| Dear Friend,
I am so excited that the Great Lakes region is the host for the 2019 Audubon Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bordered by the funneling effects of the Great Lakes and at the convergence of the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways, our region provides critical habitat for more than 350 diverse bird species.
One of my favorite things about working at Audubon is the many opportunities I get to enjoy bird walks. At this year’s convention, Wisconsin chapters have thoughtfully curated amazing field trips for you to enjoy, and I’d like to tell you about a few of them.
Richard Bong Recreation Area: Grasslands, Pollinators, and Birds
Thurs., July 25, 7 am – 1 pm
This 4,515-acre state park is an Important Bird Area (IBA) that boasts a huge variety of birds, pollinators, insects, and native plants. You’ll also find a mixture of habitats—grasslands with some remnant of restored prairie as well as numerous wetlands and a spattering of woodlands, making it a great place to see a variety birds, such as Great Egret, Sandhill Crane, and Great Blue Heron. July is also a great time to see grassland birds such as Bobolinks.
Bird Walk & LEED Building Tour at Schlitz Audubon Nature
Sun., July 28, 6 am – 11 am
Enjoy a guided bird walk on a variety of trails through forests, wetlands, restored prairies, ravines, bluffs, and the Lake Michigan shoreline. Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is a designated Important Bird Area where you may spot species such as Great Crested Flycatcher, American Redstart, Baltimore Oriole and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. This field trip will conclude with a tour of the education center, Wisconsin’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified building.
Milwaukee Lakeshore Bird Walks
Mon., July 29, 6:30 am – 12 pm
Birding on Lake Michigan can’t be missed! Visit three Milwaukee lakeshore sites including Lakeshore State Park, Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, and Cedar Grove Hawk Research Station where you might see species such as Dickcissel, Indigo Bunting, Wood Duck, Black-crowned Night-Heron, orioles, sparrows, swallows, and Eastern Bluebird.
Madison Audubon Faville Grove Wildlife Sanctuary
Mon., July 29, 6 am – 1 pm
Learn about the restoration of this important landscape, its historical context, and the plants and animals that inhabit this southeastern Wisconsin glacial plain. More than 600 native plant species have been recorded onsite, and about 100 bird species breed on the 1,000+ acres that Faville Grove Sanctuary helps manage. From federally threatened Eastern Prairie White-Fringed Orchids to state endangered Silphium Borer Moths and state threatened Henslow’s Sparrows, Faville Grove is truly a sanctuary for a diverse and rebounding array of natural wonders.
Explore the Lower Green Bay West Shore
Mon., July 29, 6 am – 5 pm
Located in southeast Wisconsin, Horicon Marsh has been formally recognized as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention of the United Nations. The interior of Horicon Marsh is home to a wide variety of marsh birds, from ducks and geese to pelicans, herons, and egrets. And the scattered woodlands provide home to an array of songbirds.
Each one of these field trips showcases the very best that our region has to offer. No matter which trip you choose, you won’t be disappointed. To learn more about the convention, register and sign-up for one of the amazing field trips I mentioned here, please visit: audubonconvention.org.
I am thrilled to share the beauty of these special places with you this summer.
Sincerely,
Rebeccah Sanders
Senior Vice President, States
National Audubon Society |
