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

You're Invited! Bringing Birds Back Conference

By Karen Etter HaleWI Bird Conservation Partnership Chair YOU are invited to join us in our quest to bring birds back. The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, WSO, and Bird City Wisconsin are hosting a conference March 24-25 to engage all those concerned with birds to help reverse bird declines at individual and community levels. Bringing Birds Back will be held at the Culver Family... Read More   

Milwaukee Lakefront Field Trip Report – 2023

Ross' Goose Photo by Matt Klemme Our group met at South Shore Yacht Club on Sunday, January 8, with an 8:00 AM start time.  The temperature was in the mid-20s, under cloudy skies, and light to moderate winds from the southwest. One of the first birds spotted was pretty exciting…  a ROSS’S GOOSE, which was hanging around with a group of CANADAS.  After a short time... Read More   

December Rare Birds: Late warbler is a 1st for state CBCs

Myles Hurlburt photographed this Summer Tanager that local birders got a chance to see in early December at a private residence in the Wausau area.   By Mark Korducki The mild weather of November continued into mid-December before a low pressure front moved in right before Christmas. This strong system produced blizzard conditions and plunged temperatures well below zero. This unusual... Read More   

A birding challenge worthy of Wisconsin

Photo by Kyle Lloyd Arpke Two Snow Buntings in Kewaunee County By Kyle Lloyd Arpke  I’m writing this article as I drive back home after a six-month odyssey that spanned the entire state of Wisconsin. Well,“odyssey” is definitely way too strong of a word, but I’m not lying about the second part. Over the last six months, I challenged myself to go birding in all 72 counties in... Read More   

WSO Board Member Application

Thank you for your interest in joining the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Board of Directors! Please complete the application below. The committee is accepting applications until February 29, 2024 and it will conduct interviews before the full board votes to elect new board members, which we hope to be able to do in April. Your... Read More   

WSO issues a public call for volunteer leaders

    The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology is seeking volunteer leaders to join its Board Of Directors. WSO’s mission is to promote the study, enjoyment and conservation of Wisconsin’s birds. We are looking for new directors who share our passion for these activities and for building a future where birds are protected and thriving. The WSO board is seeking candidates who have... Read More   

Statewide bird conservation conference planned March 24-25

A statewide conference is in the works to explore  how each of us, individually and as a community, can help bring back some of the 3 billion birds our continent has lost since 1970. The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, Bird City Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology have come together to plan a special two-day meeting. It will be held Friday and Saturday, March 24-25,... Read More   

Come to Waukesha County for WSO’s 2023 Convention

          The Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club will join WSO to host the 2023 convention on May 19-21 – WSO’s first since 2019!  As a venue, the convention committee has chosen The Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee (https://www.theinglesidehotel.com/), which is near the sprawling, bird-rich Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest and the many forests, prairies,... Read More   

New surveys find Honey Creek Preserve a rare gem, full of bird life, challenges, opportunities

Photo by Angus Mossman Federally-endangered rusty patched bumble bee on joe-pye weed in shrub swamp.         By Mike Mossman, Amy Staffen and Angus Mossman The recent addition of the Dischler tract to WSO’s Harold and Carla Kruse Honey Creek Nature Preserve has inspired renewed interest in current and longterm management needs at this very rich and important natural... Read More   

November Rare Birds: Vagrants again make some big news

                      Wendy Frasheski submitted to eBird her photograph of a Black Vulture seen over Wind Point in Racine County on Nov. 26.   By Mark Korducki November is traditionally an excellent month for vagrants. This proved to be the case once again.  The month got off to a blazing start with a Sharp-tailed... Read More   

‘tis the season to join a Christmas Count

By Tom Schultz The 123rd Audubon Christmas Bird Count season is almost upon us, and hopefully birders everywhere will be flocking to participate! This annual event is the longest-running citizen science project in our nation, and the accumulated data has provided bird researchers with vast amounts of population trend and distribution information. WSO helped to establish many of the 100+... Read More