Birding by ear is a wonderful way to enjoy the birds around us—and it takes a LOT of practice! This weekly series is a great way to help you get to know bird songs and calls, one species at a time.

Photo by Mike Budd/USFWS

The Reckless Wrens’ 13th Great Wisconsin Birdathon venture began at 5:00 PM on Friday, May 17 and ended at 4:49 PM on May 18. Considering the weather overall was cool and windy, our grand total was a very impressive 157 species, a new team record!

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 19. 

Photo by Kaitlin Svabek/SoWBA

Each spring, the prairies of Faville Grove Sanctuary come alive with one of nature’s most unique bird calls—the bubbling, metallic song of the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus).

Photo by Jeff Steele

I’m slow-birding, watching for activity in my favorite bush—a large, spreading red-osier dogwood—when a bright yellow bird lands right in the middle. He moves along the branches, searching for food, and stops every few seconds to sing, “sweet sweet I’m so sweet.” 

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Only a handful of White-faced Ibis sightings have been recorded in the state with most accounts coming from Horicon Marsh.

Photo by Kaitlin Svabek

That unmistakable song—often translated by birders as “Spring is here!”—belongs to one of our most charming (and most threatened) grassland birds.

Photo by Jeff Steele

As I reach the pond, I approach slowly, attempting to remain concealed behind some trees. And then I see it—the year’s first Solitary Sandpiper, feeding in the shallows.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

The annual Crane Count, coordinated by the International Crane Foundation, was held on April 12. It was a beautiful morning to count cranes and enjoy the wetland birds.

Photo by Graham Steinhauer/SoWBA

One of the most abundant songbirds in North America, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is a welcome and familiar sight in woodlands, parks, and backyards.

Photo by Jeff Steele

The telltale sign of a Tree Swallow nest is often feathers. In some cases, there are so many feathers, you can’t even see the underlying nest structure of dry grass or pine needles.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

The properties owned and managed by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance in Columbia County are teeming with life. From birds, insects, mammals, and herptiles to fungi, lichens, and plants, there is no shortage of species to discover.

Photo by Jim Otto

The Wood Duck marks the arrival of early spring with the male’s vibrant plumage, displaying iridescent purple-green hues. This welcome sight stands out against the otherwise drab landscape, making it a favorite among birdwatchers.

Photo by Jeff Steele

Canada Geese are year-round residents at Fair Meadows Sanctuary, and they are excellent subjects for a slow birder.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

In this feature, we share updates on species from three raptor projects. Thanks to everyone involved with this research, including the donors that generously funded the transmitters and the researchers.

Photo by Monica Hall

In 2024, 12 Christmas Bird Counts were done within the our chapter area (which encompasses 10 counties), and 611 birders spent 1,416 hours tallying up 124,732 birds!

Photo by Arlene Koziol

The birds undulate, appearing to ride a roller coaster as they fly. From the buoyant, dancing pattern, I know they must be American Goldfinches. 

Photo by Gary Shackelford

In 2023, we were contacted by Kelly VanBeek, Midwest Grassland and Native Seed Strategy Coordinator with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who was working on a Common Grackle research project.

Photo by Anne Readel

Bird beaks come in all shapes and sizes, and through observing those differences we can learn a lot about them. It gets really interesting when we take a closer look at beaks that are different in a more subtle way.

Photo by Carolyn Byers/SoWBA

The familiar Gadwall (Mareca strepera), a widespread dabbing duck, is a common spring and fall migrant in Wisconsin. Gadwalls are also occasional winter residents in the southeastern part of the state.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

The 2024 Poynette Christmas Bird Count was held on December 28. Forty-seven participants (a high number) counted 74 species.

Photo by Bill Smith

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, in partnership with Ozaukee-Washington Bird Coalition, recently hosted a presentation by Neil Paprocki about Rough-legged Hawks in Wisconsin. Check it out here!

Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

Mourning Doves are one of our most common birds, with a US population estimated at 350 million. Indeed, if you were asked to design a bird that would thrive in the present day, you would come up with the features of a Mourning Dove.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Thanks to eBird, we are able to identify changes in the species and numbers of birds observed at Goose Pond Sanctuary, Erstad Prairie, and Otsego Marsh.

Photo by Ted Keyel

As I write this, the snow is falling in the most delightful way. The chickadees are flitting about as if to encourage and confirm that winter birding is fun and productive! Little do they know, a community of hundreds of volunteers combed the city on Saturday, counting them and their feathered comrades for the Madison-area Christmas Bird Count.

Photo by Gail Smith

As I make my way around the frozen Kettle Pond at Faville Grove Sanctuary, flocks of American Tree Sparrows flutter from weed patch to weed patch, foraging along the snow-dusted ground and knocking seeds loose from the tops of dried plants.

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

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

Although I’d consider a number of species to be more spherical than White-breasted Nuthatches (Horned Larks, kinglets, and many warblers), few have such an optimistic stance.

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

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

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