may 2010 caws newsletter madison audubon society

8/9/2019 May 2010 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/may-2010-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 1/12Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society

222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-2473/ www.madisonaudubon.org May 2010

MAS Art Fairat Warner Park May 1

Madison Audubon’s 34th annual Art Fair will be held at WarnerPark, on Madison’s north-east side where ShermanAve. meets Northport Dr. Join us on Saturday, May1, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Enjoy the work of morethan 100 artists display-ing fine arts and crafts,kids’ activities, a raffle,silent auction, food, and more! Free admission and parking. Art

Fair raffle tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5 and are available at theMAS office and at the Art Fair.

Madison AudubonSocietyServing Columbia, Dane,Dodge, Iowa, Jefferson,Richland and Sauk Counties

Inside This IssueBird City Wisconsin ...................... 2

Goose Pond Report ....................... 3

Faville Grove Notes ...................... 4

Spring Field Trips .......................6-8

Annual Banquet............................. 9

Isthmus Bird List ......................... 10

Donations ..................................... 10

Membership Info .............. ............11

Nannyberry for Birds ................. 12

Volunteer Opportunities ............ 12

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MAS Joins Forces with CRANES to ProtectQuality of Life in Dane County

Madison Audubon Society was very pleased to recently join forces with a new group,CRANES, to more effectively protect our quality of life in Dane County and surround-ing counties. CRANES (the Capital Region Advocacy Network for Environmental

Sustainability) was formed to protect and enhance our environmental base, and to helppreserve wildlife habitat and greenspace by keeping urban development where urbanservices already exist.

By bringing together dozens of local and regional conservation andenvironmental organizations, CRANES will provide better communicationand coordination so that a more united and stronger conservation view can be expressed at public forums and government-sponsored public hearings.CRANES will allow us to better share information, collaborate on advocacyefforts, and with the use of sign-on letters and statements, authorize CRANESto speak on behalf of member organizations. CRANES will also serve as aclearinghouse for important land use resources.

For almost a decade, many local conservation leaders, including Madison

Pretty Boys (Cedar Waxwings) by Audrey Christie

Warner ParkCommunity Rec.

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N o r t h p o r t D r


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CRANES . . . (continued from page 1)

Audubon representatives, have beenattending monthly “Smart GrowthCoalition” meetings with DaneCounty Executive Kathleen Falk andher staff. With the creation late in 2008of the Capital Area Regional Planning

Commission (CARPC), many of thesesame leaders began following itsdevelopment and actions, to assurethat CARPC decisions would protectour natural resources and openspaces, while preventing unwisedevelopment. CRANES will provide aunified and dependable collaborationof the conservation community.

There is a constant need for vigilanceand citizen action as our populationcontinues to grow. By sharingresources through CRANES, we will

be able to multiply and magnify ourcollective efforts. We are convincedthat CRANES will be value added.

To learn more about CRANESand what the group has alreadyaccomplished, please see http://cranesinc.org/ If you wish to becomemore involved, contact Karen EtterHale at the MAS office, [email protected] or 608/255-BIRD (2473).

Bird City Wisconsin

Takes Flight After a long incubation period, Bird CityWisconsin took flight recently with thelaunch of its website. To take a look, andperhaps to play a role, see www.birdcity-wisconsin.org. Bird City Wisconsin is a program to getcommunities of all sizes and shapes tothink about birds and bird conserva-tion. It is patterned after the nationally-recognized Tree City USA. Currently,Wisconsin ranks third in the nation with

173 Tree Cities. Bird City Wisconsin would certify urban,suburban, and rural communities thatapply and successfully meet criteria foreducation, habitat management, speciesmanagement, and limiting or removinghazards to birds. Through meeting thesecriteria (spelled out on the website), acommunity will take actions that benefit

birds while earning an array of awardssuch as highway signs, a flag, and aplaque.Parts of the website are still “Under

Construction”, as is the Bird CityWisconsin organization itself. The speedwith which it flies will depend on the

reaction and support it receives fromindividuals, organizations, and municipalofficials. Initial discussions with publicofficials and conservation organiza-tions have generated a lot of optimismamong Bird City’s steering committee.The committee includes representa-tives of Milwaukee Audubon Society,Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative,Wisconsin Society for Ornithology,Madison Audubon Society, and WisconsinAudubon Council. The program received$8,000 from TogetherGreen, which is analliance between the National AudubonSociety and Toyota Motor Corp., and$5,000 from the Milwaukee AudubonSociety.Organizers hope that citizens already liv-

ing in a “Bird City” will take pride in thisfact and not only urge their governmentofficials to participate in the Bird CityWisconsin program, but also will take indi-vidual actions to benefit birds. Bird City’s

immediate goal for Year One is to recruitat least five cities, towns, villages, orcounties that qualify as Bird City Wisconsin

communities when the project is formallylaunched on International Migratory BirdDay this May.In addition, Bird City needs financial

support to grow and prosper. To makeyour tax-deductible donation, visit theBird City Wisconsin website at www. birdcitywisconsin.org and become a“Bird City Backer.” Your contributionwill be put to work immediately, leverag-ing grant support for the program anddelivering bird conservation resources tocommunities across Wisconsin. Be sure totake a look.

How to tell if your community is a can-didate to become a Bird City:

• Is your community already a Tree CityUSA? Then you understand the processand conservation principles.

• Look at Bird City’s qualifying criteria.

• If you see a number of requirements

that your community already meetsand think you might qualify in the earlyphase, contact Carl Schwartz, projectcoordinator, at [email protected]

• If you like the Bird City idea, but think your community has some work to doand want help implementing “bird-friendly” strategies, contact Carl throughthe website and he will put together ateam to work with you to get ready toapply.

