The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is run by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin to raise funds for bird conservation across the state. The Flockadelics, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s team, headed out for our day of birding on Wednesday, May 1.
The Flockadelics in our team shirts (minus Gary Shackelford, who took this photo). Top row (left to right): Becky, Mickenzee, Bob, Kaitlin, Carolyn, John, Penny, and Chris. Bottom row (left to right): Brenna, Matt, and Liz.
Our team, composed of SoWBA office staff (Becky Abel, Carolyn Byers, Brenna Marsicek, John Minnich, Mickenzee Okon, Liz Pelton, Matt Reetz, and Kaitlin Svabek), the Fair Meadows Sanctuary team (Chris Kaplan, Penny and Gary Shackelford), and a few SoWBA friends (Bob and Maggie Honig, Ann Mader), searched for birds throughout the day in our backyards, all around our newest sanctuary, and at a couple other favorite spots.
Becky kicked off the day by finding 29 species around her neighborhood during an especially productive early morning walk with her dog. In addition to some characteristic finds, including a Cooper’s Hawk, she was surprised to see a Blue-winged Warbler visiting a neighbor’s elm tree!
Around 8AM, the full group met up and traveled to Fair Meadows Sanctuary, spotting Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, and Red-winged Blackbirds on the drive. Pulling up, the first bird we saw was a Bald Eagle, perched near a nest in a white pine. Our arrival was also heralded by the chittering of the resident Purple Martins, who were gleaning insects from the air alongside Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows.
The Flockadelics then split into two groups: one ventured into the prairie and marsh while the other headed to a wooded section. The prairie group walked slowly, enjoying the views of Eastern Bluebirds sitting atop their nest boxes and theorizing whether the noises Purple Martins make are songs or calls. They spent significant time watching one single oak tree, with its new, yellow-green leaves and numerous birds—including an Orange-crowned Warbler! Sedge Wrens, Swamp Sparrows, Green-winged Teals, Yellow Warblers, Osprey, and many other birds brought out the joyful exclamations of “Oh look!” and adding another species to the list.
“I loved seeing a Scarlet Tanager! The bright red feathers against the bright green leaves of the trees was such a striking image.”
Many of the birds found by the woodland group were identified by sound first: Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, a Great Crested Flycatcher, and a Pileated Woodpecker. When we encountered a couple of shorebirds, a few keen eyes distinguished them as a Spotted Sandpiper and a Solitary Sandpiper. The warbler game was also strong in the woods—plenty of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers, plus a Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler. Mixed in were a Yellow-throated Vireo, a Blue-headed Vireo, and a possible-but-unconfirmed Red-eyed Vireo. We all cheered when we found a Red-headed Woodpecker, and were delighted to come across an Indigo Bunting.
Both teams marveled at the unfurling leaves on the hickory trees (photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA).
The groups reconvened for lunch around the picnic table. We swapped stories (“everyone saw the flock of pelicans, right?”) and afterwards, we swapped birding locations, adding a for-sure Red-eyed Vireo and a singing Tennessee Warbler to our list.
Bob headed next to Nine Springs, identifying several more waterfowl species. Mickenzee and the Vera Court kids explored Cherokee Marsh during a nature walk, where she added a Brown Creeper and Brown Thrasher to the list. In the evening, Becky, Bob, and Maggie returned to Cherokee Marsh, spotting American Woodcock, Wilson’s Snipe, and a Barred Owl. After the team tallied up the birds we found, our species count was at 111.
A great big thanks to everyone who joined us and supported our Great Wisconsin Birdathon team this year! The funds our team raises will be split between our organization and the Natural Resource Foundation of Wisconsin’s Bird Protection Fund, which funds Wisconsin's highest priority bird conservation projects. If you’d like to support our team before the end of the event on June 15, you can do so here.
Compiled by Kaitlin Svabek, director of communications, with input from the Flockadelics team
Cover image: Executive director Matt Reetz uses binoculars to search for a bird in the woodland section of Fair Meadows Sanctuary (photo by Carolyn Byers/SoWBA).
