The 2023 WSO Convention– our first since 2019! -- will be held at 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 prairies, lakes and rivers in the area. The hotel is just an hour’s drive east of Madison and an hour south of Horicon Marsh; it’s even closer to Lake...
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Convention keynoter author wants us to ‘Keep Looking Up’
As we hopefully move past COVID 19, the keynote speaker for the 2023 WSO convention will bring a timely message to the Wisconsin birding community. Tammah Watts is the author of the much anticipated and widely praised book “Keep Looking Up – Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching.”
Watts, a member of the Audubon California Board of Directors since 2021, has served the community...
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WSO Seeks Administrative Assistant
The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology seeks an organized administrator to assist with membership, development, and communications. WSO is a nonprofit organization whose mission is promoting the enjoyment, study, and conservation of Wisconsin’s birds.
This is a part-time position for 10 to 20 hours a week. The salary for this position is $25 an hour. This is a remote position with work...
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Sheboygan Lakefront 3-11-23
Iceland Gull, Photo by Myles Hurlburt
By Tom SchultzWSO Field Trips Committee
After a heavy snowfall the day before, the ground was covered with a thick layer, but fortunately the day of our field trip was dry – even though it remained cloudy. The temperature was moderate, ranging from 29-32 degrees, and the wind was only 5-15 m.p.h. from the northeast.
Eurasian...
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Longtime WSO editor Kemper dies at 103
“Charlie” Kemper was honored at the 2019 WSO Convention in Altoona.
Chippewa Falls — Dr. Charles A. Kemper, 103, editor of WSO’s quarterly journal The Passenger Pigeon for more than two decades, passed away on Feb. 11 at his Chippewa Falls home with his family at his side while under hospice care.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 15, at Christ...
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Changes recommended for WSO dues, publications
By Jennifer Lazewski WSO Executive Director
The WSO Board of Directors is recommending changes to membership dues, levels and publication fees after the first dues review since 2017. These recommendations resulted from a task force on membership dues after a thorough review of WSO history, current conditions, other comparable organizations and consultant suggestions. Under...
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Buena Vista Field Trip 2023 – Feb. 11
Townline Road feeders - Photo by Tom Schultz
We were pleased that this was a relatively mild day for this field trip, with the temperature starting around 25 degrees when we met at the gas station in Bancroft at 8:00 AM. There was a moderate wind blowing from the southwest, but the mild temperature made it quite tolerable.
Following check-in (26 birders were present) and...
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January Rare Birds: Kittiwake, Varied Thrush are highlights in quiet month
By Mark Korducki
January was a fairly quiet month for weather and birds. Most of the month was warmer than normal and much of the state saw very little in the way of snowfall.
The most unusual sighting was a Black-legged Kittiwake that was found on Columbia Lake in Columbia County. This lake remains open all winter due to the warm water discharge from a power plant and it...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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