Join Dane County Parks and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance for a FREE event at Fish Camp County Park for a variety of birding-related experiences. This special event is designed to make birding and the outdoors welcoming, inclusive, safe, and accessible for all.
Any cancelations due to weather will be posted on this event page by 7:00 a.m the day of the event.
Birding Options:
Sign ups are required for certain activities due to a limited number of spots. All birding activities will have an emphasis on birding by ear for those who experience no or low vision.
9-10:30 am:
Stroll* – Choose from shorter or longer routes.
Sit – Bring a chair or use a lakeside picnic table to learn bird identification from where you are.
Bird Photography (sign up required, available soon) – Nature and conservation photographers Arlene and Eleanor Koziol will provide an overview of birding photography basics then split into small groups. Bring a camera or smartphone.
10:45-12:15:
Stroll* – Choose from shorter or longer routes.
Sit – Bring a chair or use a lakeside picnic table to learn bird identification from where you are.
Paddle** (sign up required, available soon) – Reserve a spot in one of our canoes to explore the Yahara River. Please do not bring your own boat.
*Accessibility:
One electric-powered outdoor wheelchair is available to borrow from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (learn more about the chair here).
One All-Terrain Wheelchair is available to borrow from Dane County Parks. To reserve either wheelchair, please email heritagecenter@danecounty.gov and mention this event, the chair you would like to reserve, and the time slot you are hoping to use it for.
**If you need to bring your own boat for accessibility reasons, email heritagecenter@danecounty.gov.
Bathrooms and drinking water are available on site.
Accessible parking is available on site.
Other activities:
Partner organizations will be on site with information and activities about their organization, upcoming events, and more. Stop by their table anytime between 9:00am and 1:00 pm to see what they have to offer. Tabling partners include:
Dane County Parks
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Friends of Lake Kegonsa Society
SOS Save Our Songbirds
Lights Out Wisconsin
and others!
Parking:
Parking is available at the park and in an overflow lot. Parking volunteers will direct you when to arrive. Accessible parking is available for those that need it. A shuttle will be running continuously between the overflow parking lot and the park.
Hosted by:
Cover photo: three adults sit along a grass path, two on camp stools and one on a walker, as they listen for birds during a Birding by Ear meet up in July 2025. (Photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA)
