Birding and bird conservation

Birding report

Statewide Birding Report as of January 23, 2020

Southern Wisconsin finally received a blanket of snow, forcing snow buntings, horned larks, American tree sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, and other species out of fields and onto roadsides in search of seeds and other foods. A few other lingering sparrows were also found, including fox, song, swamp, field, white-crowned, white-throated, and Harris’s sparrows. Feeder activity generally picked up on the heels of the snowfall there, a few northern flickers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, tufted titmice, and Carolina wrens providing highlights among more common species. Flocks of American goldfinches remain the dominant finch statewide, although a few pine siskins are being seen, especially in the north. Other winter finches remain absent, although north woods birders should keep eyes and ears out for white-winged crossbills as several recent sightings in Ashland suggest a few may finally be moving in to take advantage of our great spruce cone crops. Cedar waxwings and a few American robins also continue to be seen at fruit sources statewide.

Mild temperatures have generated open water and plenty of waterfowl in some places. Trumpeter swans have been found this month as far north as Sawyer and Vilas counties, while tundra swans have been reported in various southern locations, especially around the Madison lakes where other ducks and geese are also being seen, including female harlequin and long-tailed ducks on Lake Mendota. On Lake Michigan, Port Washington has hosted great birding of late, including a large number of Canada geese, wide variety of duck species, and 1-2 very obliging red-throated loons. Gull enthusiasts should look for great and lesser black-blacked, Iceland (Thayer’s), and glaucous amid the many herring gulls there.

The rarest bird found since our last report was a lark bunting photographed in Manitowoc on January 14. Aside from one in Nova Scotia and another in Kansas, no others have been reported north of Texas this month. Moreover, this marks only the second lark bunting ever seen in Wisconsin during any month from November to March. Weather for the rest of the month will be mild without major precipitation, meaning current birding conditions are likely to continue. Visit open water for waterbirds, open fields for grassland birds and raptors, and listen for increased vocalizations from Northern cardinals and black-capped chickadees as lengthening daylight lends promise of winter’s end and triggers these beloved songbirds to start belting out their spring song. Help us track birds through the season by reporting your finds to www.ebird.org/wi. Good birding!

– Ryan Brady, DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Program biologist

Find birds

Explore the information below to learn more about great birding places in Wisconsin.

• Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail offers maps of birding and wildlife watching sites from around the state.
• Wisconsin Society for Ornithology [exit DNR] offers field trips and other opportunities to birdwatch and learn more about birds across the state.
• Wisconsin birding hotspots [exit DNR] provides a statewide birding summary and links to hotspots around the state.
• Wisconsin eBird [exit DNR] displays maps of recent sightings by species and lists of birds seen at hotspots around the state.
• Wisconsin Bird Network [exit DNR] is an email forum for bird sightings and news. Facebook also hosts several groups focused on photos and discussion of Wisconsin birds such as Birding Wisconsin and Wild Birds of Wisconsin.
• Natural Resources Foundation [exit DNR] organizes experts around the state for birdwatching and other nature-related field trips.
• Important Bird Areas [exit DNR] are often great places to birdwatch or enjoy nature.
• Explore outdoors helps you find places to go and things to do on state lands around the state.
• DNR’s snowy owl page offers background on irruptions, latest numbers, maps of sightings, and tips for finding them.
• Bald eagle watching
• Prairie Chicken viewing [exit DNR] is organized by DNR conservation partners every spring. This is a great opportunity to view Prairie Chicken "lekking" from blinds on Buena Vista Marsh.
• Sharp-tailed grouse viewing is available at the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area [exit DNR] (3 blinds available) and at the Douglas County Bird Sanctuary [exit DNR] (1 blind available).

Report a bird

Amateur birders have always been leaders in the field of citizen science. The links below provide a number of web-based tools that allow you to report and track your daily bird sightings. These data are used by DNR and conservation partners across the hemisphere to monitor migratory bird populations.

