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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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:...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Sign the guest book when you visit Honey Creek
Ed Peartree on some of his many birding banding outings
By Rebecca Gilman
WSO Board Secretary
Fall is here and it’s a perfect time to visit our Honey Creek Preserve in Sauk County. The leaves are turning as our summer birds depart. Migrants drop down to refuel and rest before taking to the wing once again and our winter visitors – like the Dark-eyed...
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Jaegerfest 2022 - 24 years!
Sunrise Birding Sept 23, 2022 Photo: Tom Schultz
By Tom Schultz WSO Field Trips Committee
This was another “unofficial” Jaegerfest weekend for WSO, but many members attended – as we have annually since we started this field trip to Wisconsin Point in 1999 – so this was the event’s 24th year!
This report begins on Thursday Sept. 22, since that day provided...
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