Bird & Nature Blog
A clutch of the latest stories from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Although any birder reading this already knew, I was surprised by the Wisconsin State Journal coverage of a Black-throated Gray Warbler appearing in Madison. Birders are flocking to see this western species that almost never shows up here. A bonus is the bird is as beautiful as it is rare as you can see from the photo.
Photo by Aaron Maizlish
Exciting news: Snowy owls have begun to arrive in Wisconsin, with the first landing in Dane County! Lots of you may know this news already but the DNR link might be worth checking out because it reviews some basic information about snowy owls and some precautions to take in finding and watching them. Enjoy!
Photo by Ryan Brady
The next couple of blogs, you faithful 6 readers, will focus on reasons to be thankful in this dismal year.
One is Wildlife. The DNR just released an absolutely delightful report on Snapshot Wisconsin and a great wildlife photo from each of Wisconsin's counties. Many of the photos have additional links so you can learn more about different species.
Photo courtesy of WDNR
In a recent blog, I opined that some conservation issues could serve as the basis for finding common ground in legislative arenas. No sooner had I written that, then, lo and behold, such an issue plopped in my in-box.
Conservation easements are a standard tool land trusts use in their business of preserving land and habitat. Madison Audubon has used them on occasion. A conservation easement is a legally binding and usually permanent restriction that prevents the landowner from developing a parcel of land or imposes strict limits on certain types of development.
Madison Audubon photo
The votes are in. The turnout in the Madison Audubon region renders the odds that just about every reader of this blog (all 6 of you, bless your hearts) voted along with just about every Madison Audubon member and the vast majority of our neighbors. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. It might seem that voting is an important and obviously right thing to do, but at a time of great anger, pain, cynicism, and complications, one could think of lots of reasons not to. More on the results in a moment but a couple of more thank you's.
Photo by Monica Hall
