The Dark-eyed Junco returns to Southern Wisconsin as the first dustings of frost glint in the morning light, and the prairies’ colors settle into the tawny hues of late fall.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Flying low over the floodplain prairies at Faville Grove Sanctuary, the Northern Harrier silently scans and listens for prey.

Photo by Grayson Smith/USFWS

A familiar noise from the woods for much of the summer and early fall in Wisconsin is the distinctive pee-a-wee of the Eastern Wood-Pewee.

Photo via Pixabay

Anyone who’s ever heard the distinctive mewing of the Gray Catbird will quickly understand why the name fits.

Photo via Pixabay

A sleek and impressively designed bird, it’s no surprise that Tree Swallow exhibits such grace and skill in flight.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

Present but elusive, the Sedge Wren inhabits areas of dense vegetation within wet prairies and meadows, upper edges of marshes, and sphagnum bogs. Too deep into the marsh and you won’t find them.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

Indeed, the Great Crested Flycatcher has been known to nest even in buckets and cans, in addition to its most typical location—tree cavities.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

A stout songbird that commands attention with its striking appearance, the Eastern Kingbird sports a black head, back, and tail, contrasted by a crisp white underbelly and a distinct white band on the tail.

Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

The Northern Flicker is a dazzling, common woodpecker that can be found in most of North America. They’ll drum on trees similarly to other woodpeckers, but spend most of their time foraging for insects and larvae on the ground.

Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

At Faville Grove Sanctuary, American White Pelicans announce their return from southern coastal waters in large flashes of white above the Crawfish River.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Vociferous by nature and by scientific name (Charadrius vociferus) the Killdeer gets its common name from the sound of its shrill, far-carrying cry as it circles in flight.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

now is a great time to be on the lookout for the intriguing display of the American Woodcock, whose migration back from the gulf states in the coming month or so marks a classic rite of spring.

Photo by Peter Rea/USFWS Midwest

This week, I’d like to focus on a species observed by our other Christmas Bird Count group, a bird who always looks like it just lost a bar fight: the Red Crossbill.

Photo via Pixabay.

We were looking for a bird who may usually only be seen in Wisconsin in the winter, and who exhibits brutal behaviors for a small songbird. Soon one was spotted perching atop a tangle of shrubbery—the Northern Shrike.

Photo by Mick Thompson

An ever dependable sound of winter is the drilling, drumming, and knocking of our industrious non-migratory woodpeckers. Charisma and conspicuousness is a recipe for intrigue, and woodpeckers have these in excess.

Photo by Phil Brown

Being from the east (relative to Oregon), any opportunity to hear or see a North American owl is exciting, barred or otherwise. However, this is not the case out west, where the Barred Owl is reviled as an invasive species.

Photo by Phil Brown

We’re in full-swing of fall seed collection, and goldfinches are in full-swing of fall seed eating. We frequently find ourselves crossing paths with them in our search for native seed, and the goldfinch often wins out.

Photo by Mick Thompson

As a crafter, a baker, and a gardener, I love a good before-and-after project… What is more satisfying than total transformation as a result of your vision and hard work? That feeling is magnified—exponentially—when we’re talking about land restoration.

Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon

In the harrier is a splendid symmetry with its environment. Its adaptations are remarkable, a physiology and suite of traits harnessed for the grassland and marshland habitat.

Photo via Pixabay

The song of the summer, across many summers, might be the Dickcissel. Perched on a compass plant or a conspicuous shrub, the Dickcissel belts out (and it’s always belting) its song for all to hear.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

The Henslow's sparrow is a small songbird with a dull brown body and a streaked breast. Endangered in seven states and threatened in Wisconsin, the Henslow's Sparrow would seem a banner bird for grassland conservation.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak seems to sing only on refreshing mornings and evenings. This bird is cool, almost always fleeting, and has the looks to back it up.

Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

The Cape May Warbler really has very little to do with Cape May. Found in this New Jersey town by George Ord, and later described by Alexander Wilson, the bird didn’t reappear in Cape May, New Jersey for another century.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

A favorite of mine is the Black-and-white Warbler. These birds are frequent migrants, their high contrast body creating a striking appearance. Their long hind claws and heavy legs help them to nimbly maneuver through forest habitats.

Photo via Pixabay.

You can spot the Blue-winged Teal’s dabbling blue-gray head—with a distinctive white crescent in front of the eye—in wetlands this time of year, having just recently arrived.

Photo via Pixabay

Look for swampy areas, often with lots of dead trees, preferably surrounded by water on all sides. These haunted swamps are where herons build their Dr. Seuss-looking platforms, nesting near the tops of trees.

Photo via Pixabay

A liquid song echoes whole through springtime woods. At dawn, midday, or dusk the bird might sing, but its song delivers an energy and briskness in those crepuscular hours as the sun rises and sets. Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio.

Photo by Robert Groos/Audubon Photography Awards

Persistent and cheery, curious and assertive, the Tufted Titmouse forms part of a cadre of birds gracing the snow, sleet, and rain of Wisconsin winters. Generally non-migratory, they opportunistically occupy woodpecker cavities during the breeding season and line them with fur.

Photo via Pixabay

The Bufflehead, seemingly such a round and buoyant bird, will quickly vanish under the pond of its choice, leaving rings of water radiating from its dive. Watching a Bufflehead, you’ll notice they spend a lot of time foraging under water, by some reports up to 50% of the time.

Photo by Kaitlin Svabek