This field trip is full. Join the waiting list. Join the Madison Nature Journal Club and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance for a special opportunity to nature journal a live bird model–Uncle Butzie the Turkey Vulture! Lisa Hartman, a vulture researcher, will be bringing ambassador vulture Uncle Butzie for us to observe. Nature journaling includes sketching, but also writing questions and notes about what you’re seeing, sensing, and feeling. You do not need prior drawing experience to attend; we won’t be aiming to make beautiful pictures so much as we will be using words, numbers, and pictures to capture what we notice on our pages. 

This will be a great opportunity to explore the prairies, socialize with other wildlife enthusiasts, and of course to learn about butterflies. The only gear you'll need is long pants, sturdy shoes, and sun protection. A camera, binoculars, and butterfly ID book are other beneficial items. You are not required to stay for both morning and afternoon sessions.

Photo by Mark Martin

Join the Madison Nature Journal Club and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance at Governor’s Island in the northeast part of Madison. This little-known park juts out into Lake Mendota and has amazing views. (It’s called an island but it’s actually a round peninsula.) The club will kick off with some quick tips on how to nature journal. Then people can split up to find what’s interesting to them to journal about. At the end of the event everyone will meet back up and optionally share what they nature journaled about.

Birds see the world differently, and often, that beautiful reflection of the sky is a deadly illusion. Every year, millions of birds are lost to window collisions—but you can help change the narrative. Join the Friends of Lapham Peak for a presentation by WI Master Naturalist, Window Collisions Bird Ambassador, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance partner Samantha Humes. Samantha will share an eye-opening exploration into the science of why these strikes happen and the simple, life-saving steps you can take at home.

Photo by Monica Hall

Experience the amazing American Kestrel close up! We will visit two kestrel nest boxes in our Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring & Banding Program, open them up, and place research bands on the chicks' legs. It doesn't harm the birds, and allows scientists to study things like nesting preferences, migration, etc. Plus, it is really, really fun!

Photo by Ruth Smith

Experience the amazing American Kestrel close up! We will visit two kestrel nest boxes in our Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring & Banding Program, open them up, and place research bands on the chicks' legs. It doesn't harm the birds, and allows scientists to study things like nesting preferences, migration, etc. Plus, it is really, really fun!

Photo by Ruth Smith

Experience the amazing American Kestrel close up! We will visit two kestrel nest boxes in our Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring & Banding Program, open them up, and place research bands on the chicks' legs. It doesn't harm the birds, and allows scientists to study things like nesting preferences, migration, etc. Plus, it is really, really fun!

Photo by Pat Eagan

Experience the amazing American Kestrel close up! We will visit two kestrel nest boxes in our Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring & Banding Program, open them up, and place research bands on the chicks' legs. It doesn't harm the birds, and allows scientists to study things like nesting preferences, migration, etc. Plus, it is really, really fun!

Photo by Ruth Smith

Experience the amazing American Kestrel close up! We will visit two kestrel nest boxes in our Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring & Banding Program, open them up, and place research bands on the chicks' legs. It doesn't harm the birds, and allows scientists to study things like nesting preferences, migration, etc. Plus, it is really, really fun!

Join us in a celebration of YOU — our members! During this special, members-only event, our staff and board will take the opportunity to thank you for all you contribute to nature and the organization. Pizza and music will be provided, along with a short program with updates on what’s new and important within the organization, and see how your membership dues make a difference. You’ll have a chance to socialize with other Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance members, board, and staff throughout the evening. This is a family-friendly event, with activities for youth including a playground and yard games.

Photo by Ruth Smith

Hillside Prairie Sanctuary is our newest sanctuary and we are excited for you to explore it! During this open house event, we will have staff on site to welcome you, make suggestions for where to hike, and answer your questions.

Photo by Kaitlin Svabek

Through the tremendous power of on-the-ground volunteers, the Bald Eagle Nest Watch program has gathered important information about the health, productivity, and nesting success of around 200 Bald Eagle nests in Wisconsin since 2018. Join this presentation to learn more about what these volunteers look for, why the work matters, and how eagle nests are doing in the Middleton area this year.

Photo by Mike Williams

Protect birds and help with bird conservation efforts on the UW-Madison Campus during the Bird-safe Glass Fundraiser and Trivia Night. Grab your friends and join us for bird-related trivia and a short presentation about our fundraising effort to reduce bird-window collisions at UW-Madison’s Microbial Sciences building (learn more about that here!).

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Liven up your porch or balcony while supporting the local ecosystem. Following a presentation about how to create and care for your porch prairie, you’ll plant an 11" container with native plants benefitting birds, bees, butterflies and more to take home. All materials provided.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

Build a 5-plant native garden for your balcony, patio or porch to bolster birds, bees and butterflies! 

