Dane and Columbia County Ponds Field Trip Report – 4/2/23
After having our field trip postponed by one day due to forecasted bad weather, our group met at 7:00 AM on Sunday, April 2nd at Goose Pond. The temperature as we gathered was 27 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and brisk south winds (about 10-25 mph).
Lots of waterfowl were present on the pond as we arrived, although some groups of swans and other birds were departing. In view...
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Lake DuBay - Portage County 4/2/23
By Rob Pendergast
Regional Field Trip Leader
Six birders braved the more winter-like conditions at Lake DuBay. While the lake was still mostly frozen, the shift in wind overnight helped push a few birds into the area.
Lake DuBay Sunrise - Photo By Rob Pendergast
We started scanning the patch of open water north of Co E; 64 TUNDRA SWANS were resting on the ice....
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Join caravans to bird your way to 81st WSO Convention
JOIN US FOR A “HEADING-TO-CONVENTION” FIELD TRIP ON FRIDAY, MAY 19!
For this year’s convention, WSO is trying something new! Instead of the traditional “pre-convention” or “post-convention” two-day field trips that we’ve offered for many years, we are organizing field trips that begin at various locations around the state.
These trips will all take place on Friday,...
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Book a room now for WSO Convention
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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