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An eagle wants to know: Why are we still shooting and fishing lead?

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Last week's issue of the Wisconsin Outdoor News (WON) has a story some Madison Audubon volunteers have been following with great concern. An adult Bald Eagle in distress was found near Barneveld and is now receiving care at the Dane County Humane Society. As I write this, his prognosis is guarded.

He has been diagnosed with lead poisoning. He has shotgun pellets from an old injury and has also probably eaten lead fragments as he scavenged the remains of deer shot by hunters.

Madison Audubon’s Bald Eagle Nest Watch volunteers have been monitoring an active bald eagle's nest in that area for a couple of years. It's possible this eagle was one of a nesting pair at some point. The nest is still active with a pair of eagles.

This eagle has every right to wonder: is this any way to treat your national symbol and a magnificent bird? No, and it needs to stop.

Photo by Monica Hall

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Bird Names for Birds

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Birds are awesome. They come in all different shapes, sizes, sounds, colors, and habitats. Some are bold and loud, some are elusive and quiet. Some perform, build dozens of nests, or sing beautiful melodies to attract a mate. Some eat fish, others seed, others insects, others nectar. Some are striped, some speckled, some solid colors. Some migrate, some overwinter. Birds are AMAZING.

Some of the people they’re named for, however, are not amazing. These people lived lives that do not uphold the morals and standards the bird community should memorialize. Birds should have bird names, and these honorifics should be changed. Instead of naming a bird after a person, why not give birds names that describe the bird?

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

Goose Pond Sanctuary now in your home

We welcome you to explore the brand new Goose Pond Storymap. This interactive website is designed to introduce or reacquaint you to this 730 acre sanctuary and all it offers you, including hiking trails, points of interest, and more. This storymap brings Goose Pond to you, wherever you are, through your smartphone or computer.

Photo by Monica Hall

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Greed and birds are a bad mix

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In the last days of the Trump administration, the Department of Interior ended some protection of migratory birds. The rollback consisted of removing penalties for actions that killed or injured birds but were perpetrated without the intention of killing birds. One past example of such an act was popularly cited: the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster which released millions of gallons of oil and destroyed hundreds of thousands of birds (and many other creatures). One that resonated with me would be a person or company who deliberately used a banned pesticide. Even if that poison killed many birds, the perpetrator would not be liable under the Trump Administration's revised regulations because the intent was to kill some sort of pest, not birds. This loss of protection changed the interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that has protected migratory birds for decades.

Photo by Monica Hall

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A Birder's Online Toolbox

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We’re entering into our second week of extremely cold, frigid temperatures—making outdoor birding a challenge. I’ve been focusing on some window-birding from my apartment for the Great Backyard Bird Count, but I’ve also been using this indoor time to explore more of my favorite online birding resources and brush up on my identification skills. Spring migration is just around the corner, after all. (That’s what I keep telling myself to get through these negative temps!)

This week’s Entryway to Birding blog is going to share some of my favorite free resources that I use to give my birding skills an edge. When the pandemic hit and I wasn’t able to go on field trips and learn from our area’s expert birders, I turned online to find free resources that could help me navigate the complex world of bird identification. This post is somewhat of a mish-mash of resources, but I hope you can find something useful in here to add to your own birding toolbox.

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

 
 
 
 
 
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