Go Birding and Support Wisconsin’s Birds through Special Field Trips The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin specializes in coordinating field trips around Wisconsin and this year they have reached new heights by offering 150 trips. Among them are a group of birding trips that are led by recognized bird experts at some of Wisconsin’s best hotspots. These trips are for birders of all abilities, and part of the registration fee is a donation to the Foundation’s Bird Protection Fund, which supports eight statewide bird conservation programs. All trip details are at WisConservation.org. Birding Blitz trips entail finding as many bird species as possible, while learning bird i.d. skills and natural history along the way. Bird Protection Fund fundraiser trips offer great birding at a slower pace. Birding Blitz trips include: North Empire Prairie (Goose Pond) with Mark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin (#16) - Saturday, May 10, 6am-2pm, $87. Traverse the vast network of wetland & grassland habitats in southern Columbia County to search for moorhens, black terns, sedge wrens & grassland birds. Cedarburg Bog with Owen Boyle and Tim Vargo (#25) - Saturday, May 17, 6am-2pm, $87. Explore the scenic wilds of Cedarburg Bog State Natural Area and nearby birding hotspots. Southern Kettle Moraine with Tim Hahn and Matt Kemp (#34) - Friday, May 23, 6am-2pm, $87. Discover the best bird haunts in the Southern Kettle Moraine to see nesting acadian flycatchers, cerulean and hooded warblers, and northern species like red-breasted nuthatches, golden-crowned kinglets, and black-throated green warblers. Buena Vista Grassland with Gerry Janz and Maureen Brocken (#37) - Saturday, May 24, 6am-2pm, $87. Visit the beauty and expanse of this Central Wisconsin grassland, one of the largest grasslands in the state, in search of greater prairie chickens, upland sandpipers, western meadowlarks, and other iconic species. Door County with Paul Regnier (#47) - Saturday, May 31, 6am-2pm, $87. Explore Door County to find 75-100 species of migrant and resident birds along the shore of Green Bay, in diverse woodland habitats, and at a pioneer cemetery. Lake Superior – From Brule River to Wisconsin Point with Robbye Johnson (#33) - Friday, May 23, 6am-2pm, $87. Scout the Brule River to find boreal birds including gray jays, black-backed woodpeckers & various migrants. Search Stone Chimney SNA for bog species, then head to Wisconsin Point to see shorebirds, waterfowl, gulls & possibly a parasitic jaeger. Bird Protection Fund trips include: In Search of the Spruce Grouse with Ryan Brady (#10) – Friday, May 2, 6-10:30am, $62. Join the hunt through bogs and boreal forest near Ashland to spy the state-threatened spruce grouse! Enjoy this exclusive chance to behold the courtship display presented by these rare, secretive birds in their breeding territories. Find other rare boreal birds along the way. Canoe and Bird the Lower Kickapoo River with Mike Mossman and Yoyi Steele (#31) – Tuesday, May 20, 6am-1pm, $62. Enjoy a beautiful spring morning paddle down this lazy stretch of river that courses through meadows, marsh, floodplain, and upland forest. Spy prothonotary and cerulean warblers, red-shouldered hawks, trumpeter swans, and herons. Stop at Wauzeka Bottoms State Natural Area to see a variety of wildlife and birds. Bring your own canoe or kayak. Fall Migration on the Mighty Mississippi with Andy Paulios and Steve Houdek (#149) – Friday, November 14, 8:30am-2pm, $37. Explore Pools 8 and 9 of the Mississippi River, between Brownsville, Minnesota and Lansing, Iowa, to behold tens of thousands of migrating waterfowl, including tundra swans. This Globally Important Bird Area also hosts large numbers of eagles, pelicans, hawks, and more during peak migration. To register for any of these trips, go to WisConservation.org. For additional information, contact Alyson Douglas at [email protected] or 608-266-1430. Look for many other bird-related field trips among the 150 offerings.
Posted on: Tue, 06 May 2014 15:55:27 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015