Aug 3, Estabrook Park at 8:00am
4400 Estabrook Drive, meet in Beer Garden Parking Lot
Estabrook Park runs along the east side of the Milwaukee River from Hampton Ave to Capitol Drive. The river is a tremendous draw for birds and other wildlife. The river banks and bluff have many big, old trees for woodpeckers as well as lots of shrubby cover for thrushes. A small pond in the center of the park hosts ducks and herons. Check out Signs of Life in Estabrook Park for recent sightings.
Bubbler Talk on WUWM Lake Effect on the Mining and Geological History of Estabrook Park

And fresh veggies! Mid-June through end of October, visit the Sunday Farmers’ Market at south end of the park road.

Website: https://www.visitmilwaukee.org/listing/estabrook-park/3038/
EBird site: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L385009
Trails: Some paved trails on top the bluffs. Grass, mulch and mud in many spots. Stairs to river, mostly uneven and stone. There is a sloped rough paved path to the river at the very north end.. River trail narrow, muddy and uneven.
Restrooms: PortaPotty, Bathrooms at Beer Garden during serving hours, and at south end of the park

Join us! Walks are free and open to all levels of birders

Subscribe! Each week, you’ll receive an email with where we’ll be birding next. Posts may go to your “Social” folder if using gmail

Milwaukee Birding News:

New Wisconsin Birding Book. Dexter Patterson wrote a book! Pictures, descriptions, and just for birders: how to find that bird! Pre-order here

Do you know of a Chimney Swift chimney? Swifts will be moving through soon. We are always on the lookout for an active chimney that has good viewing possibilities. Let us know if you see one, use the Contact Page, and put location in the comment section.

Here’s how Cowbirds find their flock. How Parasitic Cowbirds with No Parents Learn What Species It Is.

Need new boots? BOGS factory sale July 31-Aug 1

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

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 with Milwaukee Birders. 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 always open and Discovery World restrooms after 9:00. All ages and abilities welcome.

Second Saturdays 8:30-10:30 Havenwoods
6141 N Hopkins St, Milwaukee
Join Milwaukee Birders at Havenwoods. 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

FIND A LOCAL 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

AUGUST

Becoming a Better Birder: Behavior at Urban Ecology Center
Saturday, Aug 9
Details and registration: https://www.urbanecologycenter.org/calendar/event?id=2781

Noel Cutright Bird Club Field Trip: Breeding Season at Horicon Marsh
Saturday, Aug 9 at 6:00am
Join Cutright Bird Club coordinator Carl Schwartz and others on a breeding season/early shorebird migration field trip to Horicon Marsh. Special  focus will be on finding any recent eBird rarities as well as sorting through an assortment of recently fledged ducks, rails, herons, bitterns, pelicans and terns, as well as shorebirds already returning from Arctic breeding grounds. We will be on the lookout for resident Whooping Crane and Black-necked Stilt fledges. We will canvass as many local hotspots as time and weather allow, e.g., Old Marsh Road, Main Dike Road, Ledge Road,  the Auto Loop Road, Highway 49, Marsh Haven.

The meet-up will be at 6:00 a.m. at the Park & Ride lot at the intersection of Highway 33 and Interstate 41 (just east of Allenton). We will carpool from there. Some hiking is likely so wear appropriate footwear and clothing; also bring a water bottle, energy snacks and sunscreen.
Email trip leader at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com to let us know you plan to join us.

“Good News for Two Endangered Birds” by the DNR’s Davin Lopez
Wednesday, Aug 13 at 7:00p.m.
in person @ Riveredge Nature Center and via Zoom
Davin will be talking about the Kirtland’s Warbler and Whooping Crane restoration efforts that he leads in Wisconsin.

To join meeting via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85904371903?pwd=Fa2rxtxFK5y9KtYfejZxmfCCXmmnNv.1 Meeting ID: 859 0437 1903 Passcode: 551618

WMAS’s Hawk ID Workshop with Steve Holzman
Saturday, August 16 at Wehr Nature Center
Join WMAS as we learn from Steve Holzman, Vice President of Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO). He will discuss birds of prey, particularly hawks of Wisconsin, and provide highlights of Wisconsin’s hawks, offering details on observing and identifying these majestic raptors. We will gain skills in recognizing these birds in flight, preparing us for the fall migration and World Migratory Bird Day on October 11-12. Optional Bird Walk will be available after the program.
Details: https://wisconsinmetroaudubonsociety.org/programs/ Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScf9Z93nOTtYHD0MvTU2qN7MRj9NKUOfUBwUovpy6L-K0jQAQ/viewform

Beginner Birding at UEC Riverside
Saturday, Aug 16
Details and registration: https://www.urbanecologycenter.org/calendar/event?id=2701

** 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 priority 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

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

• Berg Property – free – address S102W33451 CTH LO should get you there or very close.
• Ashippun Lake (at the boat launch, no fee 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- note they have camping!)
• Muskego Park (pass or daily permit- note they have camping!)