BENW Volunteer Toolkit - Central WI Program

2025 Season | Cover photo by Larry Horsfall

Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, and Wood Counties

Area lead: Brenna Marsicek, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

Thank you for volunteering for Bald Eagle Nest Watch this year! This is really fun, important work and you’re amazing for doing it. Below are resources created for you to use at any point this spring. Contact Us if you have any questions!

Resources include:

  1. Training Videos

  2. Important Links

  3. Printouts

  4. Recommendations on binoculars, scopes

  5. Eagle cams to watch (for fun!)

  6. Contact Us

Training Videos

To make the video you’re watching larger, click the open square icon in the bottom right corner of the video screen.

Coming soon!

If you post images of your nest on social media outside of the BENW Facebook group, please remove the location data from your phone (tutorial for iPhones here, and tutorial for Androids here) to protect the eagles.

Print Outs & Downloadable Resources

  • Training manual (includes info about nesting ecology, protocols, etc.) — download/print (coming soon)

  • Paper datasheet — download/print (coming soon)

  • Central WI Program contact list (includes rehabbers and DNR contacts) — download/print (coming soon)

  • Vehicle sign — download/print

  • Nest Terms and Definitions (to help you remember the jargon) — download for viewing on a computer OR printer-friendly version

  • How to rescue an injured raptor (from Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center) — download/print

  • Eaglet Aging — download and view on a computer (not printer friendly)

Recommendations on binoculars, scopes, and books

BINOCULARS: I would recommend you get a 10x binoculars or higher if you are not going with a scope. The higher the diameter in mm, the better it is in lower light. Both my 8x and 10X (use for eagle watching) binoculars are Vortex Optics but there are a lot of good brands out there too. I would try to get an anti-fog lens if possible too.

SCOPES: Look for these specs:

  • Magnification of 20X-60x. You'll mostly use 20x to view the nest but it's good to have 40x and 60x when the eaglets are small, and to get a better look at what is going on in the nest.

  • 80mm or 100mm lens size. Anything lower will be tricky to see when the light isn't good out like on cloudy days, early or late in the day.

  • Waterproof. Most scopes are now waterproof but just make sure it's not just water resistant so you won't damage your scope in the rainy or snowy conditions or just happen to get it wet.

  • The prices for a spotting scopes can range from $100 up to thousands of dollars. You can get a really good setup with scope and tripod for usually a couple of hundred dollars.

  • The first one I would recommend is Celestron scopes. You probably have heard of them for their Telescopes but they make good scopes too that are reasonably priced.

  • I have this Gosky scope and I really like it. It's a good one if you want to attach a camera or smartphone to take photos/videos.

TRIPODS can be trickier than the scope. Here are some tips for tripods:

  • Make sure the tripod can support a scope. A lot of them just have load capacity for a camera and can't support a 5 or 6 lb scope.

  • I try to get a tripod that is fairly bulky to support a scope and can stay sturdy on windy days but isn't too heavy to carry around.

  • You can usually find one in the $50-150 range that will do the job.

Book Recommendations:

  • Bald Eagles: Their Life and Behavior in North America by Art Wolfe- Great book and photos of Bald Eagles.

  • Birds of Prey By Pete Dunne- It kind of reads like a field guide but goes into much more detail on all the North American Birds or Prey.

  • Flight Paths by Darryl McGrath- It's a book about New York's efforts to bring back Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons and other species due to DDT and other threats.

Other resources:

Great eagle cams to watch (for fun!)

 

Contact Us

Brenna Marsicek - BENW co-organizer and Central area lead for 2025, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance director of outreach
   Email: bmarsicek@swibirds.org
   Phone: 608-255-2473