Wisconsin Colonial Waterbird Survey

In an effort to help protect Wisconsin's Colonial Waterbirds, this site was designed to streamline the data submission process for professional wildlife biologists and experienced volunteer cooperators who have conducted or are conducting colonial waterbird surveys during the course of spring and summer outdoor activities. If you are a concerned citizen and would like to contribute to this project, the Wisconsin DNR would welcome a report to a local Service Center, or to the Bureau of Endangered Resources at 608-266-1571.

The origins of the Wisconsin Colonial Waterbird Survey occurred in the early to mid-1980’s when the Wisconsin DNR participated in Cornell University’s Colonial Waterbird Register. At that time, the Bureau of Endangered Resources submitted records of breeding gulls, terns, herons, and cormorants. The goal of the present web-based survey is similar to that of Cornell’s discontinued effort in that we hope to document the distribution, abundance, and changes over time of Wisconsin’s colonial waterbird breeding populations. We have considerable data for our endangered terns but we lack a comprehensive data bank for all of the state’s 22 colonial waterbird species. Keeping track of the state’s colonial waterbirds will allow us to identify where our colonial waterbird breeding sites occur, monitor individual sites over time, and to provide these data to planners, managers, researchers, and concerned citizens.

The Wisconsin Colonial Waterbird Survey is a long-term initiative that will continue as long as there are funds to support it. If you have any questions regarding the website, please contact Sumner Matteson at 608-266-1571.