Several birders scope Lake Michigan in Milwaukee searching for winter species.

Birding for rare or unusual gull species

near Port Washington..


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Early Spring atGoose PondBy Mark and Sue Foote-Martin

Goose Pond was mostly icecovered on March 23 even thoughtemperatures were way above normalthe preceding two weeks. We haveobserved ice-off on the pond for the

past 31 years and noticed that wind,rain, and runoff really help open upthe pond.

We expected above average waterrunoff since the snow had a highwater content. The snow did not meltquickly and all the water soaked intothe ground with no runoff. Windshave been fairly calm this spring andrainfall seems to be below average.The muskrats are enjoying theweather conditions and their housesare looking good. In some years,high winds pushed the ice block anddestroyed most of the muskrat houses.

This year for a historical recordwe mapped the locations of about50 muskrat houses at Goose Pond.Thanks to Brand Smith who helpedwith this project.

White-fronted Geese have beenpresent most days and enjoy feedingwith the Canada Geese and Mallardson waste corn in the Lapinski-KitzePrairie. Upon leaving Goose Pond

one evening, Brand called to reportsighting a pair of Whooping Cranesroosting in shallow water about2 miles east of Goose Pond. Wewondered if these were the samecranes that spent most of last summerwith us.Later Winter Planting

We sent out a call to volunteers tohelp with prairie planting on March 6.We mixed wetland species, includingwater plantain and smartweed, tohand broadcast on four wetland areas.

Around the edge of the two-acrewetland restoration in the Lapinski-

Kitze Prairie we broadcast a fewshowy wetland species includinggreater St. John’s wort, glade mallow,and cup plant. And north of theLapinski-Kitze parking lot, a heavydensity of prairie species was plantedincluding a large amount of palepurple coneower.

Volunteers Sue Slapnick, KathieBrock, and Evan Eier enjoyedplanting a large amount of stiff gentian seed and seed from 11 woodlily pods on three dry-mesic sites in Jill’s Prairie. Hopefully these areas will be purple with gentians in September2011.Wood Duck Box Program

We have found that upland nest boxes with PVC guards can beclimbed by raccoons. Mark and Jenny

McGinley erected eight metal predatorguards on boxes at and near ErstadPrairie. Jim Goodno, Ohne Raasch,and Ed Spoon spent a good dayerecting 60 predator guards on nest boxes along berms at Zeloski Marsh.

We now believe that the boxes are safefrom predators.

Brand Smith, Dick Keyel, EvanEier, and Mark had a good workoutat Grassy Lake erecting six boxeson March 6. Wildlife photographerRichard Armstrong, from DeForest,mentioned that it would be ideal tohave a nest box closer to the wildlifeviewing blind in the back of OtsegoMarsh. Richard picked out the spotand Brand helped erect the box. If youwould like to view or photographfrom the blind contact us at [email protected] Kestrel Nest Box Program

Brand Smith, Jeff Durbin and JillStevens have been busy cleaning outkestrel boxes. Only three of the rstten nest boxes were used by kestrels.Hopefully the remaining boxes will

have higher use this year.Bluebird and Tree Swallow NestBox Program

Nolan Kollath has all 70 boxes readyto go at Zeloski Marsh in JeffersonCounty and hopes every one will

Kathie and Tom Brock sowing seed at

Lapinski-Kitze prairie wetland.

Seed sprinkled on snow spread by

Brocks

Jim Goodno (left) and Ohne Raasch attaching predator guards at Zeloski Marsh in

Jefferson County.

Jim Goodno with installed predator

guard.



continued from page 3

attract a pair of Tree Swallows.Another 150 nest boxes made by Jerry Martin for Eastern Bluebirdswill be ready for occupancy. DavidLaufenberg, Bill Grogan, WilliamDamm, and Tom and Kathie Brock enjoyed making posts and attachingclamps on 90 nest boxes one spring

morning after a two-inch snowfall.One box did not take long to t, but 90 boxes took almost two hours of work.

In mid-March, Bill Forrest, wholives in Token Creek, called to let usknow that a pair of geese that likesto sit in a large hickory tree in his backyard had returned. On the daythe photographer from the WisconsinState Journal was there, a male WoodDuck was in the tree as well. Fewpeople have observed geese in a tree,much less two species of waterfowlin one tree. After Bill inquired aboutgetting an extra Wood Duck box, Mark erected a Wood Duck and a bluebird box. Within 15 minutes after the boxeswere up, a male bluebird showed upto check it out.

Thanks to all the volunteers thatassisted with these projects. Alsothanks to Robert Paul who donatedtwo Wood Duck boxes and to JerryMartin who made and donated all the bluebird boxes.

Notes from favilleGrove

Deciding What toRestoreHabitat is in the eye of the beholder: A

Brown Creeper’s heaven is a Bobolink’shell. As ecological restorationists, weinevitably find ourselves taking sides,creating habitat that favors one group of species over another. How do we decidewhat sort of habitat is most appropriate torestore in any given location?The goals of ecological restoration are the

subject of endless debate in the ecologicalliterature. Ecological systems are far morecomplex than we will ever understand, letalone be able to design. An undisturbedprairie, for instance, may be composed of dozens of vertebrate species, hundredsof plants, thousands of invertebrates, andtens of thousands of microbial species,

all enmeshed in a web of interactions.Ecological systems are also highly adapt-ed to location: to soils, slope, hydrologicalconditions, climate, and other local condi-tions so existing models tend not to trans-late well from one area to another.Given this complexity, in order to find a

model of a stable, functioning ecosystemto guide our restoration efforts, we gen-erally turn to the past and try to discernwhat habitats existed at a particular spothistorically. The usual point in time thatrestorationists in North America look to is

the period immediately before Europeansettlement of the continent. Even beforeEuropeans arrived on the scene, humanshad an outsized effect on natural sys-tems here: More likely than not, theyplayed a large role in the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna in NorthAmerica; they were highly mobile, car-rying plants, animals and microbes withthem as they traveled; they set fires thatdramatically altered ecosystems on largescales; they hunted and fished; they gath-ered plants for food, fiber and medicine;

and they farmed large areas. But despitetheir impacts, Native Americans livedin a world that fundamentally remaineddiverse, that functioned in ways thatcould be sustained over time, and thatmaintained its ability to evolve and adaptas conditions (physical, biological andcultural) changed.Changes in ecological conditions since

