Nearly every morning, there is a
FREE Bird Walk in Milwaukee
Sunday, April 26, 8:00-10:00 (Note: Early start)
Mequon Nature Preserve
8200 W County Line Rd, Mequon
Meet on the west side of the main parking lot. While the warblers are great in the spring, late summer is excellent birding. The grassy fields can have Henslow’s Sparrows, Dickcissels, and Eastern Meadowlarks. Ponds and muddy, marshy areas have herons, ducks, soras, snipes and other shorebirds as well. The ponds along the northern edge of the Preserve on Donges Bay Rd can be particularly good for shorebirds spring through fall. Wooded areas have woodpeckers and songbirds. Raptors possible here include Kestrels, Harriers, Peregrines, and Red-tails.
Website: https://mequonnaturepreserve.org/
eBird: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L345757?yr=curM
Trails: Gravel, grass, dirt and mulched paths. Some slope up from parking lot.
Restrooms: Porta-a-Potty near parking lot. Building has restrooms, open Monday-Friday
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
Another sign of spring: Lake Park Warbler Walks start this Saturday, April 25, 8:30 am. Meet at the warming house south of the playground. All levels welcome. Overwhelmed by warbler ID? Come on this walk: lots of eyes for spotting them and plenty of helpful birders to explain identification. These walks run mid-April through the last Saturday in May
As long as we’re in the parks birding...we can participate in the Milwaukee City Nature Challenge. Using iNaturalist document the wild flora and fauna you see. Document the park and location.
Last Week
The wind was no longer the sustained gusts of Saturday, making Sunday feel balmy! The amazing thing about birding the Hank Aaron Trail is the juxtaposition of birds, native plantings, and city life. Nineteen of us walked the trail from the UEC bridge east to the domes and back. It was fun spotting Northern Flickers, American Kestrels, and the many great looks at Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
Thanks to Katie for leading and John for the list.
eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S324875554
Upcoming Bird Talks & walks:
Have a birding event to share? email us on the Contact Page
April
Port Washington Bird Sanctuary Field Trip with Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Thursday, April 23
Details HERE
Mead Wildlife Area Field Trip with Wisconsin Society for Ornithology
Saturday, April 25
Details HERE
Beyond the Bird Feeder: Bird ID
Saturday, April 25 at Wehr Nature Center
Details: HERE
Native Tree Giveaway by Lake Michigan Bird Observatory
Saturday, April 25, Port Washington
April 25 | Port Washington (9am–12pm)
W.J. Niederkorn Library
Featuring Beyond Our Senses: Bank Swallows, a short documentary by David Busse Details HERE
Bird Walk at Forest Exploration Center
Wednesday, April 29, 5:30pm
Led by Colleen Resendiz. Meet at the parking lot, 1800 Forest Exploration Rd. It’s off Swan Blvd where the roundabout is.
Bird Migration Talk by Andy Dressel
Wednesday, April 29, 5:30-6:30
At Shorewood Village Community Room
MAY
Birding for Spring Migration
Sunday, May 3, 8:00am at Warnimont Park
Join Ben Slowey and Sarah Long on a bird walk start at the parking lot at the dog park. Details HERE
3-DAY FIELD TRIP: Southern Kettle Moraine to Wyalusing State Park
May 6-8 (Wednesday to Friday) with Ozaukee-Washington Birding Coalition
This trip is earlier on the calendar than in past years, but eBird recorded 20 warbler species at Wyalusing State Park by this date in 2025, and seeing the birds will be easier with the trees not yet fully leafed out.
On Wednesday, we will start the day in the Southern Kettle Moraine (exact meeting spot TBD), then make our way across to Prairie du Chien, have dinner at the Black Angus and overnight. We will make stops along the way to search for birds like Lark Sparrow, Upland Sandpiper, Louisiana Waterthrush. It’s an overnight Wednesday in Prairie du Chien. Thursday will see a pre-dawn start to bird Wyalusing for such specialties as Prothonotary, Kentucky, Yellow-throated and Cerulean Warblers. Later in the day birding east to overnight Thursday in Sauk City. Options late Thursday and Friday include Spring Green Preserve, Gov. Dodge State Park, Honey Creek Preserve and hotspots in Dane and Columbia counties.
