Birding and bird conservation

Where to 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.
• Natural Resources Foundation [exit DNR] organizes experts around the state for birdwatching and other nature-related field trips.
• The DNR's Outdoor Report offers weekly statewide birding reports and updates on birding opportunities.
• Bird City Wisconsin festivals [exit DNR] offers an updated list of festivals each year.
• 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.
• 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

Amatuer 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 Breeding Bird Atlas [exit DNR] documents the distribution and abundance of birds breeding in an area.
• 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 on documenting 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 USFWS whooping crane reporting website for the eastern U.S..

Bird ID and information

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

• Changes in American White Pelican abundance 1850-2013 [PDF]
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds 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.
• The USGS's Dendroica 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 contains species accounts, habitat management guidance and other relevant conservation information.
• Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas was completed in 2000 and contains the best information on breeding bird distribution in the state.
• Wisconsin's rare birds contains information on Wisconsin's endangered and threatened birds as well as species of greatest conservation need.
• Wisconsin Stopover Initiative 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 involved

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

• Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas [exit DNR] documents the distribution and abundance of birds breeding in an area.
• 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?

Birdfeeder tips

5 Ways to help birds through spring snowstorms

Another April snowstorm is bearing down on portions of Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. Although such spring snowstorms are common in Wisconsin, the impacts on early migrants can be significant if the snow is deep and persists for more than a couple days. Getting snow near you? Here are some of the best ways you can help our early migrants and other birds through the adverse conditions.

1. Clear snow to expose patches of bare ground. This will give ground-feeding birds like robins, hermit thrushes, woodcock, flickers, and sparrows critical access to natural foods.
2. Offer suet and peanut chunks, in addition to sunflower seed (many species), nyjer seed (small finches), and white millet (sparrows, doves). These fatty foods may attract sapsuckers, robins, yellow-rumped warblers, and other species that don't often frequent feeders.
3. Offer mealworms, raisins, and/or frozen fruits. Live mealworms are best but can be hard to find. Dried mealworms often work. Fruits should be soaked and chopped if possible. Robins, bluebirds, and some insect-eating species may take advantage.
4. Keep feeders full, free of snow and as dry as possible. Clear snow periodically during the storm and switch out seed if fully saturated.
5. Provide birds shelter from snow and wind. Place feeders/seed where snow is least likely to pile up. Put a picnic table on its side or create a brush pile to shield birds from the feeding area. Make sure nest boxes are clean and ready for tenants like roosting bluebirds, chickadees, or tree swallows.