European settlement have outpaced eco-system evolution, leading to a general

breakdown in ecosystem function and

stability. Along the way, these changeshave favored some species and seriouslyharmed (and in a few cases, eliminated)others. By restoring an area to pre-European conditions, we tend to reversethese biases, improving habitat for themost threatened species, even if, at times,it comes at the expense of more commonones. It is no coincidence then that thismodel for restoration dovetails nicelywith our near-term goal to protect threat-ened and endangered species, but it also

Ed Spoon & Jim Goodno at ZeloskiMarsh installing predator guards

Ed spoon with predator guard protect-

ing both a Tree Swallow and WoodDuck Box mounted back to back.



addresses a longer-term need.As restorationists,

our ultimate goal isnot so much to estab-lish outdoor muse-ums of past ecosys-tems, as fascinatingas those museums

might be. We are nottrying to set back theclock, as the sayinggoes, but rather torewind the clock; toreset the stage of afunctioning ecosys-tem where evolutioncan act out onceagain, maintaininga balance this timearound in the faceof ongoing, and we

hope not too abrupt,change. Viewed inthis context, it onlymakes sense to returnthe system as best weare able to its mostrecent, fully function-ing state, which is tosay, to pre-Europeansettlement condi-tions, rather than tosome earlier, perhapspre-human, state.

This also happens to be the state aboutwhich we have the best information in theform of historical records and remnantecological communities. At Faville Grove,pre-European conditions included a widevariety of habitats, much as we see today,

but habitat types existed in much larger,unbroken blocks in the past. The extentof habitat loss and fragmentation duringEuropean settlement is apparent from twomaps of Faville Grove that were drawn

by Art Hawkins when he was a gradu-ate student of Aldo Leopold. One mapshows the area as Art saw it in 1938, andthe other as the area appeared in 1838, as

best he could determine through his eco-logical studies and extensive discussionswith long-time area residents. The trendshe documented continued after 1938,especially in the large Crawfish Prairiearea in the northeast corner of the maps,only beginning to reverse with the initia-tion of restoration efforts at Faville GroveSanctuary in the 1990s.We are fortunate at Faville Grove to have

both detailed historical information about

past conditions, as well as a number of high-quality remnant natural areas withinthe borders of the sanctuary and nearbyto inform our restoration efforts. Thisinformation is not always complete, clearand unambiguous, but it nonetheless pro-vides as sound a basis as we can reason-ably expect for our restoration decisions,and together with the singing of meadow-larks and other recovering species in thesanctuary, gives us confidence that we aremaking the right trade-offs along the way.

Resculpting a MasterpieceNot only did the landscape inhabited

by the Native Americans function well, itundoubtedly was sublimely beautiful aswell. Our efforts to restore the landscapeat Faville Grove to pre-European settle-ment conditions are beginning to revealthe beauty of the landforms that has beenall but lost behind straight tree lines andsolid masses of brush. We don’t realizethe full extent of the aesthetic loss untilwe experience the shock that comes withseeing the brushy screens removed and

the fragments of the landscape connectedagain—a refreshing, exhilarating, eventitillating shock. Suddenly the eye is freeto follow the full, soft, sensuous curvesof the land; to explore layer upon layeruntil earth meets sky; to run to the farhorizon of the level floodplain and back in a flash. We no longer walk through theunfettered landscape; we float, the vistas

changing constantly as we move. Themind opens to the depth of geologic timethat constructed this masterpiece. We arelost, disoriented, liberated. Imagine howthe land feels!

New OnlinePayment and EmailOptions

By Paul Noeldner, Membership andOutreachTo offer our members more convenience

and to help save paper and Go Green,Madison Audubon Society is proud tooffer members the opportunity to Join,Renew, and Donate Online using a creditcard. Click on the http://madisonaudu-

bon.org home page Join/Renew/Donatemenu to use these new online paymentoptions. We use PayPal to handle thecredit card entry because PayPal is widelytrusted and secure, and you do not have

to have a PayPal account.Some members and friends of Madison

Audubon have also discovered thenew Set Email Preferences menu in thehttp://madisonaudubon.org home page.Currently you can sign up to get an emailwith a link to the CAWS Newsletter assoon as it is posted online, to get remind-ers of upcoming field trips and events,to get notification of Action Alerts, andto hear about volunteer opportunities.You can change your Madison AudubonEmail Preferences at any time by going to

the same link, check the items you want,and leave the others unchecked. Wealso ask that you please fill in your emailaddress when renewing your member-ship.

Help save paper - use the new MadisonAudubon online payment options, andadd your email today!