• Wisconsin eBird [exit DNR] allows you to report and track your daily sightings from birding excursions and at home. It also allows you to explore real-time bird sightings from other birders across the state.
• Wisconsin Society for Ornithology [exit DNR] provides a variety of ways to document rare birds and how to use eBird for seasonal reports.
• Report a banded bird [exit DNR] at the USGS bird banding lab website. This website includes both aluminum leg bands and some other colored leg bands and wing markers used by scientists to track individual birds.
• The Great Backyard Bird Count [exit DNR] is a global project to record bird abundance and distribution once a year in February. You can contribute to our understanding of Wisconsin birds during that time by watching birds in your backyard or elsewhere and reporting your observations.
• Report a banded racing pigeon [exit DNR] through the American Racing Pigeon Union website. Racing pigeon bands will start with the letters "AU."
• Report a rare bird [exit DNR] by using a fillable report form. This is to be used for species on Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Working List [exit DNR].
• Report a Whooping Crane [exit DNR] at the whooping crane reporting website for the eastern U.S.
• Report a sick or dead bird by using our directory of wildlife rehabilitators or contacting your local DNR office.

Bird ID and info

The links below provide useful tips in identifying birds as well as information on their biology, status and conservation in Wisconsin.

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds [exit DNR] website contains great information on most North American species including pictures, video and songs/calls. Also, see the great series of online videos on how to be a better birder.
• Audubon’s online Guide to North American Birds [exit DNR] provides excellent accounts of all Wisconsin species, including range maps, illustrations, habitats, photos, sounds, and more.
• The USGS's Dendroica [exit DNR] is an interactive website to help students, volunteers and professionals improve their skills at identifying wildlife by sight or by sound, particularly so that they can participate in nature survey and monitoring programs.
• Wisconsin All-bird Conservation Plan [exit DNR] contains species accounts, habitat management guidance and other relevant conservation information.
• Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas II [exit DNR] completed field work in 2019. See what species are nesting, where they are found, and how these compare to the first Atlas conducted two decades ago.
• Wisconsin's rare birds contains information on Wisconsin's endangered and threatened birds as well as species of greatest conservation need.
• Wisconsin Stopover Initiative [exit DNR] contains information for a range of audiences on the conservation of migratory stopover areas in Wisconsin.
• Plant for Birds [PDF] has information related to planting specific species of native plants to benefit local bird populations.
• Get ID help with mobile apps [exit DNR] such as Merlin, iBird Pro, or Audubon Bird Guide.

Get involved

See the links below for ways to get involved in birding and bird conservation efforts around the state.

• Wisconsin eBird [exit DNR] provides an easy way to make your bird observations useful for research, management, and conservation.
• Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative volunteer bird monitoring opportunities [exit DNR] has many citizen science programs that birders can participate in.
• "Who's Who" of bird citizen-based monitoring [exit DNR] connects birders to local efforts to collect information on birds and other taxa groups.
• Birder Certification Program [exit DNR] helps individuals develop bird skills and get certified to participate in important monitoring efforts.
• The Bird Protection Fund [exit DNR] helps DNR and partners conserve the birds we love. Donate through the website or consider participating in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon.
• Bird City Wisconsin [exit DNR] encourages local conservation groups and interested individuals to get involved in bird conservation efforts. Is your city a bird city?
• Practice 7 Simple Actions [exit DNR] to help birds at home, including making windows safer, keeping cats indoors, avoiding pesticides, and planting native vegetation.

Birdfeeder tips

Ten tips for winter bird feeding

Winter is a great time to feed the birds, as higher energy demands and fewer natural foods give us opportunity to bring some species closer to home.

1. The single best seed to provide is black oil sunflower, which has high fat content and attracts the most species.
2. Also offer nyjer (thistle) for finches, white millet for sparrows, doves, and other ground-feeding species both suet and peanut chunks for woodpeckers, chickadees nuthatches.
3. Avoid generic seed mixes as these tend to have more waste and attract less desired bird and mammal species.
4. Deter squirrels with cone- or dome-shaped baffles above hanging feeders or below pole-mounted feeders.
5. Place feeders closer than 3 feet or farther than 30 feet from your home to avoid the deadliest window collision zone.
6. Minimize disease by cleaning your feeders at least once every two weeks using soapy water and a 10% bleach solution.
7. Provide cover such as brush piles or dense shrubs for roosting and escape from predators.
8. Offer water to attract a wider variety of species, using a heating element when temperatures dip below freezing.
9. “Birdscape” your property with native plants such as fruit-bearing shrubs and evergreen trees. Check out these birdscaping resources on the Wisconsin Stopover Initiative website [exit DNR].
10. Contribute to bird science and management by reporting birds you see at your feeder. The Great Backyard Bird Count [exit DNR] every February is an easy, fun way to get started: for at least 15 minutes on one or more days you simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see. Project Feederwatch [exit DNR] spans the entire winter.