By Jennifer Lazewski WSO Executive Director The first Big Birding Bash was a resounding success as a spring migration bird counting effort with fun local gatherings of birders. On May 21-22, over 300 participants in 59 counties observed 244 bird species. This effort included birders through the state with eBird checklists done that weekend. We asked that everyone share their checklists with...
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Horicon Field Trip Report 2022
Birding on the Auto Tour- photo by TOM SCHULTZ
Cloudy skies and occasional drizzle were encountered by birders heading to Horicon on the morning of 8/14, but fortunately our field trip was dry. It was a cool day, however, with the temperatures ranging from 63 – 67 degrees, and a light NE wind. The 25 attendees gathered along Hwy. 49 at 7:00 AM and started scanning the marsh.
The...
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Mid-Summer Rare Birds Brown Booby a likely new state record!
Jim Edlhuber photographed this Brown Booby on Aug. 11 in La Crosse. For more: http://www.windowtowildlife.com/brown-booby-on-the-black-river-in-la-crosse-wisconsin-on-august-11-2022/
By Mark KorduckiIn the days just before this article went to press, Wisconsin birders were flocking to what would be a new state record, pending approval of the WSO Records Committee. On Aug. 9, A Brown Booby was...
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WSO’s Quarterly Journal is in Jeopardy, Needs Volunteers
WSO’s Passenger Pigeon has been the best representation of WSO’s commitment to unite academic avian study with bird enthusiasts ready to assist in scientific research. Since 1939, the journal has been publishing research on Wisconsin’s birds and information on bird studies and sightings throughout the state. That history is longer and richer than the Atlas work that many of you value so...
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5 Cautionary Tips to Document Birds ID'd by Merlin App
By Jason Thiele Wisconsin eBird Team
The Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID app for smart phones is a game changer in the birding world, especially for its sound identification feature. But like any new technology, it’s not perfect, meaning eBirders should be careful not to report birds identified only by the app.
Birding, like virtually every other pastime, has been greatly influenced by...
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Great Wisconsin Birdathon soars, raising $117,000 for birds
The Great Wisconsin Birdathon gave away a copy of Wingspan, the popular bird-themed board game, and the winner was one of our newest family teams from Wood County, the Round Barn Birders! They birded all season long, exploring new places and finding new birds together as a family. Photo courtesy of their team captain, Lisa Kowalski.
By Caitlyn Schuchhardt Outreach Coordinator Natural Resources...
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Summer Rare Birds: Cassin’s Kingbird would be a new state record
Dan Belter photographed what has been identified as a Cassin’s Kingbird in Marathon County on June 5.
By Mark Korducki
The exciting spring for rarities continued into early June. In Marathon County, a trip to search for Dickcissels turned up a much more exciting surprise for a Wausau birder. An unusual flycatcher was photographed and subsequently identified as a Cassin's Kingbird. If...
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Action Alert: Support a ban on lead use on National Wildlife Refuges
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to open or expand hunting and/or sport fishing on 19 National Wildlife Refuges. In addition, they are proposing to ban the use of lead on these newly opened refuge lands. This ban on lead would include upland game hunting, big game hunting, as well as sport fishing. While none of the proposed refuges are in Wisconsin, it is still important for...
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Gopalan elected to lead WSO
In an election conducted largely online, WSO members have overwhelmingly elected to two-year terms the slate of officers proposed by the Board of Directors in May. On a vote of 197 to 2 (with 21-mail-in ballots), members elected these officers:
President: Sunil Gopalan Vice President: Lynn Barber Secretary: Rebecca Gilman
Barber and Gilman were elected to the WSO Board...
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Bah on Birds: Bell's Vireo
Bah on Birds: Bell’s Vireo
by Mariama Bah, age 15
Hello and welcome to “Bah on Birds.” I’m Mariama Bah, author of “Bah on Birds” and a volunteer for the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology. In my free time, I like to crochet, read books, and learn new things, which is why I joined WSO. What I hope to accomplish with my volunteer work is to educate people about the endangered and...
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WSO - Honey Creek Birdathon
By Jeff Baughman
On Saturday, June 18, 2022, the WSO held its Birdathon/Bandathon at our Honey Creek property in Sauk County. The Birdathon portion of the event included an early dawn chorus field trip and later a hike on our trails north of Skyview Road.
The dawn chorus trip started at Alder Drive and Skyview Roads intersection at 4 AM. It was a perfect morning for birding, with clear skies...
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