May 2010 MASField Trips

For late April trips, please see theMarch/April CAWS

Saturday, May 1: Birding at WyalusingState ParkQuentin Yoerger and Charles Naesethwill lead this trip to Wyalusing StatePark, which overlooks the conflu-ence of the Wisconsin and MississippiRivers. The Mississippi is a majormigration route for numerous birdsand the rugged bluffs make this breath-taking scenery a beautiful spot for aspring adventure. Observe hawks,warblers (including Yellow-throated),lots of other birds and a few springwildflowers. Bring a lunch as this tripwill last until mid-afternoon. Carpool

at 5 a.m. from the Home Depot park-ing lot on Verona Rd. (just south of theBeltline). If you have questions, contactQuentin at (608) 882-6078or [email protected]

Saturday, May 1: Birding atPicnic PointWe anticipate a pleasant spring morn-ing of birding at one of Madison’s bird-ing hot spots. With lots of shoreline,open water and a variety of woods,wetlands and open areas, Picnic Point

is known for its diversity of birds. Wecan anticipate finding waterfowl, gulls,terns, blackbirds, wrens, woodpeckers,thrushes, orioles, vireos, early war-

blers, and a host of sparrows. Meet at7:30 a.m. at the 1918 Marsh parking lotacross University Bay Dr. from PicnicPoint, north of the UW hospital. Thetrip will last 2-3 hours with an oppor-tunity to extend longer. Cosponsor:Friends of the Lakeshore NaturePreserve. Dan Doeppers (608) 255-3013and Peter Fissel (608) 226-0260 [email protected]

Sunday, May 2: WisconsinRiver BottomsThe trip will visit several locations westof Mazomanie along the WisconsinRiver bottoms including Arena BoatLanding, Spring Green Preserve,Bakken’s Pond and Blue River SandBarrens. Depending on the amountof rain we get this spring, we mayalso stop along CTH G and CTH JJ in

Spring Green for shorebirds. Probablepasserines include many warblers,Lark Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow,meadowlarks, some water birds including Pied-billed Grebe, Sora, Black Tern,and probably some shorebirds such asLeast and Semipalmated Sandpipers,various plovers, etc. The trip shouldlast until early afternoon. It may be

helpful to bring FRS radios along if youhave them. The trip will meet at 6:30a.m. in the parking lot at MazomanieBottoms (located about 3 miles north ofMazomanie on CTH Y & Laws Dr.). If you have questions, contact trip leaderChris West at [email protected]

Tuesday, May 4: Warbler Walk atthe ArboretumThis is one of a handful of annual earlymorning warbler walks to be held inthe UW Arboretum, looking for migrat-ing warblers as well as vireos, thrushestanagers and whatever else flies by.Meet at 6:00 a.m. in the Arboretumat the Wingra/Galistel Woods park-ing lot along Arboretum Dr. Enter theArboretum from the east off Mills St.If you enter from the west (SeminoleHwy.) you will have to walk from theMcKay Center parking area. Levi Wood(608) 277-7959.

Wednesday, May 5: Warbler Walkat Turville Point

This is the first of several early morningwalks to be held at Turville Point. Wewill look for migrating warblers, tana-gers, vireos, thrushes, etc.Meet at 6:00 a.m. at the south parking

lot at Olin-Turville Park, off John Nolendrive across from the Alliant Center.Quentin Yoerger (608) 882-6078 orPeter Fissel (608) 226-0260.

Wednesday, May 5: Turville PointSpring EphemeralsTurville Point has one of Madison’s

Big Birding Day: May 8By Delia Unson & Chuck Heikkinen

Saturday, May 8, is this year’s Big BirdingDay, and it’s also International Migratory BirdDay. Here’s your chance to explore a singlecounty to see how many birds you can find(and enjoy).You can take part just for fun, or you can com-

pete against the other teams. And in the processyou can help build Madison Audubon’s abilityto secure and protect new parcels of land, intro-duce bird education to more school children,

and advocate on behalf of birds and other wild-life.

Participants choose one of seven counties(Dane, Dodge, Columbia, Iowa, Richland, Sauk,or Jefferson) and go out as teams to find birds.Teams can be composed of anywhere from twoto six people. The “hunting” hours are any-where between 4 a.m. and 5 p.m. Some teamsstart at 4; others choose to be more leisurely.One team for the past two years has chosen to

be particularly “green” by doing the entire day by bicycle. Most of us have still resorted to cars.

While asking for pledges is not required, we

encourage you to do so. Not only is it easy togather pledges from family, friends, and neigh-

bors, but it’s an excellent opportunity to discuss birds and bird conservation with them. Peopleare almost always very happy to contribute tosuch a cause. They can offer either a specificamount, or a certain amount based on the num-

ber of birds you see, anywhere from $.05 perspecies to $1.00 or more. Pledges have been thelargest source of funding that Big Birding Day

brings in for Madison Audubon’s many conser-vation programs. For more detailed informa-tion, see the March/April CAWS or the MASwebsite.Registration deadline is Saturday, May 1.

We encourage beginning birders to take partas well as advanced birders. The primary ideais to enjoy the great variety of birds we getduring the peak of spring migration. The rulesand sign-up forms are available on the MASwebsite: madisonaudubon.org. Or you can callor e-mail Chuck or Delia at [email protected], (608) 274-4043(Chuck) or (608) 235-8914(Delia), for more information. Please considertaking part!



best displays of spring ephemeral wild-flowers. It also is the largest remainingarea of natural shoreline on Lake Mononawhich benefits a wide variety of wild-life. Learn about current oak woodlandrestoration efforts in the park. Meet atthe parking lot closest to the stop lightsat Olin Ave, and John Nolen Drive at 6:30p.m. Russ Hefty (608) 267-4918

Thursday, May 6: Warbler Walk atPheasant Branch

Join us for one of MAS’s early morningwarbler walks. We’ll look for migratingwarblers as well as vireos, thrushes, tana-gers and whatever else flies by. Meet at6:00 a.m. and park at the dead-end thatleads up to Parisi Park near where Park Lawn St. meets Park St. in Middleton.Dottie Johnson and Mike McDowell (608)831-9989 or [email protected]

Saturday, May 8: Big Birding DaySee story, page 6

Sunday, May 9: Big Birding DayCustom field trips can be arranged. Callor e-mail Chuck Heikkinen or Deliaat [email protected], (608) 274-4043(Chuck) or (608) 235-8914 (Delia), formore information.

