Bird & Nature Blog
A clutch of the latest stories from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Being an iconic Wisconsin bird species and an amazing conservation success story is not enough to protect Sandhill Cranes.
A package of bills that include a variety of hunting-related proposals is being fast-tracked for consideration by the Wisconsin State Assembly. One of the bills would legalize and establish a Sandhill Crane hunting season.
Photo by Monica Hall
Emily Dickinson's famous line—"Hope is the thing with feathers"—finds its way into many bird essays. But the news about the official extinction of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (and other species) reminds us that despair also can cloak itself in feathers.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker at nest, taken by Dr. James Tanner, at the Singer Tract in 1935. Photo: Science History Images/Alamy. See National Audubon’s article for more info and photos.
This month and today are cause for celebration. September is Public Lands Month and today is Public Lands Day (please see this link for the WDNR's announcement of the day). You'd think one or the other would do but public lands do deserve a lot of attention.
Madison Audubon photo
If you had the power to save birds by making a small change, wouldn’t you?
Birds face many threats, including habitat loss, pesticide poisoning, and climate change. This year has been especially tough.
The severe winter storm in the south this past February is suspected to have caused significant bird deaths in migratory bird populations. A mysterious bird illness reported in the East Coast is continuing to spread into the Midwest, killing and sickening even more songbirds. And, hundreds of millions―even up to a billion―birds die each year in the United States after colliding with windows.
In spite of these devastating difficulties, there is hope.
Indigo Bunting photo by Kelly Colgan Azar.
