If you enjoy birds, you can call yourself a birder!

Maybe you’re a longtime enthusiast who follows the habits of birds in your neighborhood or favorite local park. Maybe you’re a voracious lister who will jump in a car at a moment’s notice to see a rare species. Maybe you’re just starting to really notice birds.

There’s no right or wrong way to bird—to be a birder, you aren’t required to perfectly identify every single birds you see or hear, and maybe you don’t want to! No matter your style, the world of birds has something for everyone.

One of our goals at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance is to encourage birders of all types, ages, and skill levels in their pursuit of this fantastic hobby, and follow the birder’s code of ethics. Indeed, birding is not just a hobby: according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, it’s a huge part of who we are culturally, and it contributes significantly to our economy as well:

• 46.7 million Americans enjoy observing and feeding birds (Wisconsin’s percentage of birders ranks second highest in the nation, tied with West Virginia).

• $107 billion is spent on birding equipment and travel in the US.

• 666,000 jobs are created due to birding.

• $13 billion in local, state, and federal tax revenue results from birding.

• 17.8 million Americans travel to search for birds, putting millions into local economies.

some helpful resources Wisconsin birders:

Gear guidance

One of the beautiful things about birding is the fact that you don’t necessarily need expensive gear to participate. That said, many find that their experience is enhanced by tools, like optics (binoculars or spotting scopes that bring distant birds into clearer focus) or other outdoor essentials. Below are some helpful resources that can help you choose great gear that's perfect for your personal style.

• 6 Steps to Choosing a Pair of Binoculars You’ll Love (Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds)

• The Best Binoculars for Every Birder (National Audubon)

• The Audubon Guide to Birding Gear (National Audubon)

Bird Identification

It’s fun to observe birds, but knowing exactly what species you’re looking at can be a challenge! Everyone learns differently, and bird ID is complex—from sounds to appearance, there are many clues that can help lead you to a solid bird identification.

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance offers some courses and activities focused on bird identification and learning, including Birding by Ear, What the Duck?! (Waterfowl ID), and many more. Check out our upcoming courses here.

Accessibility in the Birding community

Birding is for everybody! Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance strives to do its part to create a birding community that is welcoming and accessible to all.

As much as possible, our organization provides advance information about terrain, conditions, and amenities available at field trip and event locations. Many of our Beginning Birder field trips and seated sessions (“sits”) are also designed with accessibility in mind.

Our friends at Birdability offer abundant resources by and for birders with disabilities and other health concerns, which we recommend checking out.

Here are a few helpful resources for planning your birding adventures in southern Wisconsin:

• Know before you go.
  The Birdability Map is an excellent crowd-sourced tool contains user reviews of many natural areas, with details about the presence of steps, trail conditions, parking, and much more. If you’re visiting one of SoWBA’s sanctuary lands, review some of our recommended trails with maps and access details.

• Explore further, safer, and steadier.
  Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance is happy to offer an outdoor electric-powered wheelchair that can be reserved (for free!) to use at most of our events and field trips—just add a note to the form when you register! If you’re looking for an all-terrain option, Access Ability Wisconsin’s all-terrain outdoor wheelchairs (OWCs) are sturdy, easy to operate, and available for you to check out from a variety of participating host sites in multiple counties around the state. Reserve one here.

• If you lead bird outings or outdoor field trips, keep access considerations in mind.
  “Bird-focused Field Trips for All: Recommendations for maximizing inclusiveness and accessibility outdoors” is a set of guidelines put together by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance and the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired to help field trip leaders feel confident in serving all attendees and delivering the most accessible experience possible. Birdability also maintains a list of access considerations to consider when planning an outing.

Go Birding

Another beautiful thing about birding? There are so many different ways to bird, there’s something for everyone.

Some people enjoy the solitude of birding solo, while others enjoy sharing the experience with friends, family, or a local birding club. Wisconsin has a wonderful birding community, so if you want to find a group to go birding with, there are plenty of options!

Check out Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s upcoming events in the calendar here, or join an outing with our friends at some of these local bird clubs.

Local Bird Clubs:

• BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin
  This group was created to build community for and celebrate Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) bird lovers and allies. They lead field trips for all ages and experience levels in both the Madison and Milwaukee area.

• Feminist Bird Club - Madison chapter
  The Feminist Bird Club is dedicated to promoting inclusivity in birding while providing inclusive and safe opportunities for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, BIPOC, and women to connect with the natural world. Our local Madison chapter hosts lots of great field trips for all levels year round!

• The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO) maintains a list of bird clubs and nature centers throughout Wisconsin so you can find one near you!

More recommended Places to bird:

• WSO’s Favorite Bird Haunts include 800+ favorite birding locations across the state, organized on a map by county.

• Looking for a local birding locale or specific birding species? We recommend using the eBird explore feature to find a hotspot to visit.

More fun stuff for birders

Can’t get outside and go birding? Immerse yourself in a great bird-related article, book, show, or movie! Here are a few picks from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance staff:

• The Birdist’s Guide to Birding: a humorous online column on the quirks of our hobby.

• The Life of Birds: a must-watch BBC series about the amazing evolution of birds around the globe.

• Peterson's Field Guide to Molt: an uber-bird nerd will love this book, which helps you distinguish confusing feather pattern changes due to a bird’s age, and more.

• The Beak of the Finch: A Pulitzer Prize winning nonfiction story by Jonathan Weiner about Darwin’s finches and groundbreaking evolution research.

• The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession: An entertaining look at one of the wackiest competitions in finding and seeing birds: the quest to find as many species as possible in one calendar year (there's also a movie!).

• Bernd Heinrich books: Heinrich is a writer who transforms nature’s minutia into amazing stories of survival, evolution, and wonder. A few of our favorites are: Mind of the Raven, Winter World, and The Homing Instinct.