Join Eric Manges of Eric Manges Nature, Holy Wisdom Monastery, SOS Save Our Songbirds, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance for a presentation about growing native plants in any location — including a small balcony or front porch — and how that container of native plants can support wildlife.

Photo by Eric Manges

This spring, when you order native plants through our special Native Plant Sale with Johnson’s Nursery out of Menomonee Falls, you get native plants delivered to Middleton, WI in May AND 15% of the sale totals go to Holy Wisdom Monastery, SOS Save Our Songbirds, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

Over a billion birds die every year in the US after hitting windows, and almost half of those happen at homes. The good news is that the solutions are affordable and easy to implement! This presentation will share some of the science behind why birds hit windows and will also provide recommendations on ways to address problematic windows at homes and in our communities to make migration and buildings safer for birds.

Photo by Mick Thompson

Join the Madison Nature Journal Club at the Verona Public Library to sketch and write about our observations of nature. This library is directly next to the trails of Badger Prairie County Park. It includes a small pond where waterbirds often hang out. Inside the library there is also a series of large windows (treated with a Bird-Safe Glass window treatment!) with a scenic view. Depending on the weather we can journal indoors or outdoors.

Photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA

Think spring as we learn about easy steps to support birds and native bees in our natural spaces. Spring blooms for bees also provide food for birds. Bee and pollinator gardens provide a good start with perennial native plants. Build up your habitat and expand the birds you see (including some colorful favorites) by adding native trees and shrubs to feed and shelter birds. Double your fun by investing in a more natural habitat for all!

Photo by Jennifer Lazewski

This spring, when you order native plants through our special Native Plant Sale with Johnson’s Nursery out of Menomonee Falls, you get native plants delivered to Middleton, WI in May AND 15% of the sale totals go to Holy Wisdom Monastery, SOS Save Our Songbirds, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

Join the Nature Journal Club to sketch, write, and wonder about coral. There will be some coral “skeletons” from the Field Museum’s education department that you can handle, and a variety of coral pieces bought from local aquarium shops. Coral are pretty mysterious and that’s part of the fun. This event should provide lots of opportunities to get your curiosity on.

Photo by Andy B' CC BY-NC 2.0

This spring, when you order native plants through our special Native Plant Sale with Johnson’s Nursery out of Menomonee Falls, you get native plants delivered to Middleton, WI in May AND 15% of the sale totals go to Holy Wisdom Monastery, SOS Save Our Songbirds, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

Join us for a day of fundraising and giving back! The Big Share is a day of online giving for 80+ member organizations of Community Shares of Wisconsin, all focused on social and environmental justice. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance is honored to be one of them.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

This event is now full. Join the waiting list. It's that time of year when flowers are cut off of plants in masses, put in vases, and are destined to wilt on table vases... So let's CHOP ‘EM UP instead and see what we can learn! Love or hate Valentine's day, this should be a fantastic event for the naturalist in you.

Artwork by Amy Schelser

Wildfire activity is intensifying globally, exposing people and wildlife to more frequent and intense smoke pollution. Here in Wisconsin, wildfire smoke from megafires burning in the boreal forest has contributed to hazardous air quality conditions in the spring and summer. Birds are likely to be especially vulnerable to increased smoke disturbance due to their sensitive respiratory systems. In this talk, Dr. Sanderfoot will share what we know so far about how smoke impacts avian physiology, behavior, and reproductive success and highlight opportunities for you to get involved in critical research on this urgent conservation topic.

Photo by Tom Magliery FCC

How many cups of coffee do you drink a day? A week? How often do you reach for a bit of chocolate, or give it as an expression of love? Coffee and chocolate are fundamental to many of our lives, and now you can combine your love of coffee, chocolate AND birds by buying certified Smithsonian Bird Friendly® products! These products support biodiversity in tropical rainforests where many of Wisconsin’s long-distance migrants like the Golden-crowned Warbler winter!

Photo by Arlene Koziol

Join the Madison Nature Journal Club coordinator and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance volunteer Amy Schleser at the UW Geology Museum to sketch, write, and wonder about the 100s and 100s of fossil and rock specimens… gems, metals, minerals, ancient water life, ancient land life, and a few huge skeletons of dinosaurs, a mastodon, and an ancient "armadillo."

Artwork by Amy Schelser

The annual Birds in Art exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau is a popular, long-standing, seasonal art exhibition that features paintings, sculptures and works on paper themed around birds. Each year offers a different selection of artworks, and this year’s collection is getting extra-rave reviews!

Photo courtesy of the Leigh Hawkey Woodson Art Museum