August 14 @ 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Ozaukee Washington Bird Coalition
Standing Up for Birds
at Riveredge & on Zoom
“Standing Up for Birds” by Shawn Graff, American Bird Conservancy’s vice president for U.S. and Canada operations. For more than 25 years, ABC has been standing up for birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Its strategic approach to conservation drives results that are measurable, with significant strides to prevent the extinction of the most endangered birds, conserve important bird habitat, reduce top threats to birds, and build an Americas-wide community of bird conservationists.
Graff joined ABC’s leadership team in 2016 after serving for 13 years as executive director of the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, based in West Bend. Shawn leads ABC conservation programs and projects in the Great Lakes region, concentrating on fundraising and building high level relationships with public and private partners and conservation stakeholders. He also helps oversee forest management grants in the region with a special emphasis on leading ABC’s effort to restore habitat for the Golden-winged Warbler in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. With the assistance of the late Noel Cutright, Graff led the land trust’s 2008 purchase of a failing golf course along the west shore of Lake Michigan and its subsequent conversion into Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, which has since recorded 266 avian species.
This program is offered in-person and virtually. If joining in person, meet at Riveredge.
Ages 18+. Free to attend. No pre-registration required.
Join on Zoom
August 14
@
7:00 pm
–
8:30 pm
July 10 @ 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Ozaukee Washington Bird Coalition
3 Billion Birds Lost & What to do about it
at Mequon Nature Preserve & on Zoom
“Three Billion Birds Lost – and What to Do About It” Why American Bird Species are in Such Decline & What Needs to be Done”; by Dr. Jackie Augustine, Audubon of Kansas executive director. A recent study revealed that we’ve lost one in four individual birds since 1970. However, not all species declined, and some habitats have experienced greater declines than others. Augustine, explains how this was estimated, describes trends in the data with respect to species and habitats, and shares ways you can prevent further losses in your own neighborhood as well as in general.
This program is offered in-person and virtually.
If joining in person, meet at Mequon Nature Preserve (address below).
Ages 18+ | Free to attend
Pre-registration required by July 10 at 12:00 pm (noon).
Register here Join on Zoom
July 10
@
7:00 pm
–
8:30 pm
June 12 @ 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Ozaukee Washington Bird Coalition
Cedar Grove Ornithology Reserve
at Lac Lawrann & on Zoom
“The History, Research, Thrills and Surprise Findings at the Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station” by station manager Danny Erickson. The western shore of Lake Michigan has long been known to concentrate birds of prey during their annual southward migration each Fall. To study this movement, scientists long ago established the Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station, the longest continuing raptor banding operation in North America, to band migrating raptors and track avian migratory trends. Erickson will discuss CGORS history, the thrills of raptor migration and the exciting research findings helping us to better understand and conserve raptors in the western Great Lakes region.
Erickson is a bird banding biologist from Wauwatosa, where his interest in nature and biology led him to study wildlife ecology at UW-Madison. He has learned from many skilled raptor researchers at Hawkwatch International, The Peregrine Fund, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, and Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch. Since 2021, Danny has overseen CGORS’ raptor count and banding operations each fall.
This program is offered in-person and virtually.
If joining in person, meet at Lac Lawrann Conservancy in West Bend (address below).
Ages 18+ | Free to attend
Pre-registration required by June 12 at 12:00 pm (noon).
Register though Lac Lawrann Join on Zoom
June 12
@
7:00 pm
–
8:30 pm
May 24 @ 6:30 am – 9:30 am
Ozaukee Washington Bird Coalition
Birding at the Bog by Canoe or Kayak
Mud Lake in the Cedarburg Bog is one of the top birding spots in the county. We’ll do about 1 mile of paddling and 1 1/2 miles of walking looking for late migrants and avian residents uncommon to rare in southeastern Wisconsin. With advanced permission a limited number of personal kayaks and canoes will be allowed. Canoes will be provided at a $10 rental fee payable at the time of the outing.
The outing starts and ends at the UW-Milwaukee Field Station (address below).
Ages 18+ | Free to attend (not including canoe rental)
Pre-registration required by May 23 at 5:00 pm.
