News - Wisconsin Society for Ornithology

Bay Beach 2025 Field Trip Report

Black-crowned Night Heron by Matt Klemme

Our group of 24 gathered at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7:00 AM. We had partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures (48 degrees at the start) and a light to moderate wind from the west. Initially, on and near the lagoons, we spotted a GREAT BLUE HERON, GREEN HERON and a fairly cooperative BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON that landed in a nearby... Read More

WSO UnConvention 2025

Wisconsin Society for Ornithology UnConvention 2025 Discover the Love of Wisconsin Bird Conservation: Unite with Birdwatching Communities Saturday, November 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration Check-in 8:30 a.m. Presentations start at 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Location: UW-Green Bay’s S.T.E.M. Innovation Center2019 Technology WayGreen Bay, WI 54311 Registration for... Read More

Join Our Team

Join Our Team - for the love of birds The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology seeks an administrative assistant to join the organization’s staff to assist with communications, publication distribution, membership, and business transactions. The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology is a nonprofit organization whose mission is promoting the enjoyment, study, and conservation of Wisconsin’s birds.... Read More

2025 Kettle Moraine State Forest Northern Unit Field Trip

On Saturday, June 7, at 6:00 AM, 16 people met at the Zillmer Trail parking lot for the WSO’s Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit field trip. The weather was good, with partly cloudy skies, very light wind, and temperatures in the mid-60s. Our route for the day included: Auburn Lake Road, Jersey Flats Prairie Restoration Area, Haushalter Lane, Haskell Noyes Memorial... Read More

White River Marsh Field Trip Report 2025

Our group of 18 met in the pre-dawn hours on Saturday, May 3rd – along White River Road in White River State Wildlife Area. The temperature was 42, the winds were light from the NE, and the skies were nearly entirely cloudy. We soon started to hear a few birds starting to call in the dim light of early morning, including CANADA GOOSE, SANDHILL CRANE, BARRED OWL,... Read More

WSO Mead Wildlife Area Field Trip Report

By Myles Hurlburt, WSO field trip committee This year’s outing was held, Saturday, April 19, 2025. The weather was a cool 37 degrees partly cloudy. By the time we were done it reached 45 degrees. We had a total of 10 attendees from across the state. The water levels were a little high on Smokey Hill Rd and Rangeline Rd. For some, this was their first visit to the Mead Wildlife... Read More

Dane and Columbia County Ponds 2025 Field Trip Report

Thirteen of us met at Goose Pond on Saturday, March 22 at 7 AM, and were greeted with a nice spectacle of waterfowl – including about 400 TUNDRA SWANS swimming about on the west pond! The morning was quite chilly, with a temperature of 26 degrees and a moderate north wind. The sky was clear, but the early morning sunshine was doing little to warm us up. Field Trip Group... Read More

Sheboygan Lakefront Field Trip 2025 Report

On Saturday, March 8, at 7:00 AM, our group gathered in Sheboygan near the Broughton Drive jetties, along the Lake Michigan shore. The weather was not bad, with mostly clear skies and a starting temperature around 24 degrees. The recent rising temperatures were resulting in increasing bird song, and we were serenaded by RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, AMERICAN ROBINS, HOUSE... Read More

Announcement of the 2025 Passenger Pigeon Awards

By Wendy Schultz, WSO Awards Chair SCIENCE has shown that being in nature (birdwatching) can help reduce anxiety and depression. If I could (and I just might) I would encourage the physicians I work with to regularly write prescriptions for their anxious patients, dosing them to a daily walk in the woods, or a date night with a bird club—just to connect them to the power of nature and... Read More

Buena Vista Grasslands Field Trip Report 2025

Just two days prior to this outing, the landscape had been fairly brown – with minimal snow cover – but the snowstorm from the day before brought about 6-7 inches. Unfortunately, the snow and slippery roads resulted in cancellations from a number of field trip registrants. Despite that, however, there were still seven of us who gathered on the morning of February 16, with three cars in... Read More

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News Release: Wisconsin Society for Ornithology seeks nominations for 2026 Passenger Pigeon Awards