Jenna Castillo and Grace Hasse, juniors at Menomonie High School in Dunn County, with the Silver Medals they earned in the ornithology event of a nationwide scholastic competition called Science Olympiad.
-By Steve Betchkal-
Grace Hasse and Jenna Castillo are Super Heroes. They can’t sing like a thrush, cross the Gulf of Mexico by flapping their arms, or even fly. But they can tell you how a...
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Winter Finch Irruption Makes ‘Home for the Holidays’ Easier
Evening Grosbeaks can be attracted with black oil sunflower seeds presented on a platform feeder. Photo taken by Ryan Brady.
The pandemic may be dictating that this is the winter for the state’s birders to play it safe, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy one of our favorite pastimes.
Yes, most birders are staying at home, or close to home, in their birding activities, especially...
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Leaders Ask Skyscraper Owner to Remedy Bird Collisions
Photo by Brad Bumgardner. Virginia Rails are low altitude migrants and thus vulnerable to collisions with the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons.
On. Oct. 15, a coalition of the state’s leading bird conservation leaders – led by WSO and Bird City Wisconsin -- sent a letter to Northwestern Mutual executives...
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WSO Seeks to Hire Editor for eHaunts
In September, WSO announced that it was making the 5th Edition of Wisconsin’s Favorite Bird Haunts available to members on our members-only website at https://wso.wildapricot.org/haunts. We did so with the knowledge that Haunts was last updated in 2009. Over the last 11 years a lot has changed in terms of bird population distribution, relevance of birding sites and accessibility of some...
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Reopened WSO Bookstore Features New ABA State Guide
Reopened WSO Bookstore features new ABA state guide
With appropriate pandemic precautions now in place, WSO has officially reopened its newly-remodeled Bookstore.
Orders can be placed from the WSO website at https://wsobirds.org/wso-store or by mail using the updated order form that appears on Page 14 of this issue of The Badger Birder.
The online storefront is all new and...
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1 Million eBird Checklists & Counting: New Milestone
By Ryan Brady (WDNR Conservation Biologist)
Wisconsin has a strong tradition of bird monitoring, conservation, and citizen science. We can now add another feather to our cap — more than one million checklists submitted to eBird, the popular online platform for reporting bird observations. Only one state with a smaller population (Oregon) has reached the feat.
“This milestone is a testament...
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New Benefit for WSO Members... and Win A Free Book!
WSO members can now enjoy a 30% discount off all bird-related books and products from Princeton University Press, one of the country’s leading publishers of high quality, authoritative bird guides and books.
Princeton's list includes Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle's The Warbler Guide; The Crossley ID Guide series; Brian Wheeler's Birds of Prey series; authoritative field guides to the birds...
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Harrington Beach Hawk Watch 2020
-Written By Tom Schultz & Jeff Baughman (WSO Field Trip co-chairs)-
It was a chilly morning on October 3 as registrants began arriving at the lower parking lot at Harrington Beach State Park, around 43 degrees. Unfortunately, the winds were calm – which is not what you want for a hawk migration. Arriving registrants were all wearing masks, a requirement for attending field trips during...
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Great WI Birdathon Near $100K Goal: Donate Now!
-By Sarah Cameron (Great Wisconsin Birdathon Coordinator)-
We are entering the final stretch of this year’s Great Wisconsin Birdathon, with less than $4,000 left to raise to reach this year’s $100,000 goal and several team Big Days still to be completed!
Organized by the Natural Resources Foundation, the Great Wisconsin Birdathon is an annual fundraiser that provides birders the...
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Chimney Swifts! Now Is the Time to Count!
-By Karen Etter Hale-
Chimney Swifts are on the decline, and we need YOUR help in identifying roost chimneys and counting the swifts that use them. It's easy and fun to conduct a "Swift Night Out". By identifying roost chimneys, we'll have a better chance of saving them.
A complete guide to host a “Swift Night Out” event is available at...
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Fall Warblers 2020 Field Trip Report
-Tom Schultz, WSO Field Trips co-chair-
On Sunday, Sept. 13, our enthusiastic group of 15 birders started gathering around 7:30 AM at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay. Following the new WSO COVID-19 guidelines, everyone had pre-registered, wore facemasks, and worked to maintain 6 feet of social distancing.
Birding at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo taken by Tom...
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