Stay warm this weekend.
No Havenwoods walk on Saturday, Dec 13
Join us! Walks are free and open to all levels of birders
Nearly every morning, there is a
FREE Bird Walk in Milwaukee
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
Shopping this month? Consider local nature centers for presents. Give a membership, a state park sticker, donate in someone’s name or visit the awesome gift shops at these nature centers:
Havenwoods State Forest
Mequon Nature Preserve
Retzer Nature Center
Riveredge Nature Center
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Wehr Nature Center
Support a park’s Friends Group with a donation, or buy a bench, or tree
Gift card for native plants: Johnson’s Nursery or Prairie Nursery or Native Roots for native garden design
Birds in Art at the Yawkey Woodson Museum in Wausau closes January 4. A fabulous annual exhibit of painted, photographed, printed, sculpted, collaged, drawn, and pasteled birds. This is its 50th year! A good stop on a long holiday road trip.
Last Week
The wind was very cold at Coal Dock Park last week. There several Mallards in the Power Plant outlet. From the Bird Sanctuary NE corner, we saw an odd assortment of ducks. Turns out they were a string of decoys! From the viewing platform in Coal Dock, we saw American Tree Sparrows and heard an American Pipit. In the impoundment and marina area were some Buffleheads, Red-breasted Mergansers, several Common Mergansers, a few Ruddy Ducks, a couple Lesser Scaup, and a Double-crested Cormorant. A Northern Harrier flew over before we drove over to the north end of the marina. From the parking lot adjacent to the breakwater we saw a few more ducks and among the Mallards were two American Black Ducks. Past few weeks, Stephanie has spotted a Bald Eagle at the end of our walks. This week no Bald Eagle, instead Alex saw a Turkey Vulture flying high over the point.
eBird list Coal Dock Park: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287743908
eBird list Port Washington – Marina/Harbor: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287743876
pic Dennis Miller
Upcoming Bird Talks & walks:
Have a birding event to share? email us on the Contact Page
DECEMBER
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
JANUARY
NEW YEAR’S DAY EXCURSION AND LUNCHEON
Thursday Jan. 1, 7:30am
The Noel J. Cutright Bird Club is inviting all members of Ozaukee Washington Birding Coalition organizations to participate in their annual “Every Bird Is a New Bird” Field Trip to launch your 2026 list! We will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Coal Dock Park in Port Washington and end at noon with lunch (sub sandwiches, chips, cookies, and beverages) in the Riveredge Nature Center barn. Please RSVP to Carl Schwartz at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com or at 414-416-3272 by Dec 28 so we have enough food.
Trip leaders: Carl Schwartz (you can contact him at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com or 414-416-3272) and Joan Sommer
NORTH TO ALASKA
Wednesday Jan. 14, 7:00pm in person @ Riveredge Nature Center and via Zoom
Karen Etter Hale, who chairs the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, spent the summer of 2025 traveling north to Alaska with her husband in their camper van. This night, she offers us a photo tour of the wildlife and majestic landscapes from Lake Mills to Anchorage and back again. Zoom info will be provided in subsequent emails.
Owling at Paradise Valley
Sunday, Jan 18
BIPOC Birding Club of Madison and Milwaukee event
Details: https://www.bipocbirdingclub.org/events/2026-owling-joint-event
** 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 December 8-14
- Dineen Park (last time in the list for 2025)
- Hunger Task Force Farm (root river 11)- note that access is limited and permission needed (it’s a working farm). Usually M-F 8:30-4:30. Email Sarah in advance at: sarah.bressler@hungertaskforce.org
- Menomonee River Pkwy 7
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
DECEMBER 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.
- Fox Brook Park (pass or day fee)
- Menomonee Park (pass or daily fee) – if you don’t have a pass, you can park at Joecks Park on Lannon Rd and walk in through the yellow gate. Note the only open bathroom I found was in the dog exercise area and it’s primitive; so go ahead of time! Some trails are ski only, watch signs.
- Mukwonago Park (pass or daily fee)- nice trails and big park
- Muskego Park (pass or daily fee) – nice trailsnn
Milwaukee Birders 