Tuesday, May 11: Warbler Walk at theArboretum (see description of May 4trip): John Feith (608) 445-7375 or

[email protected] and Jim Berkelman.

Wednesday, May 12: Warbler Walk atTurville Point (see description of May5 walk): Peter Fissel (608) 226-0260 andQuentin Yoerger.

Thursday, May 13: Warbler Walk atPheasant Branch: (see description of May 6 walk) Mike McDowell and JessePeterson.

Thursday, May 13: Evening atToken CreekThough bordered by Hwy. 51 and I-90,

Token Creek County Park’s varied habi-tats hold species such as Baltimore Oriole,Indigo Bunting, Brown Thrasher, EasternBluebird, Warbling Vireo and severalspecies of flycatchers. A variety of migrat-ing warblers is also possible.Trip leaderEd Saur has lived in northeastern DaneCounty and visited the park frequentlyfor more than 20 years. He atlased the

park for the Wisconsin Breeding BirdAtlas Project for three years. The trip begins at 6:30 p.m. Token Creek Co. Park is in the northeast quadrant of the I-90-94and Hwy. 51 interchange. It’s abouta half-mile north on Hwy. 51 from I-90-94or one-half mile south on Hwy. 51 fromHwy. 19 and just east of the Pine ConeRestaurant truck stop. Brown signs mark the entrance. Wear shoes that will keepyour feet dry as some trails may be wet.Meet at the parking lot at the first build-ing on the right. Ed Saur (608) 846-4482 or

[email protected]

Friday, May 14: Evening at Nine Springs

This 2 .5 hour birding trip will visit oneof the more interesting and often over-looked birding spots in the Madison areato search for shorebirds, herons, cranes,terns, swallows and waterfowl. This areatypically has good mud flats, marsh andpond habitat. Meet at 6:30 p.m. at theE-Way parking lot along the Capitol CityBike Trail on Moorland Road. Bring ascope if you have one. This trip maylast until 9:00 p.m. or later. Dan Doeppers,Peter Fissel [email protected].

Sat. May 15: Birding Horicon MarshWith 268 species of birds identified at themarsh, Horicon is one of the birding hotspots in Wisconsin. At this time of year, inaddition to the nesting egrets, herons andwaterfowl, we hope to see plenty of war-

blers, vireos, thrushes and other passer-ines. With luck we will hear and maybeeven see some of the more elusive marsh

birds, such as rails and wrens. It may bemid-afternoon by the time we head back to Madison, so bring a lunch. To carpool,

meet at the east side Cub Foods Storeparking lot at 7:30 a.m. Reach Cub Foodsvia Hwy. 30 east to Hwy. 51. Go north onHwy. 51 and take the first right (NakoosaTr.) and turn right again into the CubFoods parking lot. Passengers are expect-ed to help pay for gas. Pat Ready (608)873-1703 & Levi Wood (608) 277-7959.

Saturday, May 15: Bird Banding at theBiocore Prairie Bird ObservatoryThis easy spring field trip near PicnicPoint runs from 8 a.m. until noon. Comeearly or later in the morning, stay thefull time or just a few minutes. See how

birds are netted, banded, measured andreleased, and discuss how importantinformation is gathered for managementand conservation purposes. You canexpect to see resident songbirds and avariety of other migrating birds in thehand. You can accompany bird banders

to the nets and observe how they remove birds, band them, and measure the birdsat the mobile station. Bring insect repel-lent. To get to the banding station, takeLake Mendota Dr. and park at FrautschiPoint. Walk south through the woods,keeping Lake Mendota on your left,onto the Biocore Prairie. Make sure youstay on the trail closest to the lake. At theprairie, follow the trail to your right, thenleft. The banding station (a/k/a picnictable) is at the top of the prairie. Visitorsnot able to walk are asked to contact the

trip leader ahead of time for permissionto drive you to the site. Contact: MaraMcDonald, [email protected] or(608) 274-2534 before 8:30 p.m., please.

Sunday, May 16: Birding atZeloski MarshZeloski Marsh, Jefferson County, is amajor stopover spot for wetland birdsduring migration. It also has upland prai-rie and a wooded bog that attract otherspecies. For a description of ZeloskiMarsh see the MAS Sanctuaries webpage.Meet at the DNR parking lot at the end of Alley Rd. at 9:00 a.m. (about 45 min. fromthe west side of Madison). Alley Rd. is off CTH S, south of CTH B and north of CTHA. The Glacial Drumlin Trail runs throughthe marsh and is excellent for warblerwatching at this time of the year, so makea day of it if you can. Picnic facilities areat nearby Korth Park and Lake Mills isnearby for food. Nolan Kollath, [email protected] or (920) 648-3842.

