Citizen science is an incredible way to get to know the natural world in a different, intimate way. As a special thank you to our many citizen science volunteers, we are hosting a free, special event held on Zoom that hopefully inspires you to document your observations in a new way: through art!
You're invited to celebrate our 2023 Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame Inductees through a series of free virtual Induction Ceremonies hosted by the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame! The ceremony to celebrate the induction of Mark Martin and Susan Foote-Martin, resident managers of Madison Audubon’s Goose Pond Sanctuary since 1979, will be Tuesday, April 25, 6:00pm via Zoom.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
This event is postponed until July. You can be part of the movement to make birding and nature more accessible to everybody! In our workshop, we’ll go over the Birdability checklist together, work on a practice site review, and talk about tips and tricks so you’ll be prepared to complete an accessibility assessment on your own.
Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Goose Pond Sanctuary staff and Madison Audubon volunteers will present a program to the Friends of Pope Farm Conservancy, Madison Audubon members, and the public regarding their involvement in raptor research and citizen science projects. Join us in-person at Pope Farm Elementary School or online via Zoom to learn about these amazing birds of prey. See additional program topics and speaker bios below.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Birding is an activity that can bring so much joy and empowerment to everybody, but not everybody is able to go birding easily. Birdability is a brand new non-profit, based in the U.S. but with a global reach. Through education, outreach and advocacy, the organization works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody and every body!
Cover image by Wayne Jeansonne.
Have you ever wondered about the mushrooms you see popping up on logs in the forest? Join us for an evening of fungi appreciation with PhD student and mushroom enthusiast Nora Dunkirk as she discusses the role of fungi in our splendid world!
Photo by Nora Dunkirk
Join us in welcoming author and researcher Scott Weidensaul, who takes us around the globe—from the mudflats of the Yellow Sea in China to the remote mountains of northeastern India to the dusty hills of southern Cyprus—to learn how people are fighting to save the world's great bird migrations.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Join in for an evening webinar about how to save birds from colliding with windows in cities and rural areas. This event is coordinated by students in Adena Rissman’s (UW-Madison’s Forest and Wildlife Ecology) graduate seminar.
Close to one billion birds are killed each year in the United States when they collide with windows in our homes and offices. Yet the solutions are surprisingly simple. Join our community member and expert panel to learn more about the easy-to-install window films, innovative technology, and new city building policies that can save birds in your backyard and community.
Lead exposure is a serious problem for birds. Just a tiny particle of lead, if consumed, is enough to be lethal to a bird even as large as a Bald Eagle. Some of Wisconsin’s most beloved birds, including Bald Eagles, Common Loons, Trumpeter and Tundra Swans, and American Woodcock all face heightened risk for lead poisoning. Learn from Sean Strom, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Toxicologist, about what the WDNR has learned about lead levels in various bird species over the past many years, as well as what the causes and solutions are.
Photo by Pat Ready
Through the tremendous power of on-the-ground volunteers, the Bald Eagle Nest Watch program has gathered important information about the health, productivity, and nesting success of approximately 100 Bald Eagle nests in Wisconsin in 2021. Join in for this ONLINE presentation to learn more about what these volunteers look for, and some highlights of the nesting season!
Conservancy Day presentation with the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Photo by Gail Smith
What do healthy ecosystems sound like? Angela Waupochick, a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses launching a bioacoustics project in vulnerable Black Ash forest-wetlands and shares long-term goals for restoration, protection, and management.
Photo courtesy of Angela Waupochick
It's time to get out your nature journals! Explore smell, taste, and color with Milcah as we journal about our favorite fruits. Bring a piece of fruit and nature journaling supplies if you have them. This event will be a second session of our nature journaling event a few weeks ago— this gives you another opportunity to share and reflect with Milcah live via comments. This event is geared towards kids in grades 2-6, but all ages are welcome!
Artwork by Kate Rutter
Join Milcah in learning about bird calls! We'll talk about why birds call and sing, how a songbird's vocal organs differ from ours, and close with some backyard bird call ID. All ages are welcome!
Photo by John Benson FCC
Come nature journal with Carolyn and Milcah! We'll explore smell, taste, and color in our nature journals. Bring one or two pieces of fruit to draw along with your favorite art supplies. We'll be using store bought and garden-grown strawberries, but you can bring whatever you like. We’ll be making great comparisons like in the nature journal page by Kate Rutter shown below.
