Sunday, Nov 23 at 8:30am
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
1111 E Brown Deer Rd, Bayside
Meet in main parking lot PIN
NOTE: There is a $10 admission fee for non-members

We probably won’t walk all six miles of trails, but we will try. West of the parking lot is a grassland area that can have finches, sparrows, bluebirds, and Tree Swallows, depending on the time of year. The Green Tree Trail area is good for finding thrushes, warblers, kinglets, and woodpeckers. Heading down the paved trail to the lake and terrace trails, Wild Turkeys and deer can be spotted on the bluffs. The terrace trails can be great for spring warblers, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Kingbirds, Belted Kingfishers, and, of course, seeing what ducks are on Lake Michigan. Back on top of the bluff Mystery Lake, hosts Canada Geese, Phoebes, swallows, grackles, and sparrows on the pond’s edges. For more woodland birds, like woodpeckers and pewees, a walk around the Woodland Trail is great. More water birds, including Green Herons and Northern Waterthrush hang out around Turtle Pond. The west meadow trail is a large loop skirting shrub borders, conifer stands, a couple of ponds, and a large prairie area. It is not uncommon to spot a raptor scanning from the tree tops.

Website: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/
eBird Site: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L208956
Trails: Paved, Gravel, Boardwalk, Grass and Wood Chips
Restrooms: Available at the nature center
Park Map: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Schlitz-Audubon-Trail-Map-December-2020-scaled.jpg

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

Nearly every morning, there is a
FREE Bird Walk in Milwaukee

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Milwaukee Birding News

Action Needed! Voice Opposition to a Sandhill Crane Hunt
Wednesday, Nov 19 at 9:00 am, there will be a public hearing at the State Capitol on a proposed Wisconsin Sandhill Crane Hunting Season. Attend the hearing, call and write your representatives.
Find your representative: https://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/
More on the proposal from the International Crane Foundation

Follow up from Sunday morning. Learn more about owls on Alie Ward’s Ologies “Strigiformolgy Parts 1 and 2” podcast. And murder by owl? Learn the full story on Criminal “Animal Instincts” podcast

Dexter Patterson’s Book Tour Coming to Milwaukee! Free and Registration Required. Details and registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/an-evening-with-dexter-patterson-author-of-birds-of-the-great-lakes/

Birders of Lake Park Duck Watch
Meet the SECOND SATURDAYS at 11:00am at the north end of Lincoln Memorial Drive. Look for the scopes set up on the east side of the road. Location PIN around the bend at the top of the hill. Second Saturday of every month!

Christmas Bird Counts coming up. Sign up yourself or yourself and some friends to bird a block, The north Milwaukee County CBC will be Saturday Dec 20. Email Zoe, ZFinney@schlitzaudubon.org to get involved. The south Milwaukee CBC will be on Sunday Dec 14. For a block assignment on that day email, Carol Howard, Carol.Howard@milwaukeecountywi.gov

Last Week

Nine birders were present at Greenfield Park on Sunday morning. We found 23 species as we walked north through the woods, along the big pond, and little ponds. We ended with a walk around the prairie islands in the west field and around the conifer stands. Highlights included a Great Blue Heron, Great Horned Owl, a Red-tailed Hawk, and like last week, we ended with a Bald Eagle flyover. It was Milwaukee Birder’s first time at Greenfield Park. Highly recommend! Nice big stand of mature trees with paths, open areas, ponds, and extensive shrubby borders.

eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S284781160

Upcoming Bird Talks & walks:

Have a birding event to share? email us on the Contact Page

november

An Evening with Dexter Patterson, Author of Birds of the Great Lakes
Thursday, Nov 20 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and Registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/an-evening-with-dexter-patterson-author-of-birds-of-the-great-lakes/

Family Owl Prowl
Saturday, Nov 29 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and Registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/family-owl-prowl-2/

DECEMBER

Winter Ducks of Lake Michigan
Saturday, Dec 6 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/winter-ducks-of-lake-michigan/

Field Adventure: Birding at Lakeshore State Park
Wednesday, Dec 10 with Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and Registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/field-adventure-lakeshore-state-park/

Adult Owl Prowl
Thursday, Dec 11 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and Registration: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/event/adult-owl-prowl-2/

Christmas Bird Count with BIPOC Birding Club
At Hopkins Hollow
Saturday, December 20
Come be part of Christmas Bird Count. Details at link
https://www.bipocbirdingclub.org/events/milwaukee-christmas-bird-count-2025

Christmas Bird Count with UEC East Side
At UEC-Riverside
Saturday, December 20
Come be part of Christmas Bird Count. Details and Registration:
https://www.urbanecologycenter.org/calendar/event?id=3363

Christmas Bird Count with UEC West Side
At UEC-Menomonee Valley
Saturday, December 20
Come be part of Christmas Bird Count. Details and Registration:
https://www.urbanecologycenter.org/calendar/event?id=3364

** Follow Bird City Milwaukee on Facebook! for event announcements

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

List of Milwaukee area BIRD CLUBS !

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.

For November 1-7

• Honey Creek Pkwy #2, 3, 4 (major construction continuing on 3, may be a challenge)
• Milwaukee River Pkwy 5
• Mitchell Blvd Park
• Southwood Glen

Based on the needs spreadsheet from MKE Parks, 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

Wisconsin Metro Audubon is also birding for Waukesha Parks…

Bird where you can and share your ebird list with their ebird account: WaukeshaCountyBirding

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

• Berg Property – free – address S102W33451 CTH LO should get you there or very close. Small parking area, partial asphal trail and then a mix of grass and dirt. You may want to do a little off-trail to get to the river.
• Menomonee Park (pass or daily fee)
• Mukwonago Park (pass or daily permit fee required- note they have camping!)
• Muskego Park (pass or daily fee)
• Retzer Nature Center (free)
• New Berlin Recreation Trail – bike path from Greenfield Park to Waukesha! Free