Sunday Apr 27: Lion’s Den Gorge in Grafton 7:00am
511 High Bluff Drive, Grafton
Meet in parking lot PIN

A forested and shrubby bluff provides a great resting spot for migrating songbirds. Wetlands and ponds a little farther inland attract ducks and shorebirds.

Grass, dirt and gravel trails.
Restrooms available at parking lot

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Milwaukee Birding News:

Clean-up with Milwaukee Riverkeeper. The birds depend on clean water and habitats. This Saturday, Apr 26, is the 30th annual MKE Riverkeeper Spring Clean-up. Register by Thursday for a location and time

The Brew City Birding Festival is a month away! From May 9 to May 18 there will be many bird hikes, bird fun, and learning about improving bird habitat. Events are still being added check the listings: https://www.visitmilwaukee.org/things-to-do/nature-outdoors/bird-city/brew-city-birding-festival/
Some events require advance registration!

Birding and raising money? Yes! The Wisconsin Natural Resources Foundation Birdathon is fun and rewarding. Find a team or form a team or donate to a team!
Details here: https://www.wisconservation.org/great-wisconsin-birdathon/ Local Teams include Carl Schwartz’s team Cutright’s Old Coots, Schlitz Audubon’s The Screech Owls, Glacial Lakes Conservancy Chickadees, and the BIPOC Flock

Help a baby bird, grow a caterpillar. Butterflies and moths need native plants for egg laying. There is always room for for more plants in our gardens. Most of the sales have pre-orders available – check links for mor info.
Native Plant Sales around Milwaukee:
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD) – SOLD OUT follow link to get on mailing list for fall sale
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Sunday June 8
Urban Ecology Center, Sunday May 25
Wehr Nature Center, May 31-June 1
Wild Birds Unlimited Mequon, Saturday June 14

Wisconsin Humane Society needs some help AND has a deal for bird safety. With baby animal season here, WHS needs help getting injured babies back into the wild. Choose from needed supplies and make a donation HERE. WHS is also running a promotion on window clings to prevent bird collisions. Just $3 for a sheet of nine. Purchase HERE

Raptor Banding Internship at Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station. Fall internship applications are being accepted, https://cgors.org/fall-banding-internship/ Learn more about us at our website (cgors.org), Instagram, and Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/cgorstation. To apply, send a cover letter, your CV/resume, and three references to Rick Hill at rptrbander@gmail.com. Applications will be taken until Monday, May 12th.

Report dead birds to WI DNR. As we know Avian flu is spreading through duck flocks and other species. Help DNR track the virus by reporting numerous sick or dead birds on their website: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/wildlifehealth

Ongoing FREE Bird Walks:

Sundays 8:00am Milwaukee Birders
Location varies – see this week’s location above.
Free walks – open to all levels of birders

Sundays 8:00am
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society Bird Walk (WMAS)
Wehr Nature Center 9701 W College Ave. Mix of mulched, wooded, grass and boardwalk paths. Follow WMAS on Facebook for additional walk announcements

Second Sundays 8:00-10:00am Birding at Lakeshore State Park. Meet at the south park entrance. See Friends of LSSP for details. Walking on paved surfaces, maybe some uneven, grassy paths but can avoid those. Portapotty and Discovery World restrooms after 9:00. All ages and abilities welcome.

Spring Bird Walks Friday mornings through May
Riveredge Nature Center at 7:30am
Registration and details: https://riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/spring-bird-walk/

Saturdays April 19 thru May 31 8:30am, Warbler Walks at Lake Park
Meet at bird feeders south of Warming Shed/Playground PIN
Free. All birders and all levels welcome. Walking on paved trails and grassy areas. No stairs. Bathrooms available
NOTE: Lake Drive is closed from Newberry Blvd to Kenwood. Latest Details
Access to Bistro parking lot and Locust Street off Lake Park Rd come in from the south on Lake Drive at Newberry Blvd.
Access to Lake Park Rd near the playground going south on Lincoln Memorial Drive

Check out Chirp Chat episodes by Xcaret Nuñez. It’s all about birding Milwaukee area on WUWM 89.7 last Wednesday of the month

FIND A BIRD CLUB !

Upcoming Area Bird Talks & walks Registration and fees:

Have a birding event to share? Let me know, email us on the Contact Page

April

Lion’s Den Gorge Field Trip: Spring Birding on the Bluff
April 23 with Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Field trip with Schlitz educators. Registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/lions-den-gorge-spring-birding-on-the-bluff/

UEC’s Green Spaces, Familiar Faces at Havenwoods State Park
Saturday, April 26
Join Rita Flores-Wiskowski on a bird walk around Havenwoods
Register with UEC https://30781a.blackbaudhosting.com/30781a/Green-Spaces-with-Familiar-Faces On registration page click on “Show Individual Events” (see pic) to sign up for this walk

Greater Prairie Chickens: A Trip to see Cupid’s Dance
Wednesday, April 29-30 with Urban Ecology Center
Details and registration: https://www.urbanecologycenter.org/calendar/event?id=2666

May

Bird Walk Lion’s Den Gorge with Ozaukee-Washington Birding Coalition
Friday, May 2, 7:00am-Noon
No sign-up required. Meet Carl Schwartz and Joan Sommer in the parking lot

Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Trip to White River Marsh
Saturday, May 3
Registration: https://wsobirds.org/what-we-do/field-trips/eventdetail/22219/-/white-river-marsh

Milwaukee Bird Freaks at Wehr Nature Center
Sunday, May 4 8:30-10:00am
Details https://www.facebook.com/events/2461118480902188

Birding by Canoe at Cedarburg Bog
Friday, May 9
Details and registration HERE

Brew City Birding Festival – So many events
Check out festival website for all the offerings

Art of Birding with Chuck Stebelton
Sunday May 11 at Lynden Sculpture Garden
Register here: https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/2025-05-11?mini=calendar%2F2025-05

WSO 83rd Birding Convention in La Crosse-Onalaska
May 15-18
Bird the Mississippi flyway during peak migration! Details and registration: https://wsobirds.org/what-we-do/annual-convention?id=1968

** Follow Bird City Milwaukee on Facebook!

Milwaukee parks that need birding this week

The county needs eBird records throughout the year for every park and natural area. Every week there are priority parks needing eBird lists. A park could be a priority because no surveys have been done for that week. Alternatively, it could be prioritized because there are surveys, but MKE Parks suspect more species might reside there than previously identified.

We can help MKE Parks! Pick a park, go bird, eBird it and note time spent there.

Based on the spreadsheet MKE Parks 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.

Note- even if it’s already been birded this week, going another day or even a different time of day helps. The parks department wants a number of surveys for each park. Birding more than once in a week is very helpful!

Find a park and a park map: https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Find-a-Park