Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

January 19, 2024

Friday Feathered Feature

The inaugural Fair Meadows CBC

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

January 19, 2024

Friday Feathered Feature

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

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

January 12, 2024

Friday Feathered Feature

Northern Cardinal

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

January 12, 2024

Friday Feathered Feature

From mugs to sweaters and holiday cards, the striking red of the male Northern Cardinal can be spotted more times in my grandma’s living room than at my bird feeders.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

January 5, 2024

Friday Feathered Feature

Northern Shrike

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

January 5, 2024

Friday Feathered Feature

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

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

December 22, 2023

Friday Feathered Feature

2023 Madison-area CBC results

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

December 22, 2023

Friday Feathered Feature

Each December, birders come together for the longest-running citizen science project in the US: the Christmas Bird Count. In the Madison-area, the count is coordinated by our organization, and put on with help from around 200 volunteers each year.

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

December 14, 2023

Friday Feathered Feature

Northern Shrike

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

December 14, 2023

Friday Feathered Feature

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