continued next page

A m e r i c a n A v o c e t s / P a t R e a d y

E a s t e r n M e a d o w l a r k / P a t R e a d y


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Monday, May 17, Butterflies ofBauer Brockway Barrens (Jackson Co.)The best place in the state to look for early

butterflies in May is Jackson County.Mike Reese will lead us in finding andobserving many scarce and unusual spe-

cies. We expect to find various Elfinsincluding the very rare Frosted Elfin. Weshould find Olympia Marble, GorgoneCheckerspot, Cobweb Skipper, Dreamyand Sleepy Duskywings, etc. Bring bin-oculars if you have them, close-focusingones work best. (A few extra pairs of bin-oculars are available.) Also, bring a baglunch and water. A hat, long pants and

long sleeves are recommended. This is a joint trip with the Southern Wis. ButterflyAssoc. Meet in Jackson Co. at 10:30 a.m.at the corner of West Bauer Road andBrockway Road. We will butterfly until

3:00 p.m. DIRECTIONS: From the inter-section of I-94 and Hwy 54 in Black RiverFalls, go east on Hwy 54 approximatelyfive miles to Brockway Road. Turn righton Brockway and drive 2.5 miles southto West Bauer Road. This area is about2 hours or so northwest of Madison.Participants must PRE-REGISTER forthis trip by calling Mike at (920) 787-2341(so we can contact you in case of cancella-tion due to weather).

Saturday, May 22: Badger Ordnance Tour

(Canceled this year)

Sunday, May 23: Birding GovernorDodge State ParkCome join us when we bird the 5,000 acreGovernor Dodge State Park in the drift-less area of southwest Wisconsin nearDodgeville. Bird species seen on somerecent field trips to Governor Dodgeinclude Bell’s Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat,Hooded Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher,Orchard Oriole, Henslow’s and

Clay-Colored Sparrow. Trip Leader JohnRomano has birded extensively andconducted Breeding Bird Atlas work inGovernor Dodge. Meet to carpool at6:00 a.m. in front of the Home Depotlocated one-quarter mile south of theBeltline off Verona Rd. A Wisconsin (day)state park sticker is necessary to enter thepark. We should return around noon. John

Romano (608) 238-6039 or (608) 444-4351

Thursday, May 27: Evening atPheasant BranchEnjoy an evening warbler walk atPheasant Branch Conservancy, Middleton,on the Dane County parcel. Migratingspring warblers, vireos and thrushes will

be the focus of our search, but we’ll prob-ably find other interesting birds. To reachthe Dane County parcel, drive one and ahalf miles north on Pheasant Branch Rd.from Century Ave. Go to the third conser-

vancy parking lot on the right after youpass the Conservancy Condominiums.Meet at 6:00 p.m. Mike McDowell (608)831-9989 or [email protected]

Saturday, May 29: Janesville’sCook ArboretumCook Arboretum, one of the premier bird-ing spots in Rock County, offers a varietyof habitats, including bottomland forest,riparian forest, scrub, field, and conifers.Several forest interior species are foundthere. Warbler diversity is excellent with

over 20 species expected in late May. Thetrails are well-groomed, but the terrain isrugged. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the parkinglot at the end of the drive. From Madisontake Hwy. 14 south through Evansville.Before Janesville, take CTH H south (right)1 mi. to CTH A. Take CTH A east (left)about 3 mi. The arboretum is on the left,at Austin Rd., 1 mi. before Janesville.Travel time is approx. 40 min. from theMadison Beltline. From I-90 and through

Janesville: Take I-90 to Hwy. 26 (MiltonAve.) interchange Take Hwy. 26 into

Janesville to Hwy. 14. Take Hwy 14 west(right) 5 mi. to Hwy. 51. Take Hwy. 51south (left) 4 mi. to Memorial Dr. TakeMemorial Dr. west (right) to the edge of town. Memorial Dr. becomes CTH A. Thearboretum is on the right, just outside thecity limits. Tom Klubertanz, [email protected] or (608) 758-6553.Sunday, May 30: Birding atBaxter’s HollowBaxter’s Hollow is one of the most scenicareas in the Baraboo Hills. We will

search for breeding species like Worm-eating, Mourning, Cerulean and HoodedWarblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, bothcuckoos, and any migrants passingthrough. The trip will depart fromthe Copp’s parking lot (6800 Century Avein Middleton at 6:30 a.m. and may last fofour hours. Aaron Stutz (608) 294-9618 [email protected].

Sat/Sun/Mon, May 29-31: Lake LucerneMemorial Day Weekend BirdingSee March/April CAWS, p. 4.

Saturday, June 5: Birds of Devil’s Lakeand Baxter’s Hollow

Join us for a morning of scouring thesouthern half of Devil’s Lake State Park to look for nesting bird species includ-ing Veery, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, ScarleTanager, Blue-winged Warbler, plus pos-

sible Cerulean and Worm-eating WarblerIn all, we’ll probably find 50-60 species.We will extend the trip to include Baxter’Hollow if time permits. The leaders,Chuck Heikkinen and Delia Unson,are intimately acquainted with this area,covering it for the Wisconsin BreedingBird Atlas. (They found 117 possiblenesting species.) Please note that a (day)Wisconsin state park sticker is required topark at Devil’s Lake. Wear sturdy walkinshoes, and bring water and insect repel-lent. Since we will be there until about

noon or even later, you might wantto bring a sack lunch. Meet at theMiddleton Park and Ride to carpooland leave at 6:00 a.m. From Hwy. 12 atMiddleton take Exit 249 (Parmenter St.)to the Park and Ride, OR, meet us at 6:45a.m. in the parking area for the boat landing on the southwest shore of Devil’sLake. Chuck or Delia (608) 274-4043, [email protected]

Thursday, June 10: Evening at OwenPark Wildlife PondsLeader Russ Hefty will show us the threenew storm water and wildlife ponds anddiscuss what wildlife is there currentlyand what we might hope to attract in thefuture, such as Wood Ducks. Gourds hav

been put out to attract Purple Martins.Meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Owen Park park-ing lot on the south side of 6021 Old SaukRd. The trip will last until 8:00 p.m. or soRuss Hefty (608) 233-8513; [email protected] (only if you havequestions).

