Brooklyn State Wildlife Area
Brooklyn SWA, Dane County, WI, US - eBird Hotspot
Brooklyn SWA - Bellbrook Road, Dane County, WI, US - eBird Hotspot
Habitat: Native and Restored Grassland, Oak Savannah, Southern Hardwood Forest, Cropland, Marsh, Sedge Meadow.
Best Birds: From either lot on Highway DD head east into the trail system. This patchy mix of prairie, scrublands, oak savannah and deciduous forest is an excellent migrant trap for warblers, vireos and flycatchers as well as habitat for several unique Dane County nesting species. The prairies hold Willow Flycatcher, Savannah and occasional Henslow's Sparrow (if burn/growth cycles are favorable), as well as Eastern Meadowlark. The scrubby edges support Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Brown Thrasher, Blue-Winged Warbler, Orchard Oriole, Dickcissel, and occasionally a Bell’s Vireo, White-eyed Vireo or Yellow-Breasted Chat.
The parcels off of Bellbrook Road are more prairie-oriented with an agricultural field north of the main parking area. The tractor road north of the parking area will have blue-grass prairie to the west and an ag field to the east.Horned Lark, Eastern Bluebird and Eastern Meadowlark are very common in this section.
In winter this area hosts Northern Harrier, Rough-Legged Hawk, Short-Eared Owl (at dusk) and an occasional Northern Shrike. The large ag field north of the creek crossing is the most interesting in late winter and early spring. Large numbers of Lapland Longspur will start to accumulate in the field (usually unseen unless you walk the field and flush them). If conditions are right in late April (wet spot in field; good amount of weeds) a few Smith’s Longspur may be found among all the Laplands as well as American Pipit. If it is a very wet spring the field is very mucky and will require boots. This same field has yielded LeConte’s Sparrow in the fall.
Working the road (east of the creek; west of Tipperary Road) in winter can yield Short-Eared Owl as well as Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur and Vesper Sparrow (early spring). The low fields around this road that are public access can also have LeConte’s and Nelson’s Sparrow each fall. The farmette to the west of the parking lot (top of the hill) has hosted Eurasian Collared-Dove for several years, and they have also been seen along Tipperary/ Legler Road.
Directions: 20 miles south of Madison on Highway DD or Bellbrook Road. Park on either of two lots on Highway DD, Lot 1 or Lot 2, or the lot on the northside off Bellbrook Road.
Site Address & Additional Information:
Highway DD Lot 1: 242 County Hwy DD, Belleville, WI, 42.87017, -89.49878
Bellbrook Road Lot: 5804-6298 Bellbrook Rd, Brooklyn, WI 42.87878, -89.47071
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Lands/WildlifeAreas/brooklyn.html
Shawn Miller
