June 29, Humboldt Park at 8:00am
At Humboldt and Oklahoma, meet at The Pavillion on Park Rd near the pond
Located in Bayview about 1-mile in from the lakefront and with 73-acres, it’s no surprise over 180 species have been seen here. In addition to The Vine (a beer garden), a bandshell, and a great sledding hill, Humboldt Park has both a large lagoon and a smaller lily pond. The combination of large trees, shrubby borders and water features make this a great park for birding (and a beer garden)
Website: https://www.humboldtparkmilwaukee.org/
eBird site: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1460089
Trails: Mown paths, mulch and some sidewalk.
Restrooms: Near southwest playground and the Pavillion
Join us! Walks are free and open to all levels of birders
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Milwaukee Birding News:
Yellow-crowned Night Herons making waves. Spotted at Estabrook Park and Schlitz Audubon these birds have been lifers for many. The immature ones can be easily mistaken for Black-crowned Night Herons. Learn more about telling the two species apart “Birdist Rule #115: Learn to Identify and Differentiate Night-Herons”. Several Black-crowned Night Herons are seen every summer here in Milwaukee, but at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago there is a colony of over 700 birds. If you see a banded Black-crowned Night Heron it may have come from the Lincoln Park Zoo colony. Check out the two photos of a Black-crowned Night Heron seen in August 2020 and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron seen in June 2025 from Andy Dressel of Signs of Life at Estabrook Park
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
For additional SE Wisconsin Bird Walks – scroll all the way down!
Last Week:
From Katie: Four, not-yet-sweaty birders met Sunday at Retzer Nature Center for a birdy walk around the prairie and wetland. Before leaving the parking lot, we had a juvenile Great Horned Owl with some pesky Crows, and a Cedar Waxwing giving chase. We had a nice breeze, not keeping us cool, but keeping the bugs away. We decided to walk the prairie first and then move on to some shade.
The prairie did not disappoint. We had six male Bobolinks and one female giving a great show. The tree swallows were plentiful, too. Even a Dickcissel made a flyby for a total of 46 species.
Raptors were enjoying the winds too: Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Broad-winged Hawk, and a Red-tailed Hawk were all seen flying. Check out Retzer it’s a great place for hiking and birding. Enjoy the pictures Jeff Bentoff took below.
eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S253134113
Ongoing FREE GUIDED 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.
Mondays 8:00am Estabrook Park
4600 Estabrook Parkway
Meet in the north parking lot. Mulched and dirt paths, stairs to river path which can be muddy. Portapotty
Tuesdays 8:00am Menomonee Valley
Urban Ecology Center (UEC),
3700 W Pierce St
Mostly paved trails. Restrooms available
Wednesdays 8:00am Washington Park
Urban Ecology Center (UEC)
4023 W Galena St
Mostly grass and paved paths. Restrooms available
Thursdays 8:00am Riverside Park
Urban Ecology Center (UEC)
1500 E Park Place
Mulched and dirt paths. Stairs to river path which can be muddy. Restrooms available
Fridays 8:30am Warnimont Park,
6100 S Lake Dr, Cudahy
Meet-up by the Kelly Senior Center parking lot. A mix of paved and grassy trails that go through woods, fields and along the bluff for lake views. Mostly flat. Parking also available at Warnimont Dog Park immediately south of Kelly Senior Center. Seasonal bathrooms
Second Saturdays 8:30-10:30 Havenwoods
6141 N Hopkins St, Milwaukee
State park sticker NOT needed. Meet in front of the building (Restrooms available). Binoculars available to borrow. Flat trails go along gravel, wood, grass and mulched paths. Walk wind through grassland, woods, along shrubby borders and to a pond. Really nice variety of birds. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/havenwoods
Third Saturdays, 8:00-9:15 Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
1111 E Brown Deer Rd, Bayside
Loop through woods, grasslands and around Mystery Lake for a variety of habitats. Free, registration required https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/calendar/
Check out Chirp Chat episodes by Xcaret Nuñez. It’s all about birding Milwaukee area on WUWM 89.7 last Wednesday of the month
Milwaukee parks that need birding this week-SCROLL DOWN
Upcoming Area Bird Talks & walks Registration and fees:
Have a birding event to share? Let me know, email us on the Contact Page
JUNE
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/
30’s and Birdies at Urban Ecology Center
Thursday, June 26
Watch Urban Ecology Center calendar for details
Birding Exploration: Nesting Strategies
Sunday, June 29 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/birding-exploration-nesting-strategies/
Urban Bird Hike: Lakeshore State Park
Sunday, June 29 4:00-5:00pm
All ages and abilities are welcome, meet at the park’s south entrance. We recommend bringing your own binoculars, but a small amount are available to those who need them. Please inquire by June 27 to reserve a pair! Event details
july
Restoring Michigan’s Black Tern Webinar by Audubon Great Lakes
Tuesday, July 1 Lunch Webinar
Seen the Black Terns at Horicon Marsh? Learn more about them. Registration: https://gl.audubon.org/events/restoring-michigan%E2%80%99s-black-tern-population-michigan%E2%80%99s-most-mysterious-marsh-dweller
** Follow Bird City Milwaukee on Facebook!
Milwaukee Parks that NEED Birding
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.
- For June 22-30
- Baran Park
- Currie Park
- Honey Creek Parkway 3,4
- Melody View Preserve
- Pulaski (Cudahy)
- Servite Park
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
JUNE bird surveys needed at these locations- all are ebird hotspots
- Berg Property – free – 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. The address S102W33451 CTH LO should get you there or very close.
- Ashippun Lake (at the boat launch, no fee required)
- Fox Brook Park (pass or daily permit required)
- Ice Age Trail- Monches segment
- Monches County Park (pass or daily fee)
- Naga-Waukee Park (pass or daily permit fee required)
- New Berlin Recreation Trail – bike path from Greenfield Park to Waukesha!
- Mukwonago Park (pass or daily permit fee required)
- Ryan Park (pass or daily fee)
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.
Milwaukee Birders 