This season at the sanctuaries: spring 2024
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s lands are permanently protected and conserved habitat for birds, plants, and other wildlife. They are stewarded, restored, and managed by our sanctuary teams. Faville Grove and Goose Pond are open for all to visit and enjoy. Learn more here.
welcoming an early spring at Goose Pond
Canada Geese at Goose Pond Sanctuary (photo by Monica Hall).
Spring is underway at Goose Pond Sanctuary, and the honking of Canada Geese, ringing of Red-winged Blackbirds, and cries of the Killdeer fill the air as if they never left. With the help of the winters’ snowfall, the pond has enough water to support migrating geese, swans, and ducks, but it is still considerably lower than usual (check out the Pond Cam). We are crossing our fingers for more rainfall to raise water levels for the nesting season.
And with the birds’ return, Goose Pond staff and volunteers have resumed our spring tasks. In a typical year, our spring burn season would not begin until late March or early April, but the uncharacteristically warm and dry conditions have allowed us to burn 72 acres before mid-March.
Red-winged Blackbirds have also arrived back at Goose Pond Sanctuary this spring (photo by Monica Hall).
Plan your visit
Park at any of the four parking areas and explore miles of our mowed hiking trails (check out the Goose Pond Sanctuary map). In the upcoming weeks, observe the rapidly greening burned units that look fresh without their new growth struggling against last year’s vegetation.
And of course, welcome the returning birds! The geese and swans began arriving about a month earlier than previous years, and the return of bird watchers on Prairie Lane followed closely behind. Although we’ve already welcomed some of our trusty, early arrivals, there are still many ‘firsts of the year’ to observe. While you’re hiking and birding, consider submitting an eBird checklist to document the spring returns. If you see a rare bird, please contact Mark Martin at (608) 333-9645. To learn more about birdlife at Goose Pond, read our recent Friday Feathered Features.
Get involved
Although we got an early start on our spring prescribed burns, we still have many units we’d like to complete—volunteers are vital to accomplishing these burns! We are looking forward to our first Prescribed Fire Workshop on March 23; registration is full this year, but keep an eye out for future workshops.
If you’d like to be added to Goose Pond’s volunteer email list, please contact land steward Graham Steinhauer at gsteinhauer@swibirds.org.
Learn more:
Goose Pond StoryMap: take a virtual tour
If you have questions, or would like to receive more detailed updates from the team, email goosep@swibirds.org
Singing and symphonizing at Faville Grove
A vibrantly blue Eastern Bluebird alights upon a branch (photo by Arlene Koziol).
After Wisconsin’s warmest winter on record, it comes as little surprise that many migratory birds have wasted no time in returning to Faville Grove. Early February saw the return of many Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese, and in the last few weeks, Eastern Bluebirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, Killdeer, American Woodcock, and more have begun to fill the sanctuary with their calls and songs. Mourning cloak butterflies have begun to emerge, as well as the symphony of chorus frogs in the sanctuary’s wetlands.
The warm temperatures complicated late winter work, where brush burning and equipment operation benefit greatly from frozen ground and snow cover. Nevertheless, we’ve made good progress in clearing invasive brush from Faville Woods and old fence lines around the sanctuary, increasing habitat connectivity for a whole host of species. With the warmer temperatures and dry conditions, we’ve gotten an unusually early start with performing prescribed burns to stimulate flowering and seed production, cycle nutrients, and knock back invasive brush. The robins certainly enjoy our efforts, as large groups can often be seen darting around the freshly burned areas for easy pickings at the soil surface.
Mourning cloak butterflies have emerged recently (photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren).
Plan your visit
There are many great ways to observe the return of migratory birds at the sanctuary, as well as the increasing activity of winter residents. Walk the trails that straddle Faville Marsh and the Kettle Pond to witness cranes and geese debate over who holds which patch of wetland, as ducks fly by overhead, chorus frogs sing, and Red-winged Blackbirds continuously remind you of their presence. Find a comfortable spot at the Ledge Savanna on Prairie Lane at dawn or dusk to hear the buzzy peents of the American Woodcock, and hopefully see their impressive spring flight rituals (read more in our recent Friday Feathered Features). Take a stroll along the woods, and you’ll likely be greeted with the calls of Blue Jays, nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers and more.
The pair of Bald Eagles we observed this past fall is still occupying their same nest, so if you happen upon them, please maintain a distance of at least 300 feet from the nest to assure they can carry on undisturbed! An interactive StoryMap and trail map are useful in planning a visit and learning more about the varied and rich habitats of the sanctuary.
Get involved
We’ll be continuing to perform prescribed fire across the sanctuary through April as weather allows, and will begin efforts to remove invasive garlic mustard as May approaches. If you’re interested in participating in volunteer activities, please email Tucker at faville@swibirds.org for more information.
Learn more:
Questions? Contact Tucker at faville@swibirds.org
Returning spring migrants at FaIR MEADOWS
Killdeer hover around an ant mound on a recently-burned prairie at Fair Meadows (photo by Gary Shackelford).
On January 9, winter finally arrived at Fair Meadows. Two major storms in one week blanketed the sanctuary with 18 inches of snow. Yet, by our re-scheduled winter hike on January 28, there was only some decorative snow cover for the 17 hearty souls who joined us to search for winter birds and watch the Bald Eagles putting on a show around their nest. By the end of January, winter was gone!
The lack of snow followed by very warm temperatures in late January and throughout February meant we were able to remove a lot of multiflora rose and small buckthorn that are usually difficult to cut and treat in deep snow. We worked on an interesting area elevated three to four feet above a surrounding sedge meadow, and came to appreciate that it has a configuration similar to mound fens on neighboring properties. By removing the buckthorn and reed canary grass invading the site, we hope that plant species characteristic of a calcareous fen will appear.
In early March, we welcomed a Killdeer, several American Wigeons, some Ring-necked Ducks, and three Turkey Vultures (read more in our latest Friday Feathered Features). While noting the arrival of avian migrants, we’ve embarked on the joyful activity of cleaning and repairing nest boxes: 30 Wood Duck boxes (last year: 21 were used by Wood Ducks, four by Hooded Mergansers) and 25 bluebird boxes (last year: 12 were used by bluebirds, eight by Tree Swallows, five by House Wrens). We look forward to seeing who takes up residence in the coming months!
A chorus frog heralds spring at Fair Meadows Sanctuary in April 2020 (photo by Gary Shackelford).
Plan your visit
As a reminder, Fair Meadows is closed to visitors unless attending a field trip or event.
In the coming months, enjoy spring birding on May 19, celebrate Black Birders Week at a fun event on June 1, or join us for a nighttime hike on June 14. Keep an eye out for registration to open in the coming weeks!
Get involved
We are looking forward to initiating two projects at the sanctuary in March and April with the help of some wonderful volunteers: nine will be helping us with our photo-monitoring project and one will be monitoring nest boxes on our bluebird trail.
In May, we plan to initiate a project with volunteers to survey birds using point counts throughout Fair Meadows. For more information about this or other upcoming volunteer opportunities, contact Penny and Gary at fairmeadows@swibirds.org.
Learn more:
Questions? Contact the team at fairmeadows@swibirds.org
Cover image: The sun rises at Goose Pond Sanctuary, silhouetting the branches of a stately tree, in March 2018 (photo by Curt Caslavka).
