will discuss CGORS history, the thrills of raptor migration and the exciting research findings helping us to better understand and conserve raptors in the western Great Lakes region.
More info and Zoom link: https://www.riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/owbc-cedar-grove-ornithology-reserve/
Stroll with a Naturalist: Birding by Ear
Thursday June 13 10:00am-12:30pm Riveredge Nature Center
https://www.riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/stroll-with-a-naturalist-birding-by-ear/
Milwaukee Public Museum BioBlitz
June 21-22 Mequon Nature Preserve
Twenty-four hours of documenting all biologic species on site. More about it here: https://www.mpm.edu/bioblitz
Stroll with a Naturalist: Nesting Birds
Thursday June 27 10:00am-12:30pm Riveredge Nature Center
https://www.riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/stroll-with-a-naturalist-nesting-birds-2/
Milwaukee Birders 