Bird & Nature Blog

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A Year of Birds and Beginnings

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This week's post is a celebratory one, as the blog is approaching its very own bird-iversary. One year ago this week—on March 30th to be exact—this blog came to life with our very first entry, titled Look to the Birds.

And that's what we've done. Every week for fifty-two weeks. We've looked to the birds.

In an unprecedented year filled with uncertainty, fear, and loss, birds have been my solace. I hope you can say the same. Join me in this week's post to look back on our shared year of birds and beginnings, of adventures and growth, of mis-IDs and birding blunders, to see just how far we've come.

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

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Join the Bird Collision Corps this spring

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This yellow warbler is one of the lucky ones. It struck a window, but unlike the hundreds of millions of birds that die after colliding with windows, this warbler was able to recover and fly away. We love these happy endings! And, we can make more of them by working together. Join the Bird Collision Corps this spring to help learn more about bird-window collisions and how we can best prevent them.

Or if you can't volunteer but want to help, you can sign our petition in support of Madison's Bird-Safe Glass Ordinance!

Photo by Crystal Sutheimer

Let's get ready to RUMBLE!

Earlier this month, as we snowbirds and many other types of birds, were beginning to think about migrating back north, I ventured out to a local park with my camera to see what I could find. I decided to concentrate on a large group of Northern Cardinals that were flying and chasing each other. As I focused in on their activity, I saw two females land on the ground right in front of me and started to stare each other down. Their intensity was palpable.

Photo by Terri Bleck

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Burn Season

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Burn Season

If the photo above gave you heart palpitations: never fear. It’s burn season (and that’s a good thing!).

Burning is key for many reasons to the health of prairies and savannas. These systems are fire dependent. Fire renew fertility, spark the reproductive cycle of some plants, suppress woody vegetation, and control some invasive species. No fire = no prairies, no savannas.

Photo by Roger Packard

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What's the price of losing birds?

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If you have ever heard that sickening thud of a bird hitting a window, you are not alone. Up to one billion birds die from colliding with windows every single year in the U.S. Not just a few. Up to a billion.

In August 2020, Madison Audubon was proud to support the passage of Madison's new Bird-Safe Glass Ordinance, the first of its kind in Wisconsin but one of dozens nation-wide. The ordinance requires bird-safe glass be used in construction and major renovations of buildings 10,000 square feet or larger. But, now the ordinance is facing a legal challenge by the Wisconsin Institutes for Law and Liberty, representing developer groups that would like to see the ordinance go away.

We must fight back.

Photo by Corliss Karasov