Welcome back to the Entryway to Birding blog! If you’ve been following my posts this summer, you might remember some of my tips for keeping your summer birding fresh—literally. As a way to beat the heat, I’ve been out birding-by-bike so I can keep a nice breeze on my face and stay cool. It’s been ideal in this pandemic too, since one of the safest places to be is outside.
If you’ve been finding that some outdoor destinations are too crowded for your liking, I’ve got a recommendation for you. It checks a lot of boxes:
Ideal for social distancing (I’ve never seen anyone else there on my visits!)
Easily accessible by foot or by bike
Close to other fun destinations, making it perfect for a lil’ day trip excursion
Gorgeous habitat
Full of birds!!!
Where exactly is this fun birding hotspot? It’s Zeloski Marsh, in nearby Jefferson County!
A black tern yawns on a hot, sunny afternoon at Zeloski Marsh. He clearly wasn’t paying attention to all the birding excitement around him, or he wouldn’t have been yawning! Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
You may recognize this name—it’s a property that Madison Audubon purchased in 2006 and then donated to the DNR. It’s also a regular destination on our fall field trip schedule (which is still on hold at the moment!). I know everyone is missing our field trips like crazy (I sure am!) but there is nothing stopping you from checking this place out on your own. There are good birds to see no matter the season, but this place will definitely be flappin’ with feathered friends come late August and September when fall migration really picks up. Make sure it’s on your list of must-visits!
What You’ll See and Hear
Zeloski Marsh is available for all to enjoy thanks to a joint wetland conservation effort. After Madison Audubon purchased this property and donated it to the DNR, the DNR was able to create several impoundments within the marsh to manage water levels for nesting and migratory birds, shorebirds, and other wetland wildlife. There are access lanes around each of these impoundments, making it easy to walk or bike through the marsh. Check out some pictures of this beautiful marsh habitat.
Photos by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
On my recent visit, I was excited to see sooo many black terns. This species was marked as state endangered in 2014, and it’s a species I don’t get to see too often in Dane County. I was glad to find a new nearby spot to get some quality time observing them. They are fun to watch as they dive straight into the water to snatch up food!
How many black terns can you spot in this picture? Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
As I biked along the trails, sandhill cranes meandered along the paths in front of me, their ethereal call echoing across the marsh. The noise was joined by the rattle of a nearby belted kingfisher. I spotted it on a large dead tree half-submerged in the water and enjoyed watching it dive—again and again—in search of dinner. Joining the chorus were the calls of marsh wrens, song sparrows, and common yellowthroat. A true marsh soundtrack! The only sounds I was missing were the whinny of a distant sora or the grunting of a virginia rail—maybe they’ll treat me next time.
Photos by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
As I rounded a corner of one of the impoundments, I startled up two green herons. I don’t know if they were a nesting pair or not, but they stuck together even as they circled above me and re-landed. Great blue herons were hiding everywhere—mostly on the far side of water, camouflaged along the edge of the reeds. I felt that every time I scanned along the far reeds with my binoculars, I’d spot another one perched and ready to snatch up a fish.
Careful inspection along the shallowest areas of the marsh revealed only two shorebirds that I could find—both spotted sandpipers, pictured below—but the number of shorebirds is bound to go up as we get closer to fall. A visit in late August or September will yield even more variety. I was excited at the opportunity to watch these spotted sandpipers, though—they were nice and close and a great bird to study. They are lacking their characteristic “spots” but their strong eyeline and the persistent pumping of their tails were solid field marks. (Images in my Sibley’s lead me to think the barring on the wings of the right-side bird marks it as a juvenile—but don’t quote me!)
I visited on a hot afternoon in July—well ahead of peak fall migration and probably not the most ideal time of day to see birds, but I still saw a lot to get me excited. I’m already looking forward to my next visit. If you’d like an idea of when to time your trip, check out this bar chart to get an idea of what you might find and when. (I told you those bar charts from last week are useful!)
How To Get There—and Make the Most of Your Trip!
By Bike
I was itching to get outside and explore, so I made my visit to Zeloski Marsh part of a longer bike ride. If you plan to go by bike, you are in luck—this spot is very easily accessible right off the Glacial Drumlin State Trail! You can access the marsh from the trail in a few different ways, each dependent on how far you’d like to ride. I began my journey from the Glacial Drumlin Trailhead in Lake Mills, and biked west towards Zeloski Marsh. For a slightly shorter trip, you could park in the lot off Finch Brothers Rd, just off County Rd S and hop on the Glacial Drumlin trail there. If you’d like to approach from the west (biking east), you could start at the trailhead in London.
As you bike east from either of these starting points, you’ll encounter an off-shoot trail (of the same crushed limestone surface) that diverges from the Glacial Drumlin path and goes straight into Zeloski Marsh. This bike path was created in 2014 and connects the Glacial Drumlin trail to London Road. This stretch of bike path is 2.5 miles long. There isn’t a clear sign that labels this trail, but it’s not hard to find. I’ve marked it in orange on the map below.