Registration and details: Contact Gisela Zelenka-Drysdale, trip coordinator, giselazd@yahoo.com
You will make your own motel reservations. There are several motels on the south end of Prairie du Chien, including: AmericInn (located next to the Black Angus), Quality Inn and Microtel; in Sauk City, the Holiday Inn Express is convenient.
World Migratory Bird Day Celebration at Havenwoods
Saturday, May 9
Bird ID talk, Bird Walks, Tree Giveaway from Lake Michigan Bird Observatory, Bird Crafts and more!
Seminary Woods Bird Walk with Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society
Saturday, May 9
Details HERE
RIVEREDGE BIRDATHON/BANDATHON
Saturday, May 9
The Noel J. Cutright Bird Club invites participants from all members of the Ozaukee Washington Birding Coalition to spend the day searching for as many as possible. We’ll multiply those results (averaging about 100 species) by donations to support Riveredge, compensate coalition speakers and help fund local bird conservation efforts such as the Pineview Wildlife Rehab Center, Wanakia Wildlife Rehab, the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas, and the Great Wisconsin Birdathon.
Anyone can help with the count that day, but if you want to participate in our birding teams, show up by 6:30 a.m. in the main parking lot at Riveredge where we will divvy up the property and set off. Want to show up at 4 a.m. for owling and the dawn chorus? Email Carl Schwartz at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com
The Riveredge Bandathon will be led by Research Manager Jana Gedymin on that same day. If you want to participate, contact her at jgedymin@riveredge.us
FIELD TRIP: Lion’s Den Gorge
Sunday May 10, 7:00am
Led by members of the Noel J. Cutright Bird Club, this field trip concentrates on the Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve, a 73-acre public park located adjacent to Lake Michigan south of Port Washington. The address is 511 High Bluff Dr., Grafton. The preserve, to whose preservation the bird club was one of the first donors, offers a variety of habitats in a major migration corridor.
No signup required.
Trip Leaders: Joan Sommer and Carl Schwartz; you can contact Carl at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com or 414-416-3272
FIELD TRIP: Land Trust Preserves
Saturday, May 23, 6:30 a.m.
This tour to three of the amazing Restoring Lands (formerly OWLT) preserves begins at the Kurtz Woods State Natural Area off Dahlia Lane between Saukville and Grafton), then visits Bratt Woods and finishes the morning at Donges Bay Gorge Natural Area.
No signup required.
Trip Leader: Carl Schwartz; you can contact him at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com or 414-416-3272
Birding at Forest Home Cemetery with Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society
Saturday, May 23
Details HERE
** 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.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY PARKS : April 1-7
- Baran Park
- Currie Park
- Dineen Park
- Dretzka Park
- Franklin Savanna (if you haven’t been and need access help contact Colleen at 414-379-6741)
- Grootemat Nature Preserve
- Kern Park
- Little Menomonee River Pkwy 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (2 definitely has no trails, at least Apple of the others do but check maps if you don’t want to bushwhack)
- Menomonee River Parkway 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Milwaukee River Pkwy 1, 3, 5
- Oak Creek Pkwy 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12 (north and south) 13, 14 (for 12- no trails and for 13, there is no trail, and be VERY careful of property lines as private property is to both sides)
- Root River Pkwy 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 15, 16, 18 (no trails for 15, 16, 18)
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
March bird surveys needed at these locations- all are ebird hotspots
- Berg Property – free – address S102W33451 CTH LO should get you there or very close. It’s just west of Mukwonago so you could do them both in one trip! Needs 6 shared surveys
- Fox Bend Park- fee or pass- looking for 6 shared surveys
- Monches County Park- fee or pass- looking for 4 shared surveys
- Mukwonago Park (pass or daily fee) – looking for 6 shared surveys
- Nagawaukee Park- daily fee or pass – needs 3 shared surveys
- Ashippun Lake – Waukesha County- (free)- looking for 1 shared survey
- School Section Lake- requires LAKE (not a park pass) daily or season pass- needs 5 shared surveys
- New Berlin Trail (free)- 6 shared surveys needed