Sunday, Aug 23, 8:00-10:00
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
Swift Night Out #1 with Wisconsin Metro Audubon, BIPOC Birders, and Feminist Bird Club-Milwaukee
Sunday, Aug 23, 7:00pm
Calvary Cemetery
5503 W Bluemound Rd. Follow the map
About 150 Swifts per night are being seen using the chimney. Swift activity picks up about 30 min before sunset.
Please be respectful when parking and walking in the cemetery
Join us! Walks are always free and always fun . 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
Nearly every morning, there is a
FREE Bird Walk in Milwaukee
Milwaukee Birding News
The Swifts are Coming! WI DNR is collecting information on Chimney Swifts this fall. Share with DNR any swift night outs, roost sites, and counts. Watch for our Swift Night Outs with Wisconsin Metro Audubon.
Lake Park Warbler Walks start this Saturday at 8:30am. Meet at the bird feeder just south of playground. Free, All-levels welcome! Join “Birders of Lake Park in Milwaukee” on Facebook for walk updates
Birdcast is back online! Fall migration is upon us. You know what to do:
1. Study fall warblers
2. Collision-proof your windows
3. Spiff up your bird bath
4. Lights out from 11:00pm – 6:00am
Care about Birds? Live in city of Milwaukee? Support the Urban Bird Treaty. Learn more and complete digital postcard HERE
Last Week
Sunday started out cool along the lakefront. Fifteen of us started with the Mallards and Cormorants in the water along the road. In the lagoon, the Redhead was still present. Along with bunches of gulls on the beach. We found one Red-winged Blackbird by the fishing dock. And then paused to watch all the juvenile barn swallows hunting over the short-grass prairie and lagoon. At that close distance and position over them, we were able to see the line of dots on their tails. There were still a number of Purple Martins crowding their house and sallying over the park. We had a Green Heron flyover as well. And there were Brown-headed Cowbirds, several of us had not seen any in a while.
A few of us went to the Wild Inside showing at the Oriental. The story was well told and the photography was amazing. We were able to share the birding options around Milwaukee with members of the audience.
eBird List: https://ebird.org/checklist/S384163876
Upcoming Bird Talks & walks:
Have a birding event to share? email us on the Contact Page
August
Field Illustration for Birders
Saturday, Aug 22 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Details and registration HERE
Mighty Migration Series from Southeast Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Tuesday Aug 25, Wednesday Aug 26, Thursday Aug 27, 7:00pm webinars
1) Mystery of Migration,
2) Ecological Forecasting for Bird Conservation, and
3) Conserving Birds One Coffee Cup at a Time
Details and registration HERE
Bird Walk at Afterglow Farms with Lake Michigan Bird Observatory
Thursday, August 27
Details and registration HERE
Cheers to Five Years! BIPOC Birding Club Celebration
Saturday, Aug 29
Details HERE
** Follow Bird City Milwaukee on Facebook!
Check out Milwaukee Birders on Facebook and Instagram 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. During the year, some parks are priorities for birding. We can help MKE Parks! Pick a priority park from the list below, go bird, eBird it and note time spent there.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY PARKS : Aug 15-21
- Alcott Park
- Armour Park (last time for 2026!)
- Barnard Park
- Chippewa Park
- Grootemat Nature Preserve (easiest to park in Ramsey and enter from the corner of 43rd)
- Honey Creek Pkwy 2, 4 (last time)
- Little Menomonee River Pkwy 3,5,6 – 5 is called Little Menomonee River S of Mill Rd, North of Appleton
- Menomonee River Pkwy 4,7,8 (no trail for 4 and 4 is called Menomonee River, S of Silver Spring, west of 45)
- Milwaukee River Pkwy 1, 3
- Mitchell Blvd Park
- Oak Creek Pkwy 10
- Root River 4, 6, 7, 8
- Southwood Glen
- Zablocki Park
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. A Waukesha County Park pass is needed for a number of these locations. To purchase passes visit:
https://wiwaukeshacountyweb.myvscloud.com/…/splash.html#
Note that seniors (60+) can purchase annual park passes for only $20!
July bird surveys needed at these locations- all are ebird hotspots
- Ashippun Lake – Waukesha County- (free)
- Ashippun River Greenway (free, no trail)
- Berg Property (off LO west a little bit from Mukwonago Park)
- Fox Bend Park-(access through St Martins Woods SNA or Big Bend Park but don’t count bird in BBP)
- Fox Bend South free (small parking area on gravel; don’t block the gate) On Forest Home Ave, 42.86084° N, 88.23814° W. Start on the farm access road heading in direction of river. You can access a fair amount of it via this road, plus a dirt trail, plus walking back through a grain field that has been mowed (watch for horned larks). Backtracking a bit or a bit of bushwhacking depending on what you feel like doing. This property is quite large and we haven’t been to all of it yet.
- Fox Brook Park (fee or daily pass)
- Fox River Park (fee or pass OR park by the condos along and walk in)
- Ice Age Trail Monches segment
- Monches County park (daily fee or pass)
- Mukwonago Park (daily fee or pass)
- Nagawaukee Park (pass or daily fee)
- Ryan Park- (pass or day fee)
- New Berlin Recreation Trail (free- bike from edge of Greenfield Park into Waukesha!)