Granivores, omnivores, frugivores, insectivores…birds that visit our neighborhoods have a variety of diets and preferences. But is it safe to put out jelly for fruit-eating birds?
Photo via Pixabay
Lessons from a mayfly
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
The Great American Kestrel Rescue of 2023
Last week, Madison Audubon staff and Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring volunteers collaborated with the Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center, Sauk County Humane Society, and a couple conscientious citizens in an effort to reunite some displaced American Kestrel nestlings with their parents.
Photo by Kaitlin Svabek/Madison Audubon
Summer 2023
Plop, plop, silence
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
