-Written by Tom Schultz-
Birders began arriving well before our 8:00 AM start time, under sunny skies and with the temperature around 50 degrees. We gathered on a grassy area near the lower parking lot at Harrington Beach State Park and started watching the bird activity in the nearby trees and bushes. It turned out that we had a fantastic attendance of birders, with about 45 showing...
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U.S. & Canada Lose More than 1 in 4 Birds in Last 50 Years
-This article was compiled from reports by The Atlantic and American Bird Conservancy-
In the early afternoon of Sept. 1, 1914, Martha the Passenger Pigeon, the last of her kind in the world, passed away, and her entire species disappeared with her. But before that instant of extinction, there had been decades of decline, as hunters killed what was once the most common bird in the world....
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Jaegerfest Report 2019: Sep. 20-22
-Tom Schultz, WSO Field Trips Co-Chair-
Day One: Friday, September 20 brought fog to Wisconsin Point and the surrounding area, as birders began arriving around 6:30 AM. It wasn’t quite pea-soup, but it did limit visibility over Lake Superior to about 50-200 yards, making it very difficult to find anything but the RING-BILLED and HERRING GULLS that usually come in while we’re present,...
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Funds Let You Target Your Support for WSO Work
The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO) is grateful for the outstanding support it receives each year from its members and encourages donations from all individuals and organizations interested in the study, enjoyment and protection of Wisconsin’s birds.
Year after year, WSO members have gone beyond the basics of renewing their annual membership–- which in itself helps support our key...
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Climate Change Keynote Speaker for 2020 WSO Convention
The 2020 WSO Convention will be held from Thursday through Sunday May 14-17 in Two Rivers. Among the convention partners are the Woodland Dunes Nature Center and the Lighthouse Inn and Conference Center on the shore of Lake Michigan.
“Our convention committee is excited to bring a meaningful and unforgettable experience to the bird-loving attendees of this conference,” said Nancy Nabak,...
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Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary 2019 – Sept. 7
-Tom Schultz (Field Trips Co-Chair)-
The day started off with great expectations, following light to moderate north and northwest winds overnight, so we hoped for a decent migration. By dawn, however, the breeze had shifted to the southwest and the weather was dry, under cloudy to partly cloudy skies. Birders began arriving at Bay Beach a little after 6:30, and by the time we reached 7:00...
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Atlas Field Work Finishes on Schedule
-By Nick Anich (WBBA II Coordinator)-
It would have been big news simply to be able to announce that all 1,283 priority and specialty blocks for the 2nd Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas had been marked complete. After all, there were nearly 500 blocks left to finish at the start of the fifth season, but with a phenomenal effort involving more than 2,000 people it got done.
But the fifth season...
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Honey Creek Camp Out 2019
-Written by Tom Schultz-
August 23-25. We couldn’t have asked for better weather for this event! It was sunny or partly cloudy for most of the weekend, with mild daytime temperatures in the mid-70s, and comfortable nights in the 50s. On top of all that, there was little or no wind for most of the time. Jeff Baughman, Wendy and I showed up at Cox Nature Center at Honey Creek right around 5:30...
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Great Wisconsin Birdathon Hits Half-million-dollar Mark!
-By Diane Packett (Great Wisconsin Birdathon Coordinator)-
The 8th annual Great Wisconsin Birdathon has closed out at $85,778, or 95% of our fundraising goal. Started in 2012 as a collaboration of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative (WBCI), the birdathon has grown to be one of the most successful in the nation. It has now raised more...
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Horicon Marsh Field Trip Report 2019
Saturday Aug. 10 brought perfect weather, with a 7:00 AM temperature around 66 degrees, partly cloudy skies, and nearly calm winds. Birders began gathering along Highway 49 well before that – greeting other attendees and scanning the marsh for birds of interest. Altogether, we had nearly 60 people join us this year!
The bird spectacle around us was quite impressive, with lots of ducks,...
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Mueller Retiring as Observatory Director
Port Washington -- William Mueller, director of the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory, is retiring after nearly a decade of service.
Present at every moment of the Observatory’s young life and the author of many of its proudest accomplishments, Mueller plans to retire Oct. 15.
Mueller was tapped in 2010 to help implement the dream of the Observatory founder, the late Dr. Noel...
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