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

Calling all Wisconsin bird artists

If you are a member of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, your original Wisconsin bird artwork may become the design on the 2023 WSO convention T-shirt, and it may also be featured in one or more WSO publications. Please prepare your entry as follows: ·Artwork should include at least one of the following Waukesha-area bird species: Hooded Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher,... Read More   

Donate for Wisconsin's Birds

                      Photo by Sunil Gopalan Everything the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology does is for Wisconsin’s birds. It’s right in our name. As WSO continues with its flight forward, we are taking on more education and conservation actions for Wisconsin’s birds. We are stepping up our statewide leadership and... Read More   

Citizen science reports of banded cranes contribute to conservation in Wisconsin

Photo by Ted Thousand  A banded Whooping Crane reported as right: white red and left: white green red. By Stephanie M. Schmidt Whooping Crane Outreach Coordinator International Crane Foundation      As the temperatures get colder and the days become shorter, Wisconsin skies will be filled with the bugling calls of Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes on their... Read More   

October Rare Birds: Good month for rarities includes hummer, rail, gull and teal

Photo by Dar Tiede This Broad-billed Hummingbird visited a feeder at a private residence in the Fox Cities during mid-October. By Mark Korducki Fall is often the best season to locate rare bids in Wisconsin. October was a good month overall with a steady stream ofmigrants and a few rare birds. The most unusual was a colorful Broad-billed Hummingbird found at a feeder in Outagamie County.... Read More   

Learning, birding with WSO in Wausau, Point

Dr. Robert Rosenfield holding a bird specimen Photos by Jennifer Lazewski and Rebecca Gilman   By Jennifer Lazewski WSO Executive Director      WSO had a great couple of days learning and birding in Wausau and Stevens Point Oct. 18-19. Members came from several counties, and many attended all three events. It was a great chance to get to know some of our fellow... Read More   

Members urged to nominate for Passenger Pigeon Awards

Wendy Schultz chairs the WSO Awards Committee and has been on a mission to personally present the Passenger Pigeon Awards that normally would have been handed out during the annual conventions that were cancelled due to COVID. WSO is accepting nominations through Dec. 31 for its annual Passenger Pigeon Awards. A nomination form can be completed and submitted online at... Read More   

Harrington Beach Hawk Watch 2022

Our WSO group gathered at the lower beach parking lot at Harrington Beach State Park at 8:00 AM.  It was a chilly morning – starting at about 34 degrees – but the sky was clear.  The wind was out of the west at about 10-15 mph, so we were optimistic about seeing a hawk migration – although this was now the 3rd day since the cold front first passed through Wisconsin, with... Read More   

2023 WSO CONVENTION

  Yes, we are going to have a convention in 2023! The WSO Convention Committee (co-chairs Lynn Barber and Christine Reel) and the Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club have joined forces to plan a weekend of great birding and fun in and around Waukesha County during spring migration. The dates: Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21, 2023The venue: The Ingleside Hotel in PewaukeeField trips and keynoter:... Read More   

Join WSO flock for Birds in Art event - RSVP by Oct 10

Join your fellow bird lovers on Tuesday night Oct. 18 as WSO flocks togethers with the Wausau Bird Club at the Birds in Art 2022 exhibit in Wausau at the Woodson Art Museum. The 47th annual, internationally renowned exhibition features bird paintings, sculptures and graphics by 118 artists. The donations-optional event will start with a guided tour of part of the exhibit at 5 p.m. and include a... Read More   

Court upholds Madison’s bird-friendly building ordinance

Photo by Maria Parrott-Ryan for Madison Audubon An Indigo Bunting died after crashing into a window in the Madison area American Bird Conservancy       A Dane County Circuit Court judge has ruled in favor of birds, upholding Madison’s bird-friendly building ordinance, the first ever adopted in the state.   The ordinance, which went into effect in 2020 and... Read More   

August-September Rare Birds: Limpkins reach state as rarity parade continues

  John Dixon photographed this Limpkin in August in Racine County. By Mark Korducki An amazing run of rarities continued into the late summer and early fall.       Formerly a south Florida specialty, Limpkins have become more common in Florida and have spread throughout the Southeast as they follow the spread of an invasive apple snail. Snails are a primary food source for... Read More