Registration not required; held online.
Photo by Brenna Marsicek
Insects can make sounds in lots of different ways. Join Milcah in making a "bug buzzer" — a craft that explores how bugs make sound using air vibrations— as a part of this summer's Forces of Nature Virtual Summer Camp (madisonaudubon.org/forces-of-nature). Campers and non-campers are all welcome to join in!
Campers in the Super Explorers Club have the supplies to make one in their kit, but other friends at home will need:
- tape
- string (about 12" long)
- craft stick (a short pencil or straw will also work)
- scrap paper/index card
- 2 eraser caps
- scissors
To tune in, go to Madison Audubon's Facebook page and wait for the livestream to begin on July 1, 12pm CDT. We will also post links to the recording here afterward.
Cicada photo by iLike.sky via CC BY-NC 2.0
Did you know Sandhill Cranes use body language to talk to each other? Learn how to dance like a crane during this active (and interactive) lesson!
This lesson is created for campers in our virtual summer camp called Forces of Nature. But anyone can join in! To learn more about camp, visit madisonaudubon.org/forces-of-nature
To join in, visit Madison Audubon’s Facebook page at 1:00pm on Friday, June 25 and wait for the livestream to begin. We will also post links to the video here afterwards.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VOoGUQjr9kk
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/198799114990353
Bald eagles are beginning their nesting season during the chilly winter weather of February, and we want to share some of their amazing nesting stories with you. Join Drew Cashman, volunteer who co-organizes Madison Audubon’s Bald Eagle Nest Watch for a live look at an active bald eagle nest, as well as an update on the program and breeding eagles. The location of the nest and other nests will not be disclosed.
To tune in live, visit Madison Audubon’s Facebook page on Feb. 20, 1:00 pm CST and wait for the live stream to begin. If you want to watch the recording, you’ll be able to find links here afterwards or on our Facebook page.
Photo by Mike Morris
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7Xaeox6_JK0
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/224117695867936
Have you heard about our new Nature Sketchbook Series? We’ll be drawing our way from winter to spring, building our observation and artistic skills as we go. There will be five classes, each devoted to a different topic: drawing plants, birds, landscapes, color mixing, and building a beautiful sketchbook page.
If you’d like to check out the topics and techniques we’ll be focusing on in these classes, come watch this live sketching session with Carolyn, your teacher. She’ll be sketching from photos she took during a trip to Utah in 2015. Watch her build a sketchbook page, while she walks you through the steps she’s taking as she draws.
To tune in live, go to Madison Audubon’s Facebook page on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 8:00pm CST and wait for the livestream to begin. Can’t attend live? No worries! Watch the recording on Facebook or YouTube — links will be posted here afterward.
The weather may be colder and the days may be darker, but the birds are just as rewarding as ever. Whether you're birding from the comfort of your car as you search for a snowy owl, or whether you're bundled up and wandering through pines as you listen for red-breasted nuthatches, winter has something to offer.
Photo by Monica Hall
With smartphones in hand and virtual schools, friendships, and experiences, Generations Y, Z, and Alpha face intense barriers from exploring birding and nature in person. However, the sustainability of conservation relies on an empowered and impassioned younger generation.
Carolyn and BJ Byers are ready to answer your birding questions!
Birds are on the brain! With migration wrapping up, and more time at home to notice the hustle and bustle of our feathered friends, this is a great time of year to get your burning bird questions answered. Carolyn Byers, Madison Audubon’s education director, and BJ Byers, conservationist at Groundswell Conservancy, are a great couple of bird nerds (really, they’re married and super nerdy) who are excited to answer your birdy questions!
Join us for this Facebook Live event on Wednesday, October 28, 8:30pm CT on Madison Audubon’s Facebook page. Bring your questions! You can email Carolyn before the event with your questions, or type them into the comments section of the Live video stream. Don’t be shy, there’s lots of bird nerdiness to go around!
This event is held in partnership with Groundswell Conservancy.
Extreme weather, including heat waves, droughts, and high rainfall, is becoming more common and affecting a diversity of species and taxa. Jeremy Cohen, postdoctoral fellow in Forest and Wildlife Ecology at UW-Madison, used data from eBird and NASA satellite weather data to examine how 109 bird species responded to extreme weather across the eastern US and Canada.
