Bird & Nature Blog

The Passing of Howard "Stan" Druckenmiller

January 6, 1945 ~ May 4, 2020 (age 75)

Stan was a very good friend. We enjoyed working for him at DNR when he was the Director for the Bureau of Endangered Resources. His work greatly helped protect our natural environment and provided thousands of acres for public use. We also were fortunate to work with Stan at Madison Audubon. Stan served as the Board President and assisted us in testifying against the Arlington ethanol plant. We will always remember all the years that Stan and Jeannie coordinated the silent auction at the Madison Audubon Art Fair.

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A Beginner's First Birdathon

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This past Tuesday, the Madison Audubon office staff participated in the Natural Resources Foundation’s Great Wisconsin Birdathon, a walk-a-thon-style fundraiser where the goal is not about the miles you walk, but the number of bird species you can spot in a single day of your choosing.

The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is the largest fundraiser for bird conservation in Wisconsin and a yearly event that unites bird-loving folks all across the state. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that birdathon-ing may look quite different this year, but it doesn’t have to come at the cost of connection. In fact, the Natural Resources Foundation is encouraging you to connect more than ever—to connect with the birds you may not have noticed before, to connect with local landscapes that may prove unexpectedly full of life, and to connect (safely, distantly, virtually) with family and friends as you bring awareness to Wisconsin’s birds.

In this week’s Entryway to Birding blog, I’m going to tell you about our staff’s Birdathon day, which was also my first time participating in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon. I’ll share my experience of connection and give you some pointers about how you might plan your own Birdathon day too!

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

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The Eyes (and Ears) Have It

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A couple of weeks ago I was walking into a trout stream (here I go again) when I spotted an odd splotch of brown, white, and black on the opposite bank. I could not make it out — a dead raccoon? a sleeping badger? Neither seemed quite right and the latter sort of ridiculous. Later as I had worked back to that bank, I had my answer when a goose erupted off her nest. I had not known that geese flatten themselves on a nest when they feel threatened. Within the next week or so on two different streams I saw the same phenomena. In both cases, though, I instantly recognized what I was seeing.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

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Birding with Confidence

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Welcome back to the Entryway to Birding blog! Last week, I had some tips and suggestions for how to get more comfortable identifying the birds you see with the Merlin ID app. But even with a handy field guide like Merlin in your pocket, it can be hard to feel confident in your skills when you’re new. This week, I’ve got some advice about staying confident (even if you’re just confident in what you don’t know!) and a list of some of my favorite non-field guide resources that have helped me feel like a more capable, assured birder.

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

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Wild Moms Who Mostly Don't Need Our Help (and Some Who Do)

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On May 6 of this year, I was approaching a most gorgeous run and riffle on Gordon Creek with thoughts of trout dancing in my head when a flapping dervish burst out from the bank. A hen wood duck was doing her best "Oh I'm wounded! Chase me, fiendish predator! And leave my babies alone" routine. On she flapped through the riffle, the run, and the nice section upstream for good measure. Is she crazy, I thought, it's way too early for wood ducklings to have hatched. Someone had not explained the calendar to the 6 or 7 tiny ducklings that stuck their heads out of the bank. I left the water to her and the babes and retreated downstream. Goose Pond's Mark Martin confirmed this is indeed an early hatching of wood ducks.

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar