Sunday, June 1 at 8:00am
Spirit Lake
4513 Bonniwell Rd Mequon
Small parking area. Carpool if you can

We’ll start with a walk down a gravel road through fields that have several sparrow species, and enter Spirit Lake through an opening in the line of evergreens.  Walking through this OWLT (Ozaukee Washington Land Trust ) property and around the lake, we often find herons, woodpeckers, and songbirds. Past summers, there have been one to two Blue Grosbeaks here as well as Indigo Buntings. Badgerland Birding has a helpful side-by-side ID guide: ID Tips: Blue Grosbeak vs. Indigo Bunting
History of Spirit Lake: https://treasuresofoz.org/treasures/item/23-nature-preserves/85-spirit-lake

Birding and Helping: As an OWLT property, Spirit Lake is cared for by volunteers. They could use some help with pulling invasives. If you can stay after birding on Sunday, and pull for an hour that would be great! Bring gloves and water. Katie and I will provide some snacks.

eBird site: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L9690923
Trails: Grass, dirt, and gravel. Most are level, some small dips around the water
Restrooms: None
Park Map: https://www.restoringlands.org/_files/ugd/949e20_b194fa116f5340dbaa2814a701c1d46b.pdf

Coming up: Humboldt Park, Lac Lawrann, Retzer Nature Center, and, of course, Lakeshore State Park on second Sundays

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Milwaukee Birding News:

Last Lake Park Warbler Walk for spring 2025 is this Saturday, May 31!

Black Birders Week May 25-31. “Black Birders Week is a celebration of diversity in the outdoors, highlighting the contributions of Black birders and naturalists while fostering inclusivity in nature spaces” – from BlackAFinStem.
Madison events: https://www.bipocbirdingclub.org/events
Milwaukee events: Confluence Hike May 31

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 Milwaukee Birders
Location and time 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

May

Beaver Dam Lake with Goss Bird Club
Saturday, May 31, 7:00am
Details Upcoming Events: https://www.gossbirdclub.org/

Schlitz Audubon Bird Hike: Nesting Season
Saturday, May 31
Details and registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/audubon-bird-hike-nesting-season/

JUNE

“A Quilting Field Trip Through the Natural World” with Anita Carpenter
Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Mequon Nature Center 8200 W County Line Rd., Mequon, and via Zoom

      Anita Carpenter, a retired pharmacist, has been enthralled with the natural world since childhood. She even returned to UW-Oshkosh to obtain a master’s degree in biology — just for the fun of it. For 30 years, she co-led the UWO Biology Department’s spring break camping field trips. She is a naturalist, nature writer for 40+ years, avid birder and butterflier but is really interested in anything that piques her curiosity. In retirement she volunteers with the UWO grounds crew, monitoring bird houses, documenting nesting, surveying insects, caring for the natural areas and weeding, weeding and more weeding. And in her spare time, she has been an avid quilter for 20 years. These are not your grandmother’s quilts. From the beginning, Anita was inspired to create original, nature-themed, scientifically-correct quilts. Each requires an in-depth look, for they include hidden, often camouflaged, organisms appropriate to the quilt’s theme. So join us for “A Quilting Field Trip Through the Natural World.”

Virtual Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89093408168?pwd=dvNbteIe38b0vDXZFScfYfjlgebsFn.1

In-Person Registration: https://ticketstripe.com/AQuiltingFieldTripThroughtheNaturalWorld

Birding the Northern Kettle Moraine Forest with Jeff Baughman
Thursday, June 5, 6:00 a.m.

