Bird & Nature Blog

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Scenes from a Faville Grove Winter

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Scenes from a Faville Grove Winter

With the fluttery busy-ness of spring, summer, and fall absent, it can seem remarkably quiet at the sanctuaries. And true enough, plants are dormant and many animals have migrated away, hibernated, or found another way to quietly survive winter in Wisconsin.

And yet, the crews at our sanctuaries are as busy as ever. Winter is a time to focus on clearing invasive and “weedy” brush and trees. This is labor-intensive work, well suited for winter because the frozen ground makes it easier to get equipment in and out without damaging the soil, and there isn’t wild parsnip and garlic mustard to compete for attention!

Photo by David Musolf

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Advocacy & Stewardship: Part 1

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Advocacy & Stewardship: Part 1

The Legislature has started its busiest period of the next two years, six months of fairly constant work that culminates in the passage of the state's biennial budget. While many issues of concern to conservationists are in play—for example, the DNR's budget, of most concern is the state's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

Photo by Drew Harry / Madison Audubon

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Birding by Ear: Sounds of the Winter Woods

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Winter bird activity certainly isn't as hustlin' and bustlin' as it is during spring migration, but it has its own special joys. It also has some unexpected benefits. You'll likely see and hear fewer species on your outings in winter than in any other season, but that's not a bad thing. It's a hidden opportunity. If the woods are mostly quiet, it gives you more opportunity to really learn and recognize the birds you do hear. Many newer birders struggle with birding by ear (I know I sure do!) but winter is a great time to improve this skill.

Birding by ear is hard, but this week's Entryway to Birding blog brings you some pointers and mnemonics to help you sort out who's-who on your winter outings.

Photo by Nick Busse

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Work Parties and Redheads at Otsego Marsh

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Work Parties and Redheads at Otsego Marsh

On Wednesday afternoon, I found myself with a dozen other volunteers, properly masked and distanced, at Otsego Marsh facing the top of the new property. About 5 or 6 acres are covered with trees. Of those acres, the bottom half has the remains of an oak savanna; a pine plantation, mostly red pine, covers the upper half. Our mission was to continue our just-started revitalization of the oaks.

Photo by Mark Martin / Madison Audubon

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Let the Scraping Begin!

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Let the Scraping Begin!

In June 2020, Madison Audubon purchased a 36 acre parcel across the road from our Otsego Marsh property. The new parcel didn’t come pre-loaded with increidble diversity and beautiful vistas. It was mostly soybean fields, a woodlot chocked full of big oaks and invasive underbrush, and a small wetland with great potential. One needed a creative imagination to envision what it could be — and fortunately our visionary staff, board members, volunteers, and donors had a vision!

The resident managers and land steward at Goose Pond Sanctuary coordinate the restoration work at Otsego Marsh, and began getting the new parcel into shape by removing a bunch of the brushy, invasive buckthorn in the woodlot’s understory that was choking out the good native species. And beginning on January 6, 2021, we began installing wetland scrapes!

Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon