Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Goose Pond Sanctuary always has a ton going on. Bird conservation, habitat restoration, research, and outreach are always in season here. Learn more about Goose Pond in the latest update.

Photo by Emma Raasch/SoWBA

This season at the sanctuaries (Summer 2026): learn what’s been going on behind the scenes, who you can expect to find when you visit, and how to get involved in the coming few months!

Photo by Gary Shackelford

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Annual Spring Hearing gives members of the public the opportunity to provide input on a variety of questions. We encourage you to take the time to fill out the survey—many of the questions impact ecosystems and wildlife both locally and throughout the state.

USFWS photo

But it was another unusual and unidentifiable set of subtle sounds in the evenings of spring that caught my attention and had me baffled. Then one day a new thought came to me and I ran to my house and grabbed my copy of Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. There in the April chapter under “Sky Dance” was my answer. I was listening to the courting ritual of the American Woodcock that Leopold so eloquently described. I was hooked and since then I’ve enticed a family member or friend to join me on damp evenings at sunset to encounter this mysterious bird on my land or a nearby park.

Photo by Tom Murray

This season at the sanctuaries (Spring 2026): learn what’s been going on behind the scenes, who you can expect to find when you visit, and how to get involved in the coming few months!

Photo by Monica Hall

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Goose Pond Sanctuary always has a ton going on. Bird conservation, habitat restoration, research, and outreach are always in season here. Learn more about Goose Pond in the latest update.

Photo by Emma Raasch/SoWBA

All extinct, all lamented, and all caused by human action and inaction.

So, why did I keep thinking of the Passenger Pigeon (by the way, Wisconsin was the major nesting area for pigeons in the Midwest)? Because the Devil's Lake purchase might be the last major Stewardship Fund purchase before it becomes extinct.

Painting by John James Audubon, Special Collections Toronto Public Library

Madison Metropolitan School District has publicly committed to collaborating with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance to build a faux chimney at the new school, based on the guidance and best practices that are known to benefit swifts. We are using construction templates from other successful sites with large chimneys like this, particularly one in Manitoba. It is our intent to keep a watchful eye on this project and weigh in on behalf of bird conservation. This includes making sure that the old chimney will remain on site and functional until the new chimney is available for swift use. We will be working closely with MMSD in the coming months and years to bring this to fruition, and monitor Chimney Swift use.

Photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA

There are five main categories of activities that can help you maintain mental health, which in turn, has a positive impact on your physical health. These categories are movement, nature, art, service, and belonging.

USFWS photo

During the recent extremely cold weather in Wisconsin, a group of Eastern Bluebirds has been roosting nightly in our front yard Peterson bird house. We first noticed their presence early on Jan 21st about 7AM while looking out a front window and were completely surprised to see seven bluebirds fly out of our bluebird house. It was still fairly dark at that time on a cloudy day. The bluebirds were gone all day, presumably feeding somewhere in the neighborhood. At this time of year our property has no shrubs bearing winter fruits for them to feed on.

Photo by Curt Caslavka