This season at the sanctuaries: summer 2023
Madison Audubon's lands are permanently protected and conserved habitat for birds, plants, and other wildlife. They are stewarded, restored, and managed by our sanctuary teams. Many of these areas are open for all to visit, take in nature, and enjoy the seasons. Learn more here.
Soak up the summer at Faville Grove
Plenty of greenery in the prairie overlooking the kettle pond (photo by Drew Harry/Madison Audubon).
The prairie features new splendor each week. Right now we’ve got pale purple coneflower starting to bloom, along with baptisia, spiderwort, and prairie rose, among dozens more. On their way out are prairie phlox, golden alexander, and blue-eyed grass. We’ll await their blooms about eleven months from now. Soon to come are compass plant, prairie cinquefoil, lead plant, purple prairie clover, and butterflyweed—floral fireworks for the prairie.
While conditions have been outstandingly dry, most prairie plants haven’t been impacted much, except for some weedy native species in especially dry or exposed soils. Most of Faville Grove Sanctuary is verdant green.
You’ll find lots of birds, especially on summer mornings. Look for Bobolinks, Dickcissels, and Henslow’s Sparrows down Prairie Lane. Find Clay-colored Sparrows, Kingbirds, and Orchard Orioles north of Highway 89, or south of Springer Road. Watch wetlands for Sandhill Cranes, Wilson’s Snipe, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, and Wood Ducks. For where to go, check out the Faville Grove Sanctuary map. Nothing beats the birdsong at dawn.
Plan your visit
Interns work to remove invasive musk thistle (photo by Drew Harry/Madison Audubon).
After removing musk thistle from the tract (photo by Drew Harry/Madison Audubon).
Summer interns have been busy battling invasive weeds like wild parsnip, reed canary grass, and crown vetch. While immersed in this beautiful setting, they’ve come to appreciate the native plants and animals that call these ecosystems home. To date, we’ve found nests from Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, Common Yellowthroat, Wild Turkey, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, and American Robin. Read more in our latest Friday Feathered Features. Additionally, we’ve been seeing lots of monarch butterflies and caterpillars on local milkweeds. We’ve been appreciating the unexpected plants and animals you might find around every corner at Faville Grove—come for yourself and find out.
Get involved
If you’re interested in pulling invasive weeds during the week with our summer intern crew, contact Drew at faville@madisonaudubon.org. You can also contact him if you’re interested in seed collection, which can be a leisurely activity on hot summer days.
Learn more:
Questions? Contact Drew at faville@madisonaudubon.org
Nesting season underway at Goose Pond
Clay-colored Sparrow eggs in a nest (photo by Carolyn Chee).
It’s a busy time for birds at Goose Pond Sanctuary! From our mowed hiking trails, it would be hard to miss the Tree Swallows swirling over your head as you approach their nest box or the American Kestrels perched on wires near one of our kestrel boxes. Speaking of kestrels, Goose Pond staff have been busy banding hundreds of nestlings hatched in Madison Audubon’s Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring program. Next up, we’ll be banding Purple Martins!
Though 59 species of birds have been documented nesting at the sanctuary, some are easier to find than others. We have located six Mallard nests and two Blue-winged Teal nests by flushing hens while working in the prairie. Three of the nesting Mallard hens were visited by DNR staff and equipped with GPS transmitters. With the help of volunteers, we also located four Clay-colored Sparrow nests that were expertly camouflaged in clumps of grass. Read more in our recent Friday Feathered Features.
Sandhill Cranes on the Pond Cam (captured by Peter Leege).
Our live Pond Cam also made spotting three broods of Canada Geese (a record!), two families of Sandhill Cranes (with two colts each), and a brood of 12 Hooded Merganser chicks accessible to folks at home!
Plan your visit
Take in the remarkable sights and sounds as spiderwort, butterfly milkweed, and pale purple coneflower begin to bloom, and the songs of Dickcissels, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Willow Flycatchers fill the air. If you’re lucky, you may be treated to the song of a Western Meadowlark that’s been heard at the Benade Tract and the Browne Prairie.
The pond may have begun to dry up due to the heat and lack of rain, but there is still plenty to see on the prairie: park at one of the four parking lots and explore 12 miles of mowed trails. For more information, check out the Goose Pond Sanctuary map or take a virtual tour via the Goose Pond StoryMap.
Bumblebee on wild lupine (photo by Graham Steinhauer/Madison Audubon).
Get involved
Although most of our seed collection efforts are done in the fall, we will be holding volunteer events to collect a few species that ripen in the summer such as wild lupine, spiderwort, and shooting star. We have already collected 2.5 pounds of wood betony thanks to the help of the Prairie Partner interns!
If you’d like to be added to Goose Pond’s volunteer email list, please contact land steward Graham Steinhauer at gsteinhauer@madisonaudubon.org.
Learn more:
If you have questions or would like to receive Goose Pond updates more often, email goosep@madisonaudubon.org
Cover image: Pale purple coneflower blooms in a section of Goose Pond Sanctuary (Madison Audubon photo).