Register at Friends of the Bog Website
May 24
@
6:30 am
–
9:30 am
May 11 @ 6:30 am – 1:00 pm
Noel J Cutright Bird Club
Birdathon
Join us in the Riveredge Visitor Center parking lot at 6:30 a.m. to be part of a team that will attempt to cover all of Riveredge searching for as many bird species as possible in a single day! Or show up anytime later to bird on your own for this special event. Witness the wonderful avian biodiversity of the Riveredge campus and meet fellow bird enthusiasts!
If you want to help with the count or donate to the bird club, contact Carl Schwartz at [email protected].
All Ages
Free to attend, however your generous donations are appreciated to help support the NJC Bird Club, since this is the club’s only fundraising yearly event.
May 11
@
6:30 am
–
1:00 pm
May 8 @ 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Ozaukee Washington Bird Coalition
Nocturnal Bird Call Identification
at Mequon Nature Preserve
Sam Corbo will discuss his experiences recording nocturnal migration over his Shorewood home over the last three years (and counting). What started as a curiosity and an effort to build up his yard list has grown into a near obsession, and while some interesting finds were anticipated, results have been quite surprising! (Check out Sam’s station’s eBird profile, “skcorboNFC” for some examples!). Incredible numbers of regular migrants have been joined by true rarities including several Wisconsin review species as well as some tantalizing mysteries that remain unidentified for now. He plans to not only share what has turned out to be quite an adventure, but also provide a tutorial for anyone interested in wading into the NFC (night flight call) world.
This program is offered in-person and virtually.
If joining in person, meet at Mequon Nature Preserve (address below).
Ages 18+ | Free to attend
Pre-registration required by May 8 at 12:00 pm (noon).
Register Here to Attend In-Person
Join on Zoom
May 8
@
7:00 pm
–
8:30 pm
May 3 @ 7:00 am – 12:00 pm
Noel J Cutright Bird Club
Field Trip to Lion’s Den Gorge
Run by the N.J.C. Bird Club, this field trip concentrates on the Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve, a 73-acre public park located adjacent to Lake Michigan south of Port Washington. The address is 511 High Bluff Dr, Grafton. The bird club was one of the first donors to the preservation of the Lion’s Den. The Lion’s Den is a well known hotspot for migrants given its location on the shores of Lake Michigan and its wide variety of habitats.
Meet at 7:00 am at Lion’s Den Gorge (address below).
Contact Carl Schwartz at [email protected] or at 414-416-3272 by 5/2/24 or sooner for more information.
Ages 18+ | Free to attend
No pre-registration required.
May 3
@
7:00 am
–
12:00 pm
April 24 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Noel J Cutright Bird Club
Identifying Warblers
with Tom Schultz
Just in time for the spring warbler migration, Tom Schultz will repeat a presentation he did on warbler identification at the 2023 WSO Convention. He is a well-known artist and the illustrator of the Peterson Field Guide to the Warblers of North America. His art has also been featured in the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Birds in Art Museum in Wausau. Tom is an expert in North American bird species identification and a renowned specialist in the identification of warblers
This program is offered in person at the Riveredge Barn and virtually on Zoom.
Ages 18+ | Free to attend
No pre-registration required.
Join the Virtual Program
April 24
@
7:00 pm
–
8:30 pm
April 17 @ 6:30 pm – TBD
Ozaukee Washington Bird Coalition
Woodcock Wander
at Mequon Nature Preserve
Join Dan Panetti, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Mequon, on an evening stroll in search of the American Woodcock – a secretive species most easily found when engaged in wild aerial courtship displays. Although the Woodcocks are technically “shorebirds,” they typically are found in woodlands, forest openings, and ephemeral ponds. The diverse habitats of the Mequon Nature Preserve make this an ideal location for observing them. The outing will start around dusk at 7:00 p.m. with an informational talk followed by a hike in and around the preserve listening for the “peent” call of the male as he corkscrews from on high to the ground in his distinctive courtship display. (Rain date of April 18 in case previous day is unsuitable for people and woodcock!)
Meet at Mequon Nature Preserve (address below).
Ages 18+ | Free to attend
Pre-registration required by April 17 at 12:00 (noon).
Register Here
April 17
@
6:30 pm
–
8:30 pm
April 13 @ 7:00 am – 12:00 pm
Noel J Cutright Bird Club
Pike Lake Field Trip
April 13
@
7:00 am
–
12:00 pm
