This field trip is full. Join the waiting list. Join UW Bat Brigade members and UW-Madison students for a walk through Lakeshore Nature Preserve looking for bats! Learn about the diversity of bats that use the area and see how tools like echolocation recorders and thermal imaging cameras make it possible to identify and document bat species in the area.

Photo by NABat FCC

Celebrate Bat Week with some popcorn and a movie that will inspire you! The Invisible Mammal is a feature length documentary about bat conservation and women in science, The Invisible Mammal follows an all-woman team of biologists who set out to save bats from a deadly fungal disease. When the COVID-19 pandemic interrupts their work, they are sent down a path of discovery that illuminates the connections between bat conservation and the spread of infectious disease.

Join UW Bat Brigade members and UW-Madison students for a walk through Lakeshore Nature Preserve looking for bats! Learn about the diversity of bats that use the area and see how tools like echolocation recorders and thermal imaging cameras make it possible to identify and document bat species in the area.

Photo by NABat FCC

Bats are an incredibly important group of species and have faced serious declines due to habitat loss, reduced food availability, and white-nose syndrome. But you can help change that! At this Bat Box Construction Class, you will learn about bat life history and biology from UW-Madison graduate student and UW Bat Brigade member Makeela Magomolla, then watch a demonstration on how to build a maternity bat box (the type of box most helpful for bat conservation) by Bat Ambassador John Davies, and take home construction plans and knowledge to support bats near you.

Photo by NABat

Celebrate World Bird Migration Day on Oct. 10 with an educational, hands-on crafting event! You will learn about incredible birds making epic journeys and what we can all do to reduce the threat of birds flying into our windows. 

Each attendee will receive at least one blank fabric bird body, which you can decorate to look like a species vulnerable to window collisions, or create your own make-believe bird. All completed birds will be sent to the artist Holly Greenberg, who is creating an educational art exhibit representing the 10,000 dead birds found by Chicago Bird Collision Monitors in 2023 after the birds hit windows.

Photo by Lisa Gaumnitz/SOS Save Our Songbirds

Experience birds and explore the Chicago Field Museum like you never have before! On October 9, join us for an intimate, behind-the-scenes tour of the museum specifically for Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, which includes the following special presentations and opportunities, including a guided tour of the Museum’s ornithology collection and bird collection, and meet the scientists in those labs.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

Join Dane County Parks and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliancefor 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.

Photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA

Monarchs make a huge migration each year, from Wisconsin (and even further north) all the way down to their winter grounds in Mexico. It is an incredible journey, and one that scientists are still studying. This monarch tagging event, one of the most celebrated activities Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance hosts, will teach you about the amazing monarch life history, migration, and conservation needs. We will teach you how to safely catch, handle, tag, and release a monarch, all in the name of science and love of nature.

Photo by Kaitlin Svabek/SoWBA

Monarchs make a huge migration each year, from Wisconsin (and even further north) all the way down to their winter grounds in Mexico. It is an incredible journey, and one that scientists are still studying. This monarch tagging event, one of the most celebrated activities Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance hosts, will teach you about the amazing monarch life history, migration, and conservation needs. We will teach you how to safely catch, handle, tag, and release a monarch, all in the name of science and love of nature.

Photo by Kaitlin Svabek / SoWBA

Monarchs make a huge migration each year, from Wisconsin (and even further north) all the way down to their winter grounds in Mexico. It is an incredible journey, and one that scientists are still studying. This monarch tagging event, one of the most celebrated activities Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance hosts, will teach you about the amazing monarch life history, migration, and conservation needs. We will teach you how to safely catch, handle, tag, and release a monarch, all in the name of science and love of nature.

Photo by Michael Anderson

Swift Night Out returns this September, and we are collaborating with fellow bird-loving organizations to celebrate the incredible natural phenomenon of Chimney Swifts coming in to roost during migration! In addition to Swift Night Out, our organizations will also be hosting informal get togethers each evening to watch the swifts. We’re calling it Swift Week!

Hosted by BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, the Feminist Bird Club - Madison Chapter, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Photo by Steve Benoit

Did you know that the coffee drink can affect the birds in your backyard? Smithsonian Bird Friendly® does more than any other certification to conserve habitat for birds and wildlife on coffee farms. During this talk, Bird Friendly Program Manager Kirstin Hill will describe the link between coffee and conservation, discuss what makes Bird Friendly certification the gold standard in biodiversity protection, and share ways to join the movement to “Drink Bird Friendly.”  Your coffee is stronger than you think! Part of the Mighty Migrations 2026 webinar series!

Photo provided by the Smithsonian Institute

What if we could predict when and where migration is most intense and use that knowledge to turn off the lights at exactly the right moment? Ecological forecasting is making that possible. Drawing on radar data, weather models, and machine learning, researchers can now generate real-time forecasts that let us anticipate the pulse of bird movement before it happens. Part of the Mighty Migrations 2026 webinar series!

Photo by Joe Lynde

One of the most fascinating aspects of the lives of birds is their ability to migrate thousands of miles as they follow the changing seasons.  This presentation by Wisconsin bird expert Bill Volkert will explore the annual migration of birds, their seasonal phenology, and explore recent studies that are revealing more information and instilling greater wonder over the phenomenon of bird migration. Part of the Mighty Migrations 2026 webinar series!

Photo by Ron Welker/USFWS

Join the Madison Nature Journal Club and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance at Lussier Family Heritage Center, which has a beautiful prairie with trails throughout. It also has a smaller "sensory garden" of plants selected for their bold scents and unique textures, plus some ~300 year old oak trees along the parking lot.

Zoo visitors can watch the bird-saving window treatment installation and enjoy interactive displays and educational activities from SOS Save Our Songbirds, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Bird Collision Corps, and Lights Out Wisconsin. Those displays and activities will be set up near the treatment area from 12 to 4 p.m. Volunteers staffing the displays will share information about the serious threat windows pose to birds, and ways to treat problem home windows to keep birds safe.

Photo courtesy of Henry Vilas Zoo

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