The orange line marks the 2.5 mile Zeloski bike path. The purple lines mark some (but not all) of the access lanes along the marsh’s impoundments—what’s marked on here is what I considered the best vantage points of the water for birding. The red dots mark parking lots, the closest to the water being the DNR lot off London Rd (bottom of map) or the Alley Rd lot east of the marsh. If you’d like a bit of a bike ride on the Glacial Drumlin trail, consider the London trailhead (to the west), the trailhead near County Rd S (to the east), or the Lake Mills trailhead (further east, not pictured on the map). Screenshot from Google Maps
If you’re not up for a long ride, you could begin at the DNR lot off London Rd and just use your bike to navigate the trails along the marsh’s impoundments. Your bike will let you cover more ground and catch a breeze to cool down, especially if it’s hotter outside—there is no shade along any of the marsh paths!
Some things to note:
If you’re biking on the Glacial Drumlin trail, you’ll need a state trail pass. But if you’re just on the Zeloski path or in Zeloski Marsh, you don’t need one.
The trails along the impoundments are a mixture of crushed gravel and grass. They are flat and bikeable (save for a few dips and potholes that are easy to avoid), but would not be well-suited for thin road bike tires. The crushed gravel on the access lanes is larger and rockier than the crushed limestone of the Glacial Drumlin trail, so a bike with hybrid tires or thicker would be a smarter choice.
By Foot
If you’d rather visit on foot, the best spot to park would be in the large DNR lot at W9042 London Rd. The shortest path to open water is to follow the crushed gravel path from the lot, then take the very first left that appears a few yards down the path.
The entrance to Zeloski Marsh from the DNR lot on London Rd. There’s even a birding checklist ready and waiting for you, supplied by a local Boy Scouts troop. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Nearby Places to Explore on your Excursion
Zeloski Marsh is roughly 30 minutes west of Madison, in Jefferson County. If you’re heading that way for a visit and want to turn your trip into a full day excursion, here are some other fun nearby spots that are worth a visit!
Madison Audubon’s own Faville Grove Sanctuary is just north of Lake Mills
Korth County Park is just off the Glacial Drumlin Path a bit west of Lake Mills
Azatlan State Park is just east of Lake Mills
All of these places are great places to get outside, enjoy the weather and wildlife, and safely social distance.
What To Bring
Bring plenty of water. The marsh can get hot and there is no shade. Wear sunscreen and bring a hat (or your helmet if you’re on a bike). Bring a face mask in case you run into any crowds (unlikely, but it’s good to always have one with you these days). And, of course, don’t forget your binoculars! And maybe some snacks!
If I was visiting during peak fall migration—around late August or September—I would consider bringing my spotting scope. I did not bring it on either of my recent visits and found plenty to see with my binoculars, so definitely not a necessity.
A Few Notes
Marsh birding and patience go hand in hand. Even if things look quiet when you arrive, some patience and careful observation will reveal a world of life around you. In this type of habitat, with so many reeds, it can be hard to spot everything that may be moving in and out. Marsh birds are sneaky, sneaky, sneaky and can be so well-camouflaged. The more time I spent looking and observing, the more life I started to notice.
The author catching a whiff of some nearby manure. I promise it only enhances the rural birding experience! Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
I also want to mention—just in case it takes you by surprise—that there is a pig farm not far from the marsh. Depending on the direction of the wind, there may be some smells and noises typical from a pig farm. I’ve visited twice now and have only briefly noticed some smells, but I thought I’d mention it for anyone with a sensitive nose.
Zeloski Marsh is in the Western Unit of the larger Lake Mills State Wildlife Area, which has several access points. I mentioned the DNR parking lot off London Rd since it is closest to the water and all the bird action, but there is another lot off of Alley Rd where you can hop on the Zeloski bike path and head south to access the trails around the impoundments, or north to get on the Glacial Drumlin trail.
That’s all for this week! Happy birding, everyone, and stay cool out there.
P.S. I am planning to attend this free live webinar “Making Sense of Bird Sounds” on Tuesday, July 28th at 6pm CT offered by Bird Mentor, a cool site devoted to helping beginning birders feel more confident in their skills. It’s hosted by Kristi Dranginis of Bird Mentor and Lang Elliot, author of the Stokes Guide to Bird Song. I feel like I am perpetually awful at birding by ear and I’m hoping I’ll learn some useful new tricks to help me out! It’s free and will be recorded so you check it out even if you can’t make it live, but you have to have signed up for the webinar to have access to the recording later. Just tossing it out there if anyone else hoping to brush up on their birding-by-ear skills!
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Caitlyn is the Communications and Outreach Assistant at Madison Audubon. She’s crazy for birds because they changed her life. She’ll be back next Monday with some tips and tools for birders, new and experienced! Between now and then, she’d love to hear about the birds you’re seeing and hearing. Leave a comment below or email to drop her a line!
