The tree has just started blooming with a most pleasant and lovely surprise. This abundance has produced temporary exhaustion. I've been running back and forth from the tree to the computer in the basement bunker, trying to identify these beautiful butterflies.

Photo by Pat Hasburgh

Remember: “If you find a nest, leaving it alone is best!” And required—it is against the law to remove or destroy a nest if there are eggs in it or if young birds depend upon it for survival, under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Photo via Pixabay

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 virus (HPAI) is active in southern Wisconsin. HPAI is a deadly viral disease that infects the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of birds. It has most significantly affected domestic poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks) and farms may suffer rapid spread and high mortality rates. Wild birds can be infected and carry the virus too. Read this post to learn more about HPAI and what you can do to limit risk and spread.

Photo via Pixabay

When you think of conservation work, restoring habitats, or surveying wildlife, or conducting prescribed burns might immediately come to mind. But what about the work that’s a bit less dazzling? One important effort is cleaning up roadside garbage—much of which is completely preventable.

photo by Mark Martin

In Wisconsin, the Conservation Congress rises every spring, this year from April 8–13. Please consider this the annual plea from the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance asking you to participate in the process.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Annual Spring Hearing gives members of the public the opportunity to provide input on a variety of questions. We encourage you to take the time to fill out the survey—many of the questions impact ecosystems and wildlife both locally and throughout the state.

Photo by Grayson Smith/USFWS Midwest

We are excited to share that we achieved renewal for our land trust accreditation!

photo by Gary Shackelford

Middleton, WI is the newest municipality in the country to adopt a bird-safe glass ordinance as of February 20, 2024. The ordinance, which matches the one implemented in Madison in 2020, requires buildings over 10,000 square feet to use bird-safe design or bird-safe glass.

Photo by Steve Kersting FCC

If you saw our action alert last week, you know that the Wisconsin legislature was discussing a set of bills that would remove WDNR-imposed restrictions on hunting dogs accessing public lands during spring. I’m sorry to say both the Assembly and Senate passed the bills, but it’s not too late to voice your concerns! Governor Evers needs to hear from you if you want to prevent these proposed laws to take effect this spring.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Middleton, WI residents have an important, time-sensitive opportunity to support the proposed Bird-safe Glass Ordinance on or before the February 20, 2024 public hearing. Please submit comments using the information below by 1:00pm CT on February 20, 2024, and if you’re able, join the meeting to voice your support for bird-safe glass and responsible development!

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

A bad and dangerous bill will come before the Wisconsin State Assembly on Tuesday, February 13. We cannot let this bill pass as it endangers the lives of bears, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, cranes, deer, and other wildlife.

AB-512/SB-545 will repeal all the regulations that currently prohibit hunting dogs from pursuing wild animals in northern Wisconsin in late spring and early summer. This will wreak havoc with many wildlife species but we are especially concerned with the effects on nesting and young birds.

Photo by Carolyn Byers

Free common milkweed seed (Asclepias syriaca) is available from the Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly Madison Audubon) for restoration-ready land in Wisconsin. The seed is tested for purity and germination, so it will be distributed as pure live seed.  

Photo by Arlene Koziol

This prairie is owned by Iowa County and is open to the public for a wide variety of outdoor public recreation. Iowa County has opened a planning process for the property, probably caused by the closure of the county nursing home, the centerpiece of the property.

Please never, ever assume that a planning process for public lands will go well.  Lots of well intentioned folks will have many other ideas for the property with the possibility of  more extensive agriculture or, Heavens to Betsy, sale of some or all of the land.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

Bird conservation groups are celebrating the survival of Madison, Wisconsin’s bird-friendly building ordinance after years of legal challenges from developers. Following the ruling, the City will continue to require bird-friendly building designs that prevent window collisions. American Bird Conservancy (ABC), Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly Madison Audubon), and Wisconsin Society for Ornithology are encouraging municipalities to move ahead with their own efforts to assure building designs protect wild birds from colliding with windows.

Photo by Larry Master, www.masterimages.org

Wisconsin bird lovers can learn how to attract and feed our feathered friends and keep them safe around their home at the PBS Wisconsin Garden and Landscape Expo Feb. 9-11 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.

Avian experts from across the state will offer tips on everything from gardening for hummingbirds and songbirds, to attracting Eastern Bluebirds and Purple Martins with nest boxes and martin houses, respectively, to easy home solutions to prevent birds from colliding with windows.

There is lots of good news to share. The first occurred a couple of weeks ago when stalwart volunteers gathered at Goose Pond Sanctuary to plant a new prairie. The land was the last gap, 16 acres, in the northern half of the Goose Pond lands. Mark, Graham, and Emma, the wonderful Goose Pond team, had scheduled it after light snowfall, which makes it much easier to see how effectively one is scattering the seeds.

Photo by Brenna Marsicek / BBA

Southern Wisconsin is full of bird enthusiasts. So it’s no surprise that each year, this part of the state turns out a great set of Christmas Bird Counts. In 2023, 12 counts were done within the BBA chapter area (which encompasses 10 counties), coordinated independently and made possible by dedicated, excellent volunteers. Below are the results of the 2023 Christmas Bird Counts in our area.

Thank you to everyone involved for sharing your time, energy, and enthusiasm for birds!

Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

In nature, it can be really special to encounter a bird like a Bald Eagle or a Great Horned Owl, but important to remembers that some species are sensitive to disturbance. How can I ethically observe sensitive species?

Photo via Pixabay