May 20108The Audubon CAWS

“Flying Tiger” Copyright 2009 Ann Thering

Field Trips . . .continued from page 7



Annual Banquet

a Success!About 150 members, guests, donorrepresentatives and honorees attendedMadison Audubon’s annual banquet onTuesday, March 30 at Memorial Union.Many thanks to generous donors whosponsored the banquet and provideditems for the silent auction.

CoNtributors

Tundra Swan level - Solheim Billing &Grimmer Law Firm

Wood Duck level - Alliant EnergyBluebird level - American FamilyInsurance; Michler & BrownEcological Restoration

House Wren level - M&I Bank; WegnerCPAs & Consultants

sileNtauCtioNDoNors

Eagle Optics

Wild Birds Unlimited

John & Judith Hutchinson of Fontana

Sports Specialties

American Girl

Marilyn Mellenberger

Itchy Cat Press

Sherri Baldwin

National Audubon Society

Barbara Jenkin

Orange Tree Imports

Sunroom Café & Gallery

2010 Excellence Award Winners

The Cliff Germain Award for Excellence

in Community-Based Restoration wasawarded to John and Nancy Diekelmannfor 30 years of habitat restoration at their240-acre property, Oak Coulee Woods,near Prairie du Chien.

The Joseph Hickey Award for Excellencein Bird Conservation went to DanielBerger, Nancy & Helmut Mueller andthe Cedar Grove Ornithological ResearchStation for 60 consecutive years of bird

banding, recordkeeping, and publishingtheir observations. Station Board mem-

bers and long time volunteers Cathy and Jack Kaspar of Oshkosh accepted theaward.

The Sam

RobbinsAward forExcellencein CitizenScience waspresented toKim and DaleKarow andthe Friends of Allen Creek Watershed,Fort Atkinson,for watershed

monitoring and habitat improvement.Kim Karow accepted on behalf of herfamily and the Friends group.

The James Zimmerman Award forExcellence in Environmental Educationand Communication was accepted byLarry Sperling, editor, on behalf of the staff of WisconsinNaturalResources magazine, a

self-sustainingpublicationthat covers afull spectrumof emergingoutdoor andenvironmen-tal topics inWisconsin.

9 May 2010The Audubon CAWS

Featured speaker Bill Volkert spoke about the past, present and future of Horicon Marsh at this year’s “Wings Over Madison” spring

banquet on March 30. Volkert is the natural resource educator and naturalist at Wisconsin DNR’s Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area.



Board MattersBrand Smith resigned his position as president of MAS in late

February to spend more time with his family. We appreciatehis service and all the good work he accomplished during histerm. Vice President Deb Weitzel became president. Since her

busy work schedule would not allow her the time necessary tofulfill Brand’s complete term, which ends June 30, 2011, usingthe procedures specified in the bylaws Deb and the board haveapproved Peter Cannon as the new president. MAS always

needs volunteers to serve on the board and/or board commit-tees. If you can help, please email Peter at [email protected].

Birds of the Madison Isthmus:A ChecklistWith the help of Dave Laufenberg, Madison Audubon has

finally completed a new checklist that focuses on downtownMadison: Birds of the Madison Isthmus: A Checklist.You can findit on our website under “birding” or contact the office and we’llsend you a copy. Dave is a UW-Madison student who co-found-

ed Students for Bird Conservation and who’s doing an indepen-dent study with us this spring.We often field questions at the office about birds on the

Isthmus and knew a checklist existed for the area east of theYahara River to Olbrich Park and another for the LakeshoreNature Preserve, which begins at the UW Memorial Union.We thought we’d fill in the gap. Based on those two lists,the Madison Isthmus has been defined as the area from theYahara River west to Park St.Local checklists can be especially useful for casual bird

watchers to become more aware of the diversity of birdsright in their own backyards, to encourage citizens andcommunities to plant more native species for birds, and to

provide a list for visitors. Attendees at Monona Terrace andUW conferences regulary contact us about nearby placesto bird. Such checklists can also be useful in showing theimportance of habitat, especially to migrating birds. And, it’ssimply a fun way to keep track of how many species you canfind in a relatively small area.Check it out!

Mad Rollin’ Dolls “Boutfor the Birds”Since 2004, Madison’s roller derby league, the Mad Rollin’

Dolls, has presented the excitement of flat track roller derby tofans in our area. Along the way they have generously supportedmany local organizations through donations and volunteering.The Dolls have scheduled their final bout (game) of the seasonfor May 22, and they have offered to donate a portion of the pro-ceeds to Madison Audubon Society. We thank the Dolls for theirgenerous offer, and we invite our members and others to experi-ence flat track roller derby at its best. When: Saturday, May 22. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., the boutstarts at 6:00.Where: Alliant Energy Center – Exhibition Halls.