  Veteran expert birder Jeff Baughman is intimately acquainted with all the rarities and specialty birds of the Northern Kettle Moraine. He also knows the Northern Kettle Moraine “like the back of his hand!” On Thursday, June 5^th, from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will explore a number of  Kettle Moraine hotspots like Mauthe Lake, Jersey Flats, Haushalter Lane, Spruce Lake Bog. We will be in search of multiple warbler species, flycatchers, raptors, sparrows, and waterbirds. Signature resident species such as Northern Waterthrush, Hooded, Pine, and Cerulean Warblers will be especially targeted along with Acadian and Alder Flycatchers, Henslow’s Sparrow, and Northern Waterthrush. Totals of 85 to 95 species have been observed in the past on this outing. The starting place is the Jersey Flats Prairie Restoration Project parking lot (639 County Rd SS, Campbellsport, WI ) at 6 a.m. Bring lunch, snacks, and water. Carpooling will be encouraged. This outing  is sponsored by the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, Lake Michigan Bird Observatory and the Noel J. Cutright Bird Club.
Capacity: 20 persons. Registration required by clicking on “Events” at bogfriends.org

Northern Unit Kettle Moraine State Forest with WSO
Saturday, June 7
Registration and details: https://wsobirds.org/what-we-do/field-trips/eventdetail/22220/-/northern-unit-kettle-moraine-sf

Bird Walk with MKE Freaks and Geeks Botany Club
Sunday, June 8 at 8:30am Mequon Nature Preserve
8200 W County Line Rd Mequon, WI
Details HERE Contact: Ben 7085741597 

Stroll with a Naturalist: Bird Song
Thursday, June 12 at Riveredge Nature Center
Details: https://riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/stroll-with-a-naturalist-bird-songs/

Bird Walk at Havenwoods State Forest
Saturday, June 14, 8:30-10:30
Enjoy an informal guided birding walk, spotting and identifying birds as we go. A variety of habitats means a variety of birds! The walk is mostly flat and involves less than one mile of hiking. Dress for the weather and bring your binoculars (or borrow a pair at the Nature Center). 

Free. No prior experience birding is necessary. New birders and families are welcome! Details: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/108346

Stroll with a Naturalist: Bird Nests
Thursday, June 26 at Riveredge Nature Center
Details: https://riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/stroll-with-a-naturalist-nesting-birds-3/

Schlitz Audubon Bird Hike: Summer Residents
Saturday, June 21
Details and registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/audubon-bird-hike-summer-residents/

Birding Exploration: Nesting Strategies
Saturday, June 29 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/birding-exploration-nesting-strategies/

** 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

And our Waukesha Parks…

Share your ebird list with their ebird account: WaukeshaCountyBirding

May bird surveys needed at these locations- all are ebird hotspots

• Berg Property – parking is a small parking area in front of a locked gate, just a bit east of the Rainbow Springs natural area parking lot, just before a driveway for a home. There are paths that go through a wooded area and then follow the river a bit. Very nice walking!
• Ashippun Lake (at the boat launch, no fee required)
• Fox Bend Park (no fee, access instruction from Waukesha County Parks below)
• Fox Brook Park (pass or daily permit)
• Naga-Waukee Park (pass or daily permit fee required)
• Mukwonago Park (pass or daily permit fee required)
• School Section Lake (Lake access permit, daily is $8)
• *Fox Bend access: From the north side of the river this property technically includes the WCLC Martin’s Woods State Natural Area, so plug that into Google Maps and it will take you to our gravel parking lot located here (42.886093, -88.233287). Walk down a mowed path towards the river, which will cross a powerline corridor, into the woods again and follow the small path to the river. It may pay to simply walk the powerline corridor as well since you’ll pick up more habitat variety.

Accessing Fox Bend from the south side involves parking in another gravel lot off of road L (42.860818, -88.238123). Walk the drive up past the farm fields to the woods and access the floodplain area. Please note that we are currently working on a 20+ acre wetland restoration and scrape here for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl so the site may be closed during active construction. Be advised to stay away from active construction zones that you encounter.

Info about the Waukesha surveys:
– Track time spent (separately from milwaukee); we will report to the county at year end
– Please use the breeding behavior codes in ebird if you note breeding behaviors
– if you are interested in specific birds they are targeting at the locations (based on suitable habitat or other factors) please contact Colleen at +14143796741 (call or text)- give me your email and I’ll share more information with you.