Photo by Jeremy Cohen
This video was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8 but changed topics due to weather. This is try #2!
Graham Steinhauer, Madison Audubon’s land steward at Goose Pond Sanctuary, will share some information about monarch ecology, migration, and more in this week’s update from the field!
To tune in, visit Madison Audubon’s Facebook page on Sept. 8, 11 am CT, and wait for the live stream to begin — you can watch even if you don’t have a Facebook account. Can’t attend live? No worries, we will post the links to the recording here afterward.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m1MmxqiBY28
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/666096184340960
Note: due to weather, the content of this video switched from monarchs to how to harvest and clean milkweed seeds. Tune in on Thursday, Sept. 10, 11am CT for a video about monarchs and monarch tagging.
Graham Steinhauer, Madison Audubon’s land steward at Goose Pond Sanctuary, will share some information about monarch ecology, migration, and more in this week’s update from the field!
To tune in, visit Madison Audubon’s Facebook page on Sept. 8, 11 am CT, and wait for the live stream to begin — you can watch even if you don’t have a Facebook account. Can’t attend live? No worries, we will post the links to the recording here afterward.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jt35nwZi_ag
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/329654948481769
Have you been itching to start a nature phenology art journal? Madison Audubon’s education director Carolyn Byers will help you determine what type of sketchbook to look for, options for setting it up, and tips for making a good habit!
This video is open for all to attend, and is suggested for folks participating in our upcoming "Starting Your Phenology Journal" class on Sept. 14. Learn more and register: https://madisonaudubon.org/store/phenology-fall-2020
To tune in, visit the Madison Audubon Facebook Page on Friday, Sept. 4 at 10am CT and wait for the livestream to begin. If you can't attend live, no worries! We will post the links to the recordings here afterwards.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KBwoLHOzOU4
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/668425377363512
Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward, Drew Harry, will share a great update about what’s happening out at the sanctuary, and information about seed collecting this fall.
To tune in live, visit Madison Audubon’s Facebook page on Sept. 1, 11:00am CT and wait for the live feed to start. Can’t attend live? No worries, we will post links to the recordings here afterwards.
Madison Audubon photo
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j1MMSVD7GjI
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/3304669179627613
Due to the grim-looking weather forecast for Friday evening, we are going to host this event on its rain date of Saturday, August 29 instead! See you then!
Join us for our first, fully-online Swift Night Out! Sandy Schwab will be on site to provide you with a Facebook Live video of what the chimney swifts are doing at these chimneys. To tune in, visit Madison Audubon’s Facebook page on Friday, August 28, 7:15pm and wait for the live stream to begin. Can’t join live? No worries, we will post the links here afterwards.
At summer's end, hundreds of chimney swifts use brick chimneys for their nightly roost as they prepare for migration. "A Swift Night Out" is a continent-wide effort to raise awareness about chimney swifts and their need for roosting habitat.
RAIN DATE: Saturday, August 29
Header photo by Greg Schechter
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SVJeNsxfeZw
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/343942996790671/
Goose Pond Sanctuary land steward, Graham Steinhauer, will share a great update about what’s happening out at the sanctuary! Birds, plants, insects, work, and much more.
To tune in live, visit Madison Audubon’s Facebook page on August 25, 11:00am CT (rain date August 26, 11am) and wait for the live feed to start. Can’t attend live? No worries, we will post links to the recordings here afterwards.
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Tune in for a morning birding session with Caitlyn, our communications and outreach assistant, as she explores Nine Springs, part of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District’s wildlife observation area. Caitlyn will use her scope to share the birds she’s seeing with you and will answer any birding-related questions that you’ve been itching to ask.
To tune in live, visit Madison Audubon's Facebook page on August 18th at 9:00am CT and wait for the live feed to start. Can’t attend live? No worries, the recording will remain on our FB page afterwards.
Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAudubon/videos/1588084798026627
Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Learn about the wide diversity and amazing lifestyle of dragon- and damselflies with Dan Jackson in our summer Evenings with Audubon! Dan will share with you the life cycle of these creatures, most common species in southern Wisconsin, and some fascinating tidbits about these ferocious predators.
Photo by Dan Jackson
