Sunday, Nov 17 8:30am Seminary Woods in St Francis
Meet-up behind the St Francis police station
3400 E Howard Ave and take the Nojoshing Trail in.

Seminary Woods is rich with huge Beech and Maple trees, headstones and a grotto. And there are birds: woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and owls.

No trails or facilities. Walking across an open grassy field on the Nojoshing Trail and mulched trails in the woods. Little evidence of invasives here – let’s keep it that way clean your boot treads before coming.
Recent EBird for this location: Seminary Woods HERE and Nojoshing Trail, WE Energies Grasslands HERE

Milwaukee Birding News:

Loss to Milwaukee’s Birding Community. Ald Jonathan Brostoff championed Bird City and birding in Milwaukee on the city council. His enthusiasm was contagious and he did what he said he would. Admirable traits in a man and politician. With his death last week, Milwaukee has lost a good and valued community member. Learn more about Ald Brostoff’s life and if moved donate to his family’s GoFundMe page.

Duck, Duck, Goose. It’s that time. Time to get down on learning scaups, mergansers and goldeneyes. Great Lakes Guide has a nice duck review HERE. Then really cement that knowledge with a duck quiz HERE

Christmas Bird Count routes are being assigned. Reach out to Norma, robnz54@gmail.com, for a Saturday, Dec 15th route in the northern part of the county and Carol Howard, carol.howard@milwaukeecountywi.gov, for a route in the southern part of the county on Sunday, Dec 15

For additional SE Wisconsin Bird Walks – scroll all the way down!

---

Last Week:

Foggy but not that cold at the lakefront Sunday morning. There were a few Bufflehead, Scaup and not much else. We started at the Linnwood Water Treatment hedge and shore, went south to Mckinley Marina ending at Veteran’s Park. At Veterans, we scanned all 250 Canada geese and not a Cackling to be found. Still, it was a good day to be out.

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 (Thanks Colleen!) curates suggested locations based on accessibility to the property and availability on the ebird hotspots tool. Please track your time spent! At the end of the year WMAS provides hours to the county. Follow Wisconsin Metro Audubon on Facebook for their weekly park posts.

Milwaukee Parks that need birding this week (Click on the triangle if you don’t see this week’s list)

• AC Hanson Park (last time on list for the year)
• Algonquin Park (last time on list for the year)
• Baran Park
• Currie Park
• Gordon Park
• Kern Park
• Kohl Park (east of 76th) (last time this year)
• Koscziusko Park
• Madison Park (last time this year)
• Mitchell Airport Park (called Milwaukee airport in ebird)
• Pulaski Park (Cudahy)
• Pulaski (Milwaukee) (last time this year)
• Sheridan Drive

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 FREE Bird Walks:

Sundays 8:30am Milwaukee Birders
Location varies – see this week’s location above.
Free walks – open to all levels of birders

Sundays 9:00am (Note winter time)
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society Bird Walk (WMAS)
Wehr Nature Center 9701 W College Ave. Mix of mulched, wooded, grass and boardwalk paths

NEW** Mondays 8:00am Estabrook Park
4600 Estabrook Parkway
With Andy of Signs of Life in Estabrook Park, meet in the north parking lot. Mulched and dirt paths, stairs to river path
Tuesdays 8:00am Menomonee Valley
Urban Ecology Center (UEC),
3700 W Pierce St
Mostly paved trails
Wednesdays 8:00am Washington Park
Urban Ecology Center (UEC)
4023 W Galena St
Mostly grass and paved paths
Thursdays 8:00am Riverside Park
Urban Ecology Center (UEC)
1500 E Park Place
Mulched and dirt paths. Stairs to river

Second Saturdays 11:00 am Lake Park Duck Watch
Meet on the east side of Lincoln Memorial Drive between Bradford Beach and Linwood Water Treatment Plant

Third Saturdays 8:00am Schlitz Audubon Nature Center 1111 E Brown Deer Rd, Registration requested https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/calendar/

Check out Chirp Chat episodes by Xcaret Nuñez. It’s all about birding Milwaukee area on WUWM last Wednesday of the month

