Bird & Nature Blog
A clutch of the latest stories from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Dear Board Members,
On behalf of Madison Audubon Society (MAS), I respectfully ask your support of the addition of 75.42 acres to the Jefferson Marsh State Wildlife Area and State Natural Area. MAS has approximately 3,200 members in ten counties in south central Wisconsin, including many in Jefferson County. We own and manage major wildlife sanctuary lands that feature remnant and restored prairies, wetlands, and savannas just to the north of the Jefferson Marsh.
Photo by Joshua Mayer
If you grew up in the south, the range of the eastern coral snake, at some point you heard the thankfully easy to remember rhyme:
Red touch yellow
Kill a fellow
Red touch black
Friend of Jack
The poem refers to the color of two very similar looking but oh so different snakes. The eastern coral snake has bands of red, yellow, and black but the red bands are always next to the yellow. The kingsnake has the same color bands but red bands always touch black. Good to remember because the coral snake has the most potent venom of any American snake while the kingsnake is harmless (except to other snakes).
Photo by FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
The Trump administration is attempting to roll back major protections laid out in the 100+ year old Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), the most important bird protection law in the U.S. The administration is seeking to ease regulations on incidental take that will utterly dismantle existing protections. The changes will allow industries and corporations to kill untold numbers of protected birds without any legal penalty because they can claim they didn't intend to kill them. It's an egregious and unprecedented attack on our birds.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
I have been able to be outside a lot — walking the neighborhood and fishing close to home. Folks are careful and friendly in the neighborhood. Lots of new tricycles, puppies, training wheels, and princess outfits. Folks are paying close attention to otherwise ordinary things. Jeff, my neighbor, loves birds so I wasn't surprised to find him stalking through his backyard with a camera. He was trying to photo the catbird at his feeder. He said it was the biggest, fattest catbird he had ever seen. I saw it the next day and Jeff is right. What is Jeff putting in that feeder?
Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
