Swift Night Out 2025 will feature *4 special guests*

This year, Swift Night Out will be held on Saturday, September 6, 6-8PM. The location, as always, is to be determined by the swifts as they choose which chimney they prefer to roost in this migration season. Each year the event is a little bit different, and this year, we are thrilled to partner with Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center to release back into the wild four healthy Chimney Swifts they have rehabilitated! Read more about this effort below, and join us on Sept. 6!

Photo by Sandy Schwab

Patience on the Prairie

Patience on the Prairie

Remember those monarchs? They were nectaring on meadow blazing star, a lovely native species of blazing star (also known by its genus, Liatris). Of all the blooming plants at this point in the season, meadow blazing star has the reputation of being the monarchs' favorite and a most important source of energy as the flight generation of monarchs emerges. All native blazing stars offer these critical food resources, so SoWBA and its partners work hard to ensure their prairies include Liatris species.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

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Who's That Singing? Eastern Wood-Pewee

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But maybe part of me thinks they are so cute because of their song. The Eastern Wood-Pewee is a bird that “says its name” — you can hear the bird sing “peee-weeeee!” And they way they sing it reminds me so much of a whiney toddler! It makes me chuckle in an indulgent “well, at least it’s not my kid whining this time!” sort of way.

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar FCC

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Who's That Singing? The "Seagulls"

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This group of noisy, rambunctious birds are often called “seagulls” though to be correct, it’s just “gulls.” But, from childhood “Seagulls” is how we learn to talk about them, so it’s more of a term of endearment, right? There are a number of gull species reported in southern Wisconsin, but the two most common are the ones we’ll focus on in Who’s That Singing?" today: the Ring-billed Gull and the American Herring Gull.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

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Who's That Singing? Barn Swallow

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Barn Swallow babies have fledged, making the number of chattering swallows under bridges, inside of barns, and under eaves greater than usual. This acrobatic aerial insectivore (as in, they fly fast and well, and they eat insects while in flight) is a common bird species in southern Wisconsin. You can find them near any built structure, and they create nests of mud and grass under overhangs.

Photo by Mick Thompson