Bird & Nature Blog
A clutch of the latest stories from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
As you read the Gathering Waters report and note the positive report on a few Republicans voicing fairly vague support of Stewardship, PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME that Stewardship is secure. We have not lost but we sure ain't won.
So, Mr. Broken Record here, begs you to contact your and any Republican legislator you know really, really soon.
Photo by Jack Dougherty
The big Birdathon day for team All About Aves is just around the corner, this Thursday! We are sharing an important action you can take today #ForTheBirds.
Did you know up to one billion birds die from hitting windows each year in the U.S. alone? New buildings are going up every day, using increasingly more glass and making migrations more dangerous. Show your support for Madison’s Bird-Safe Glass Ordinance and learn about the influential work done by the volunteers in Madison Audubon’s Bird Collision Corps!
Photo by Linda Crubaugh
What a lovely weekend of bird songs and sightings... We are getting excited for our Great Wisconsin Birdathon this Thursday!
All of us at Madison Audubon are animal lovers, and have our own cats and dogs that we could not live without. But science has shown us that free-roaming cats can be a major danger for birds, including those especially bright and colorful passing migrants.
Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar
The migrating birds we love are back in Wisconsin! We share the land—and our backyards and balconies—with these weary, exhausted travelers. Migrating birds fly hundreds and thousands of miles, and it is essential to protect and create areas where they can rely on nutritious food to refuel on their long journey.
Consider making spaces near your home homey for birds too. There are a variety of ways to do this, including keeping natural shorelines, planting native plants, or setting up proper bird feeders when outdoor space is limited.
Photo by Linda, Fortuna future
In the world of Wisconsin conservation late spring and early summer are pretty busy times. Burns have just concluded and some planting is wrapping up. That can range from thousands of trees planted in our national forests to 75 native dogwood shrubs at Goose Pond to provide habitat for Willow Flycatchers. Many volunteers, landowners, and restoration professionals are picking (and absolutely not grinning) garlic mustard. My friends at Trout Unlimited are undertaking stream projects that can be accomplished manually while the DNR is about to start the stream restorations that require heavy equipment. In the not too distant future Madison Audubon, The Prairie Enthusiasts (TPE), and other land trusts will begin the cycle of seed collecting (as I write this, a friend is concluding his collection of Dutchman’s Breeches).
Photo by Drew Harry
