Guess what’s coming up this Friday, February 12th? It’s the return of the Great Backyard Bird Count, a community science project designed to collect data about the presence of birds in winter. And oh boy, the count is right on time—we are entering into a very cold, very frigid week that will make getting outside a challenge. What better way to hunker down at home than with a blanket, a warm beverage, and your trusty binoculars?

This week’s Entryway to Birding blog pulls up a chair to the window and takes a look at what birds you might find near your home—whether you’re looking into a backyard or an apartment complex parking lot. Learn about the most common visitors you might see in south-central Wisconsin this winter and get some identification tips for some especially tricky backyard birds!

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

“The coots are back!” is a sentence that I never imagined myself exclaiming with such joy, but here we are. It’s mid-October and the American coots are definitely back, congregating in large flocks on our nearby lakes. I missed them more than I expected.

Fall migration has come in waves, with shorebirds in August, warblers in September, and sparrows in October. Late October and November kicks off waterfowl season, bringing us swans, geese, ducks, coots, loons, and grebes galore. Many of these birds will stick around until there’s no open water, meaning the next few months will be prime time for waterfowl watching.

This week’s Entryway to Birding blog will help you get familiar with the wide variety of waterbirds you might see over the next few months—and help you cultivate an appreciation for everything from their gorgeous plumages to their weird antics.