Birding and bird conservation

Birding report

Statewide Birding Report as of October 17, 2019

Fall met winter this week as snow flew across many northern locations over the weekend. Sunday was especially birdy in northern counties with many sparrows, kinglets, robins, and yellow-rumped warblers, many feeding lower than usual due to the cold. A surprising diversity of 10+ warbler species were seen, as well as late house wren among the more expected winter wrens. Perhaps most unexpected was an adult male ruby-throated hummingbird visiting a feeder in far northern Bayfield County following 3” of snow. Also of note there were tallies of 450 dark-eyed juncos and 11 Harris’s sparrows along the Lake Superior shore. Numbers of most species dropped dramatically by early week following a big migration out of the region on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, juncos surged south, many central and southern birders seeing their first this week. Good numbers of white-throated and white-crowned sparrows were also reported, as well as some fox sparrows and eastern towhees. Backyard birders also found a few pine siskins all the way south to the Illinois border and northern cardinals continuing to feed young at feeders, marking the last of 2019’s breeding activity. Farther afield, American robins, hermit thrushes, and both ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets were common in many areas. Species lingering in small numbers across the south included eastern phoebe, eastern wood-pewee, yellow-throated and blue-headed vireo, chimney swift, ruby-throated hummingbird, and various warblers.

Major seasonal shifts were evident though. Tens of thousands of canvasbacks have reached the Mississippi River near Lake Onalaska, and the first tundra swans have arrived there as well. Other late-season arrivals this week included American tree sparrow, snow bunting, short-eared owl, and golden eagle. Expect the first northern shrike and rough-legged hawk anytime now. Sandhill cranes have begun to stage in good numbers, best perhaps being several thousand reported at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area in Burnett.

Among this week’s rare finds were cattle egret, yellow-throated warbler, and parasitic jaegers in Douglas County, an ibis species in Sauk, late Bell’s vireo in Milwaukee, Franklin’s gull in Racine, and a suite of good finds in Ozaukee that included a Swainson’s hawk, parasitic jaegers, pacific loon, marbled godwit, and 28 American avocets. Mild weather should make for enjoyable birding conditions through the weekend and especially on Sunday. Winds turn west after a rainy Monday statewide so be ready for new birds mid-week. Find out what others are seeing and report 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.
• 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?