Nearby Bird Clubs to checkout:
Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club meets at Retzer Nature Center
BIPOC Birding Club chapters in Madison and Milwaukee
Hoy Audubon Society meets in Racine
Ozaukee Washington Birding Coalition meets second Wednesdays at Riveredge Nature Center, Lac Lawrann in West Bend, Mequon Nature Preserve or Cedarburg Bog – check their Facebook page for updates
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Bird Club second Wednesday at 6:30pm
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society (WMAS), third Wednesday at 7:00pm Wehr Nature Center
Wisconsin Society for Ornithology statewide birding organization with field trips around the state and advocating state wide for conservation of birds and bird habitat

Join one or more of the above bird clubs – Support local birding

Upcoming Area Bird walks:

Have a birding event to share? Let me know, email us on the Contact Page
Walks listed are FREE unless noted. Please register if requested

November

Motus in Wisconsin: A Big Leap in Wildlife Tracking with Jacob Woulf, coordinator for Lake Michigan Bird Observatory MOTUS with Ozaukee-Washington Birding Coalition at Mequon Nature Preserve
Wednesday November 13 7:00-8:30pm
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System uses small radio tags and receiving stations to detect animals (primarily birds) as they move across the landscape.  Hybrid live and Zoom program at Mequon Nature Preserve

Owl Prowl at the Cedarburg Bog with Ozaukee-Washington Birding Coalition
Friday, Nov 15 5:30-7:30pm
Join the Cedarburg Bog Owl Prowl team of veteran birders and prowl the Bog for owls. We will be looking for Barred, Great-Horned, Northern Saw-whet, and Eastern Screech-Owls for sure and maybe a rare species such as Long-eared Owl. Bring binoculars, water, and a small flashlight. Dress for the weather. If weather conditions are not conducive for owl viewing, this outing might be postponed. We will let you know in the afternoon by email if there is a postponement. Not recommended for children younger than ten.
Registration Required see HERE. Attendance Cap: 20

American Bird Conservancy Webinar: Every Acre Counts: Conserving Habitat for Birds
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 4:00 PM –  5:00 PM ET 
FREE. Register for Zoom link. From Wisconsin Society for Ornithology newsletter: The next American Bird Conservancy webinar will put a spotlight on Wisconsin with a presentation from Jayme Strange, who is the Coordinator of the Northern Forest Birds Conservation Delivery Network that covers Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. She will be talking about improving critical bird habitat with landowners and public land managers in the Great Lakes with examples of Swainson’s Thrush and Golden-winged Warbler projects. Other topics for the webinar include minimizing pesticide use and some reserve projects in Bolivia.

Raptor Banding at Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station
November 20th, 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society at Wehr Nature Center
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 established Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station (CGORS), the longest continuous raptor banding operation in North America, to band migrating raptors and track long-term avian migratory trends. Station banding director Danny Erickson will discuss the history of CGORS, WI raptor identification and banding, and the collaborative work the station does s to our knowledge of these charismatic birds and the conservation of raptor populations. Erickson is a field biologist from Milwaukee who studies raptor movement and population trends through banding. Since 2021, he has overseen the count and banding operations at CGORS each fall. He is currently a MSc student at UW-Green Bay studying novel disease in migrating Sharp-shinned Hawks. 
Website: https://cgors.org/

December

Waterbirds of the Cedarburg Bog with John O’Donnell
Thursday, December 12, 1:00-2:00
Riveredge Nature Center
The Cedarburg Bog Important Bird Area (IBA) is a mosaic of dry and wet habitats. In this presentation, the primary focus will be on resident and migratory bird species using the wet habitats of the bog, e.g., cedar swamp, hardwood swamp, conifer bog, string bog, sedge meadow, willow/alder/dogwood swamp, and six glacial relict lakes surrounded by emergent vegetation. Much of the Bog has boreal features that attract species not typically breeding anywhere else in southern Wisconsin. Special attention will be given to these species as well as to recent arrival species looking for a new home.
Part of the FREE Science Thursday Lecture series. Please register HERE

Owl Prowl for Adults
Friday, December 13, 7:00-9:00 pm. $7-12
Wehr Nature Center
Join a naturalist for an evening out with the owls. An interactive program will highlight the habits and adaptations of our nocturnal neighbors. Then we will walk the trails listening and looking for great-horned and Eastern screech owls.

Fee: $12 per person; $10 for Milwaukee County residents; $7 for Friends of Wehr (FOW) members; $5 parking fee applies for non-FOW members.

Online registration is required two days prior to the program. https://www.wehrnaturecenter.com/event/owl-prowl-for-adults-wehr/

** Follow Bird City Milwaukee on Facebook!