Friday Feathered Feature
Showcasing a different bird species each week
While hiking up the hill from the Prairie Lane residence to the young oak savanna, I heard something new. It was like a thrush, pleasing and flutelike, but not as long, not as frequent, and certainly not in the right habitat. I made a mental note of this new sound, but didn’t think much more about it.
Photo by USFWS Mountain-Prairie
Our team took to the marshes, ponds, woodlots and prairies for the annual Great Wisconsin Birdathon that raises funds for Madison Audubon and the Natural Resources Foundation’s Bird Protection Fund. Here are stories from team members!
Photo by Mark Martin
Usually by this time of year there will have been days upon days with warblers indistinguishable from raindrops, being both numerous and falling out of the sky to rest in the trees. Others have noted a paucity of short-distance migrants, possibly linked to severe cold weather in the south.
Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
Art Hawkins, after studying wildlife under Aldo Leopold at Faville Grove, worked with Frank Belrose and erected Wood Duck boxes made of cypress to try and bring back the birds. Their basic research resulted in people erecting thousands of “Wood Duck boxes” to help increase numbers.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
