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Promoting the enjoyment, study, and conservation of Wisconsin's birds.

Public comments invited on Kohler golf course project

The public is being invited to review and provide comments on a recently-released Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on the Kohler Co.’s proposal to build an 18-hole golf course on company-owned land just north of Kohler-Andrae State Park. Comments can be submitted via email or letters through Aug. 1. The DNR also will hold a public hearing on... Read More   

Peer review and the Passenger Pigeon

The “scientific method” is a phrase that most non-scientists have heard before, but they may not necessarily comprehend what it means or how the process works. During the scientific method, observations are made, ideas are created, questions are developed, and hypotheses are generated to test the validity of those questions and ideas. To test those hypotheses, we gather data, evaluate trends... Read More   

WSO provides a strong collective voice for conservation

At this year’s annual meeting, I handed over the gavel to new WSO President Michael John Jaeger. It has been an honor to serve as the leader of WSO for the past two years. During my tenure, WSO has continued to grow and evolve. Part of my focus has been to elevate our profile amongst the broader birding and conservation community. We have sponsored events by our partners at the Wisconsin... Read More   

New WSO President spells out Society's role

Good morning. I’m the president of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. WSO is a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization established in 1939, with over 1,500 members throughout Wisconsin. Our mission is to promote the enjoyment, study and conservation of Wisconsin’s birds. We provide opportunities for people to enjoy our resident and migratory birds, while being a leading ambassador... Read More   

WSO's Costa Rica Tour Tallies 420 Species

Most of the 14 participants in WSO’s 2016 tour to Costa Rica, led by Tom and Wendy Schultz, met in Milwaukee on the evening of Feb. 24 and flew out at 5:55 the next morning. After a stopover in Atlanta, we arrived in San Jose around 1 p.m. and met our guide, Kevin Easley, loaded our gear onto our coaster bus, and were off –- surrounded by the new sights, sounds and birds of Costa Rica! The... Read More   

2016 Honey Creek Birdathon/Bandathon Results

A few weeks ago in a valley not far away… an early-rising Swamp Sparrow became the first bird tallied on the 2016 Honey Creek Birdathon. It was 3:17 a.m. and the full moon cast long, clear shadows; perhaps the sparrow was an insomniac or simply confused. While the Swamp Sparrow was not an “exciting” bird, it was a harbinger of things to come -– a lot of the expected species, and not a lot... Read More   

White River Marsh Field Trip Report

There was a bit of orange glow in the eastern sky as we gathered around 5:00 AM on May 7, but for the most part the sky was pretty cloudy. The temperature was fairly moderate, but there was a stiff wind blowing out of the north, which made it a little more challenging to hear the bird sounds around us. Not far away an American Woodcock was peenting and doing his flight display, and a Wilson’s... Read More   

2016 Passenger Pigeon Awards

 The Passenger Pigeon Awards to be presented at the 77th annual Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Convention in Racine will recognize outstanding contributions to conservation science and education as well as long service to the society, including the staging of its annual convention. The honors will be presented at an awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, May 13, at the Racine Architect Hotel... Read More   

Dane and Columbia County Ponds Field Trip Report

This year marked a new and earlier start time- 7:00 AM- for this popular field trip. We had decided to try an earlier meeting time because in the past we had noted that many geese had flown out from the flooded fields where they had been present just an hour before- and the new starting time appeared to work well for that reason! There were about 40 enthusiastic birders present at the Goose... Read More   

Sheboygan Lakefront Field Trip Report

On Sunday March 6, 42 people assembled at the Sheboygan Marina at about 8 AM, for WSO’s annual spring lakefront field trip. The weather was fairly pleasant but the moderate winds put a bite to the air. So hats, gloves and a heavy coat were in order. Within the Sheboygan Harbor and river channel we found 25 species. From the marina we had scope views of 2 Adult Great Black-backed Gulls and a... Read More   

Board Member Profile: Ed Hahn, education co-chair

Tell us a little about your background and how you first got involved in birding: I was born in the town of Valentine in the sandhills of Nebraska. My dad ran a hydro-electric power plant east of Valentine on the Niobrara River in the Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was host to elk, bison, and Texas Longhorns, as well as antelope, deer, and prairie dogs. Local birds included Western... Read More   
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become a memberWe welcome all birders!

donate todayHelp us promote the enjoyment, study and conservation of Wisconsin's birds!

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