2023 has been BIG!
As the end of the year approaches, we have so much to celebrate. Thanks to the support of our members, volunteers, and partners, our organization has been part of many delightful memories this year, full of wonder and awe.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Mark and Sue (center) with Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame staff at Goose Pond (courtesy of WCHoF).
“Our induction into the 2023 Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame created an opportunity for us to reflect on our lifetimes of conservation Wisconsin. The keystone reward of our careers in conservation is our work as the managers at Goose Pond Sanctuary. After 44 years in that special place, we are still saying yes to opportunities that lay ahead. Working shoulder to shoulder with staff and the many dedicated volunteers on the landscapes at Goose Pond, Erstad Prairie, and Otsego Marsh are a source of inspiration.”
—Mark Martin & Susan Foote-Martin, Goose Pond Sanctuary resident managers
Short-eared Owl in flight (photo by Monica Hall).
“One of my highlights from 2023 was an early April visit—my first—to Faville Grove, where Roger and David were generous enough to give me and my family a tour. We saw badger burrows at Buddy’s Prairie and noted Sandhill Cranes and Northern Pintails in Faville Marsh. Then at dusk on Prairie Lane, just after hearing a singing Fox Sparrow in a nearby thicket, we were treated to the flight of four Short-eared Owls over the prairie, one of them flying silently overhead as we watched in awestruck silence. It was truly memorable.”
—Matt Krueger, board member
Emma leads a burn crew, all decked out in safety gear, at Goose Pond in April 2023 (photo by Miles Roth).
“I love fire, so burn season is one of my favorite times of the year. However, one burn takes the cake. The crew for this burn was particularly unique: seven out of twelve crew members were burning for the first time and eight out of twelve were women. Bossing my first burn as a young woman with a crew of mostly young women reaffirmed that women have, and will continue to have, a place in prescribed fire and natural resources in general.”
—Emma Raasch, Goose Pond Sanctuary ecological restoration technician
Canada Goose adults and newly hatched goslings at their nest in late spring 2023 (photo by Gary Shackelford).
“In addition to realizing the transfer of ownership of Fair Meadows to BBA (then Madison Audubon) after years of planning, I had an amazing moment observing a family of Canada Geese from a photo blind at the sanctuary on a snowy spring morning shortly after the goslings had hatched.” —Gary Shackelford, Fair Meadows Sanctuary volunteer resident manager
Stopping to search for birds during the Birding by Bike outing on May 10, 2023 (photo by Brenna Marsicek/BBA).
“My favorite memory from 2023 was the Birding by Bike field trip that I co-led with Sprocket Hanks and Kaitlin Svabek on a beautiful evening in May. A group of a dozen birders leisurely biked from McDaniel Park in McFarland to the ponds near Nine Springs. We stopped numerous times along the way to watch and listen to Barn Swallows, kingbirds, Baltimore Orioles, an Eastern Meadowlark, an Osprey, and more. That joyful, peaceful outing was some of my favorite things wrapped into one: wonderful people, nature and birds, and low-key biking. Can’t wait to do it again in 2024!”
—Brenna Marsicek, director of communications and outreach
Fuzzy young herons in a nest at Goose Pond Sanctuary in summer 2023 (photo by Graham Steinhauer/BBA).
“Katie (Prairie Partner intern) and I approached a plum thicket in May to pull a small patch of garlic mustard that it harbored. We accidentally flushed a Green Heron on our approach without thinking much about it. While we worked and chatted in the shade, a nearly silent bird flew in and perched right above us. Because the thicket was dense with new green leaves, it took me a minute to find a viewing hole up and through the foliage. I pointed excitedly and mouthed, ‘Green Heron is back.’ After a minute, Katie found her own window. ‘I SEE IT,’ she whisper-yelled and gripped a nearby plum trunk for stability. You’ve got to love that kind of excitement!” —Graham Steinhauer, Goose Pond Sanctuary land steward
Celebrating the installation of the Link 6 window treatment (photo by Matt Reetz/BBA).
“The work done by our Bird Collision Corps volunteers is so critical to understanding the issue of bird-window strikes. But, it isn't often the sunniest by nature. That is, until the critical data volunteers collect leads to happy days! On June 19, I was so pleased to join BCC volunteers, program coordinator Brenna Marsicek (and her adorable children), and staff from American Family Insurance to celebrate the installation of a bird-friendly window treatment on Link 6 of the AmFam campus, which had been identified as a problem spot. Not only did I get to enjoy delicious snacks and great company, but we also found out this fall that the treatment worked like a charm to prevent bird strikes!” —Matt Reetz, executive director
Brand Smith places four young American Kestrels into a newly set up nest box (photo by Kaitlin Svabek/BBA).
