We hope you will join us in May for Birding the Bluffs!
By WSO Convention Organizers
The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology is pleased to present our 83rd annual convention May 15-18 in La Crosse-Onalaska at the Stoney Creek Hotel. It includes the features we have all come to love: field trips, first-day social gathering, our awards ceremony, important discussions, and a banquet followed by an engaging keynote address. Birders of every experience level are welcome to come to the convention to greet friends old and new, and enjoy spring migration in the Driftless Region along the Mississippi River.
Convention registration will run from March 1 to April 25. Information is available on the WSO website at What We Do/Annual Convention. An online registration link is available there or here.
For early birds, we are excited to offer a Birds & Beers Social and Bird Trivia Contest at the Backwater Bar & Grill in Prairie du Chien on the evening of Thursday May 15. We have a block of rooms available at two nearby hotels (see the convention details or Badger Birder newsletter for information). Make your reservations before April 15. We are choosing this location on Thursday to put us near our Friday morning field trip at Wyalusing State Park. (Of course, you can also just meet us there on Friday.) This is a fantastic area for spring migration, and a great place to find Cerulean, Kentucky, Prothonotary, and Yellow-throated Warblers!
Check-in for the convention and field trip signups will begin on Friday at 3 pm at the Stoney Creek Hotel in Onalaska. There will be items and experiences to bid on during our silent auction to benefit WSO programs. A cocktail social and dinner will follow at 5:30 pm. Starting at 7 pm, WSO will hold its annual awards ceremony.
On Saturday morning, a variety of field trips to local birding hotspots will leave from the Stoney Creek Hotel at staggered times. On Saturday afternoon, convention goers will participate in a Conservation Conversation, a guided discussion about important issues for the birding community in Wisconsin, and WSO’s annual member meeting.
Later Saturday, a social hour starts at 5 pm and bidding continues on our silent auction. A banquet dinner follows at 6:30 pm. This year’s keynote speakers, George Archibald and Anne Lacy, will begin at 7:30 pm. Archibald and Lacy come to us from the world-renowned International Crane Foundation in Baraboo presenting an Update on the Cranes of Wisconsin.
More field trips will be offered on Sunday morning.
Register March 1 – April 25 at the following rates:
- Standard $70 Registration includes the Friday evening dinner but not the Saturday banquet.
- Students $50 Students under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a registered adult
- Saturday banquet and keynote speaker $55
If you prefer to register at the convention, the standard registration fee will be $75 and student $55. Bring cash or a check.
Register in one of three ways:
- Online here or go to the WSO website What We Do/Annual Convention
- By mail: Download the registration form from the Annual Convention webpage or request a form from membership@wsobirds.org. Send to WSO, PO Box 217, North Lake, WI 53064 with a check made out to WSO.
- In person: on arrival (food and T-shirts may not be available).
You can find more details on lodgings, food and field trips through the Annual Convention webpage or the March 2025 Badger Birder newsletter (which is available to the public under What We Do/Publications).
