Statewide bird conservation conference planned March 24-25
A statewide conference is in the works to explore how each of us, individually and as a community, can help bring back some of the 3 billion birds our continent has lost since 1970.
The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, Bird City Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology have come together to plan a special two-day meeting. It will be held Friday and Saturday, March 24-25,...
Read More
Come to Waukesha County for WSO’s 2023 Convention
The Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club will join WSO to host the 2023 convention on May 19-21 – WSO’s first since 2019! As a venue, the convention committee has chosen The Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee (https://www.theinglesidehotel.com/), which is near the sprawling, bird-rich Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest and the many forests, prairies,...
Read More
New surveys find Honey Creek Preserve a rare gem, full of bird life, challenges, opportunities
Photo by Angus Mossman Federally-endangered rusty patched bumble bee on joe-pye weed in shrub swamp.
By Mike Mossman, Amy Staffen and Angus Mossman
The recent addition of the Dischler tract to WSO’s Harold and Carla Kruse Honey Creek Nature Preserve has inspired renewed interest in current and longterm management needs at this very rich and important natural...
Read More
November Rare Birds: Vagrants again make some big news
Wendy Frasheski submitted to eBird her photograph of a Black Vulture seen over Wind Point in Racine County on Nov. 26.
By Mark Korducki
November is traditionally an excellent month for vagrants. This proved to be the case once again. The month got off to a blazing start with a Sharp-tailed...
Read More
‘tis the season to join a Christmas Count
By Tom Schultz
The 123rd Audubon Christmas Bird Count season is almost upon us, and hopefully birders everywhere will be flocking to participate!
This annual event is the longest-running citizen science project in our nation, and the accumulated data has provided bird researchers with vast amounts of population trend and distribution information.
WSO helped to establish many of the 100+...
Read More
Calling all Wisconsin bird artists
If you are a member of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, your original Wisconsin bird artwork may become the design on the 2023 WSO convention T-shirt, and it may also be featured in one or more WSO publications. Please prepare your entry as follows:
·Artwork should include at least one of the following Waukesha-area bird species: Hooded Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher,...
Read More
Donate for Wisconsin's Birds
Photo by Sunil Gopalan
Everything the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology does is for Wisconsin’s birds. It’s right in our name. As WSO continues with its flight forward, we are taking on more education and conservation actions for Wisconsin’s birds. We are stepping up our statewide leadership and...
Read More
Citizen science reports of banded cranes contribute to conservation in Wisconsin
Photo by Ted Thousand A banded Whooping Crane reported as right: white red and left: white green red.
By Stephanie M. Schmidt Whooping Crane Outreach Coordinator International Crane Foundation
As the temperatures get colder and the days become shorter, Wisconsin skies will be filled with the bugling calls of Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes on their...
Read More
October Rare Birds: Good month for rarities includes hummer, rail, gull and teal
Photo by Dar Tiede This Broad-billed Hummingbird visited a feeder at a private residence in the Fox Cities during mid-October.
By Mark Korducki
Fall is often the best season to locate rare bids in Wisconsin. October was a good month overall with a steady stream ofmigrants and a few rare birds. The most unusual was a colorful Broad-billed Hummingbird found at a feeder in Outagamie County....
Read More
Learning, birding with WSO in Wausau, Point
Dr. Robert Rosenfield holding a bird specimen
Photos by Jennifer Lazewski and Rebecca Gilman
By Jennifer Lazewski WSO Executive Director
WSO had a great couple of days learning and birding in Wausau and Stevens Point Oct. 18-19. Members came from several counties, and many attended all three events. It was a great chance to get to know some of our fellow...
Read More
Members urged to nominate for Passenger Pigeon Awards
Wendy Schultz chairs the WSO Awards Committee and has been on a mission to personally present the Passenger Pigeon Awards that normally would have been handed out during the annual conventions that were cancelled due to COVID.
WSO is accepting nominations through Dec. 31 for its annual Passenger Pigeon Awards. A nomination form can be completed and submitted online at...
Read More