With a seemingly oversize head and bill, shaggy-crested head, short tail, white underparts, complete white collar across the hindneck, and overall blue-gray dorsum, the Belted Kingfisher is unmistakable.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

We first recorded Bald Eagles nesting at Fair Meadows in 2010, and it has been monitored as part of Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Bald Eagle Nest Watch program since 2019. 

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Now more than two decades old, Mirror Pond is a well-established addition to the landscape, providing habitat for many species of animals.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

A localized patch of giant ragweed was bouncing as a family of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks hopped from branch to branch using their huge beaks to grasp and remove the seed centers of dried blossoms.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Cedar Waxwings are named for the bright red, waxlike tips on the secondary flight feathers of adult birds. For unknown reasons, the number of these tips varies.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Sometime during the first week of May, witch-ity witch-ity witch-ity announces the arrival of the Common Yellowthroats at Fair Meadows.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Several years ago, a pair of American Kestrels occupied a nest box in one of the prairies at Fair Meadows, and I had the opportunity to observe social interactions of their newly fledged young. 

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Yellow-crowned Night Herons are spotted regularly during migration in southern Wisconsin, and may even breed rarely in the state, with a few reports in the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren.

Wild Turkeys are common year-round residents at Fair Meadows. Breeding season begins in March, but most active courtship occurs in April and May.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

I’m enjoying my morning coffee when suddenly, there’s the arrival of a large, bright rufous bird with an impressive down-curved beak, long tail, and emphatic spots (streaks) on the breast—a Brown Thrasher!

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is run by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin to raise funds for bird conservation across the state. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s team, the Flockadelics, participated on May 1. 

Photo by Carolyn Byers/SoWBA

Many bird watchers look forward to the annual crane count coordinated by the International Crane Foundation. This year, it was held on April 13.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

This prairie version of a suburban rain garden or a woodland vernal pool is a valuable food resource for both migrating and resident birds.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Leucism is a condition caused by a genetic mutation that results in the loss of all types of pigmentation—the affected areas can be either entirely white or a pale, washed out shade of the expected coloration.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

For the past ten years, our first sight and sound of Sandhill Cranes at Fair Meadows has been a gentle unison call and the graceful glide of a pair descending into the sedge meadow south of our house.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Although American Robins have a well-known reputation as harbingers of spring, populations can be found throughout the northern continental U.S. in winter, including Wisconsin.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

This year we prepared for the first-ever Christmas Bird Count (CBC) at Fair Meadows Sanctuary, after we recently learned that we were not part of any of the official National Audubon CBC circles.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Then, in a small clump of willows just off the trail, we spotted another robin-sized bird, but it was light gray and had a bulkier head than a robin. A closer look revealed the black mask and hooked beak of a Northern Shrike.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

At Fair Meadows Sanctuary, the Swamp Sparrow is a common migrant and summer resident. The occasional winter birds that I have seen are invariably found feeding on invertebrates in the shallows of a pond that has year-round open water due to brisk upwelling from underground springs.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

As summer progresses, the sounds of insects begin to fill the void created by the waning of the calls of our resident birds, but there is still lots of avian activity at Fair Meadows. In late summer I look forward to the arrival of migrating sparrows.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Above the swallows and dragonflies, about 100 to 200 feet above the prairie, I observed about 60 birds flapping, gliding, then changing directions suddenly. Their wings were longer and pointed, with white patches—Common Nighthawks!

Photo by Gary Shackelford

We have observed six species of swallows at Fair Meadows: three of which nest here (Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Purple Martin). Of the other species (Cliff Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow), we have seen the Bank Swallow only in late summer.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

It’s berry season at Fair Meadows Sanctuary! A recent article reported on a study showing that migratory birds chose to feast on native berries and almost entirely ignored non-native fruit.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

We’re stationed in our lawn chairs outside the barn on the evening of July 23. Sunset today is at 8:25 pm, so we expect the bats to start appearing about ten minutes later. At 8:15, the sky is filled with swarming, swooping swallows!

Photo by Gary Shackelford