“One moment that stands out was the Great American Kestrel Rescue of 2023. A few young birds were displaced from a nest when an old structure was being demolished, but some nimble coordination between our organization (especially Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring Program coordinator Brand Smith and volunteers), Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center, Sauk County Humane Society, and a concerned landowner resulted in a new home and successful reunification for the kestrel family. It’s an amazing story of collaboration and a real reminder of how birds connect us.” —Kaitlin Svabek, communications coordinator
Birding by Boat at Cherokee Marsh South in early August 2023 (photo by Jeff Galligan).
“I am involved with both BBA and the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, something that makes the Birding by Boat collaboration between the two organizations extra special. Brenna Marsicek, Becky Abel, and I have had the opportunity to get several groups of paddlers, many of them first timers, out for a casual evening paddle and some great birding. We now have this event each spring and fall and have incorporated a meal out somewhere after the event to give people a chance to socialize and celebrate time on the water.”
—Jeff Galligan, secretary of the board
“I saw this awesome Great Horned Owl at Goose Pond Sanctuary in late summer. Seeing the abundance and diversity of birds at our sanctuaries is always an excellent reminder of why we do what we do.”
—Pat Clark, vice president of the board
Right: Great Horned Owl (photo by Pat Clark).
Matt Reetz, with Penny and Gary Shackelford, commemorate the new sanctuary (photo by Kaitlin Svabek/BBA).
“My highlights from the year include the spring arrival of the pair of Sandhill Cranes that nest in the sedge meadow south of our house and watching three eaglets jostle for position in their nearby nest. But they also include sitting with my family and Matt at the Land Title office in Janesville, signing over the deed for Fair Meadows to BBA (then called Madison Audubon), and cutting the ribbon to celebrate the new Fair Meadows Sanctuary.”
—Penny Shackelford, Fair Meadows Sanctuary volunteer resident manager
“My favorite part about this year was returning to our classrooms in the fall. The education team partners with multiple grade levels, which means we had some overlap in kids we had the year before. To see them grow and develop in their love and curiosity of nature is so wonderful. Not only do they have more knowledge, and ask even better questions, they have a greater and stronger sense of community when they come outside. It’s one of the rare times where I get to see the impact of my work first hand.” —Mickenzee Okon, educator
Left: Kids walk together on a sunny day in autumn (photo by Mickenzee Okon/BBA).
A flock of American Robins perched in a tree during autumn 2023 (photo by Bob Honig).
“In a year of many bird-y highlights, my favorite involved Wisconsin’s most familiar bird, the American Robin. On a beautiful mid-October evening, I joined field trip leaders Maggie and Bob Honig to watch several thousand robins streaming in to roost at Jennie & Kyle Preserve. Appearing from all directions, we studied their flight patterns and learned a new call (a very high pitched and almost inaudible flight call—“tseep”). Flying high at first, they dipped down as sunset approached, until they zoomed in so low over our heads it seemed we could touch them. It was awe-inspiring and reminded me that one doesn’t need to travel to see amazing bird sights!” —Becky Abel, director of philanthropy
Volunteers sow native plant seeds at Faville Grove in early December 2023 (photo by David Musolf).
“An outstanding 2023 memory of mine at Faville Grove was the planting of nine additional acres to prairie. It’s always exciting to spread seed with enthusiastic volunteers, and we had a great day for it in early December. This planting will increase connectivity between upland prairie and lowland marsh, and provide even more resources for birds, pollinators and many other critters.” —Tucker Sanborn, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
Kids wear owl masks, mimicking only being able to turn their head to see (photo by Carolyn Byers/BBA).
“On the last day before winter break each class gets to have a Game Day to celebrate. The kids vote on their top three favorite games we’ve played and then we spend the whole lesson playing. This is my favorite day for a few reasons. It’s FUN for everyone. We get to learn which games are their favorites. And usually most kids remember most of the important science facts that go with the games. It’s great confirmation that they are learning!”
—Carolyn Byers, director of education
The sun sets in view of the Lake Mills Ledge Savanna in December 2023 (photo by Roger Packard).
“Ecological restoration takes time but can lead to some magical moments when you pause and see the cumulative change that’s snuck up on you. Twenty years into the restoration of the Lake Mills Ledge Savanna, it still holds surprises. On a recent walk through the savanna, the white and bur oaks spread their branches wide against the winter sky, but it was the rocks that caught my eye. Speckled with lichen and moss, the exposed bedrock appeared more extensive than ever. Cleared of its mantle of fire-sensitive trees, invasive shrubs and grapevines, repeated prescribed burns have gradually reduced the thick layer of decayed leaf litter that for decades has obscured this geologic gem.”
—Roger Packard, Faville Grove Sanctuary volunteer resident manager
What were some of your favorite moments from this year?
Cover image: a hand holds a pale feather with the blue sky and clouds in the background (photo by Nathan Flick/Creative Commons).