Donations Received in Februaryand Early March 2010ACRE MAKER Jerry Martin MY OWN VISION Laura Brown and Mark ShahanRobert and Nancy DottKathy and Rich HendersonTeresa MasonGene Mitchell and Jarno ArnovichGary Olsen and Gaila Hagg OlsenWilliam ThomasEli Woyke

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSONIn Memory of Evelyn Batchelor Anthony and Darlene NowakLinda Tuchman

GIFTS IN HONOR OF A PERSONIn Honor of Elsie Lapinski and Lois Smithies Joanne Herfel In Honor of Lorraine Stoltzfus Karen R. Shevet Dinah

Unusual Pals By Pat Ready, Editor

For about a month and a half this winter we had aninjured deer that frequented our back yard in the city

of Stoughton. I have several bird feeders set up and a“wildlife friendly” back yard. The deer, which was missingthe lower half of his left hind leg, would come around anytime of the day looking for a snack. He seemed fond of safflower the most. One Saturday afternoon he came up toour family room window where he caught the atttentionof our cat Lewie. My wife Deb caught their friendlyinteraction with her digital camera. Calls to the local police,DNR, and our vet were to no avail. They all said if helooked healthy and wasn’t causing anyone any harm justleave him be. The last we saw of him was in mid-Februarywhen the snow became hard packed.



THE AUDUBON CAWS is published

September through June by:

Madison Audubon Society,

222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703,

(608) 255-2473.

Birding hotline, 255-2476.www.madisonaudubon.org

[email protected]

E-mail services donated by Berbee

The mission of the Madison Audubon

Society is to educate our members and

the public about the natural world and the

threats that natural systems are facing,

to engage in advocacy to preserve and

protect these systems, and to develop and

maintain sanctuaries to save and restore

natural habitat.

MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY

President: Peter Cannon

Vice-president: Debra Weitzel

Goose Pond resident managers:

Mark and Sue MartinFaville Grove Sanctuary managers:

David Musolf, Roger Packard

Editor: Patrick Ready

[email protected]

Graphic design: Patrick Ready

[email protected]

CAWS printer: Roemer Printing

Submissions for the Summer (June, July,August) CAWS are due May 1.

Madison Audubon WishlistWe greatly appreciate anydonations, or contributions, for thefollowing items.

• Quality binoculars

• Digital (LCD) projector

• Mule utility vehicle

• Rider mower/snow blower inworking condition

• Energy efcient washingmachine

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME!

Join Madison Audubon Society, or give a giftmembership.

TIME TO RENEW?

Check your Madison Audubon CAWS ad-dress label to determine your renewal date.

Please renew two months before that dateto keep your membership current and avoidmissing any issues of the CAWS.Tip: Renewing through the MAS ofce

directs more of your donation to local

activities and conservation projects.

Update: We now send an annual renewalnotice. In the future we plan to offer a re-newal option via the MAS website.

MAKE A DONATION

Help make Madison Audubon’s vision areality. We offer education about the natural

world, opportunities to advocate for the en-vironment, and two wildlife sanctuaries withnatural habitat where you can learn about thebeauty and value of nature.

MAIL TO:MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY222 S. Hamilton St., Suite #1Madison, WI 53703Or visit our website, www.madi-sonaudubon.org at Join/RenewDonate

Madison Audubon Society, Inc. is a tax-exempt, not-for-prot organization under Sec-tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.Donations are tax deductible to the extentallowed by law. Madison Audubon’s nancial

statement is available upon request.

Membership, Renewal and Donation Form

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PAYMENT INFORMATIONNew membership

[ ] $25 New or Gift $_________ Renewal _________

[ ] $25 Student/senior [ ] $60 Family[ ] $40 Renewal

[ ] $20 CAWS newsletter Only(non-member)

Over and Above Member _________

[ ] Patron $1,000[ ] Benefactor $500[ ] Partner $250[ ] Contributor $100Donation _________

[ ] Acre-Maker, $2,500 or morecan purchase and restoreone acre of land

[ ] Half-Acre-Maker, $1,250-$2,499[ ] Quarter-Acre-Maker, $625-$1,249

[ ] Adopt-an-Acre, $100 a year for three years ($300 total). Here ismy rst installment.

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11 May 2010The Audubon CAWS



5/10

Madison Audubon Society, Inc.

Peter Cannon, President

222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1

Madison, WI 53703

Non-profit organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Permit No. 1831

Madison, Wisconsin

Is it time to renew your membership?See form on page 11 and help MAS.

MAS Art Fair – May 1at Warner Park

see page 1

Pretty Boys (Cedar Waxwings) by Audrey Christie

Shrubs Can Be Your Birds’Safe Haven By Sharon Schwarz, Master GardenerIf you have an uninvited neighborhood raptor that is

hanging around your yard or feeders, there are somegardening shrubs that can help protect your invited

songbirds.Look for shrubs that have dense branching with

dense leaves. What comes to mind is the Viburnumshrub genus. Viburnums are some of the most attrac-tive, versatile, and adaptable shrubs for the homelandscape. Bloom times span early spring through

June and are followed by attractive fruit and out-standing fall foliage. Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)is a Wisconsin native producing berries that many

birds love. Among birds feeding on its fruit are GrayCatbird, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, and CedarWaxwing.

Volunteer Opportunities Make your mark on MAS history! Are you organized, interested in Madison AudubonSociety, and looking for a volunteer opportunity? Our dedicated Chapter Historian,Dorothy Haines is looking for help. Tasks include organizing files, photos and materials.There is also opportunity to document current events by taking photos and maintaining ascrapbook. For more information, contact Dorothy via email at <[email protected]> orcontact the MAS office.

Publicity makes the difference. The Publicity Committee writes and distributes public-ity for MAS events such as the annual banquet, spring art fair, and monthly programs.Volunteers with writing and computer skills, enthusiasm, and ability to meet a deadline areneeded. For details, contact the MAS office at <[email protected]>.

Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)Photo: Missouri Botanical Garden, www.mobot.org

MAS CalendarAt a Glance

eveNts

MAS Art Fair - May 1

Big Birding Day - May 8

“Bout for Birds” - May 22

fielD trips

See pages 6-8 for details

may 2010 caws newsletter madison audubon society

Documents