Bird & Nature Blog
A clutch of the latest stories from Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
The sharptail once called all of Wisconsin home, along with much of the upper Midwest and the West east of the Rockies. Its range and numbers have significantly diminished. In Wisconsin, its strongholds are the barrens of Northwest Wisconsin and it faces a real danger of extirpation over the next five decades.
Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
Since I don't tie flies and since TU chapters always have some highly skilled tyers donate some great collections, that's what I try to win: a truly lovely collection of flies by a member of the Leopold Chapter. I paused, though, when I realized most of the flies imitated the gorgeous mayflies that used to inhabit southern Wisconsin streams. You probably noticed that sad word, "used." They don't anymore and I realized I'd never use those flies.
Photo by Aaron Carlson FCC
A couple of advantages of growing your own fruit. From the Madison Audubon perspective, many of the plants are great for pollinators, especially the early bumblebees. In our yard, the honeyberries, blueberries, raspberries, and black currants are bumblebee favorites. We split the June berries (service berries) with the neighborhood birds, They get the berries on top and we get the ones I can reach by hand. This is not pure altruism. Such an arrangement keeps me off the step ladder.
Photo by Liz West FCC
Please see this link for another key group of folks for any organization, including Madison Audubon, that cares for remnant or restored lands, VOLUNTEERS. This DNR report outlines and illustrates the work of 100s of volunteers across the State Natural Areas. I thought you might be interested in this report as a reminder of what wonderful places the SNAs are and its examples of some of those folks. And, as we'd expect, it has some Madison Audubon connections.
Photo by Ruth Smith
