222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-2473/ www.madisonaudubon.
org
How Development Changes Bird Communities
Free Public Program
Who: Anna Pidgeon
What: Development and birds
When: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
7:30 p.m. – Program
Where: UW Arboretum
Parking: free – by the building
How does an early summer walk in
the southern Wisconsin woods in 2008
differ from the same walk taken in the
1950s?  What life history traits of birds
are associated with sensitivity to human
influence? How do trends in bird popu-
lations in the deciduous forests of the
eastern states compare with trends of
bird populations in the Great Lakes
states, and the Rocky Mountains?  And
what do these trends portend for the
Slower Population Growth Would Benefit
People, Birds, and Climate
By John Flicker, originally published
August 27, 2008
Like canaries in the coal mine, birds
are an important indicator of our
planet’s health. For thousands of
years, they have been one of our most
important early warning systems,
predicting the change of seasons, the
coming of storms, and the rise of toxic
levels of pollution in the food chain.
Today, birds are telling us that our cli-
mate is changing—and in many places,
it may change more quickly than they
can adapt, signaling complex ecosys-
tem changes that will have serious
consequences for wildlife and humans
Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society
November 2008
Google Earth image
future?

Housing growth and fragmenta-
tion influence birds, both directly and
indirectly.  For example development cre-
ates more habitat edges, which are attrac-
tive to predators as movement corridors
and foraging areas.  As another example,
in the vicinity of houses, people tend
to simplify habitat structure, changing
the availability of resources for birds.  A
alike. We know that avoiding the worst
consequences of global warming will
require bold strategies for reducing our
dependence on fossil fuel, expanding
renewable energy, and managing our land
and forests more thoughtfully. These are
commonsense approaches that those of
us concerned about the climate crisis have
been advocating tirelessly.
But in most discussions of the
global warming challenge, the issue
of human population growth is
conspicuously absent, even though
the growth of the human family over
the next generation and beyond will
continued on page 2
long-term perspective on housing and
landscape patterns, and trends in bird
populations provides some surprising
results.  Who are the winners and who
are the losers?  Come to this program by
avian ecologist Anna Pidgeon and find
out.

Dr. Pidgeon is an Assistant Professor in
the Department of Forest and Wildlife
Ecology at UW-Madison.
You are invited to join our speaker, MAS
board members and friends at the pre-
program dinner at Paisan’s Restaurant
(131 W. Wilson St.) beginning at 5:00
p.m. Please call the office at 608/255-
BIRD (255-2473) if you have questions.
Next meeting: January 20, 2009. There is
no Dec. Meeting.
Inside This Issue
Kids Learn at Goose Pond............ 2
Goose Pond Fall Report................ 3
Extreme Makeover at FG.............. 4
Sacred Ground................................ 5
2008 CBC Dates.............................. 5
MAS Nest Box Results................... 6
Donations........................................ 6
Membership Form......................... 7
Education Update.......................... 8
Last Field Trip in ‘08...................... 8
Madison Audubon
Society
Serving Columbia, Dane,
Dodge, Iowa, Jefferson,
Richland and Sauk Counties
Population Growth . . .
(continued from page 1)
be a critical factor in determining the
magnitude of the problem and our
ability to respond.
The numbers are staggering. By 2050,
the world’s population is expected
to grow from today’s 6.7 billion to
somewhere between 7.8 and 10.8
billion, according to demographers
at the United Nations. More people
will mean more cars and buses, more
electricity used, and more pressure on
the forests and ecosystems that absorb
carbon dioxide. There is no question
that addressing global warming over
the next 50 years will be easier with
slower population growth.
The good news is that we already
know how to encourage slower
population growth. We can do it
through positive and cost-effective
programs like providing educational
opportunities for girls, expanding
economic opportunities for women,
and expanding access to effective
family planning information and
services to the millions of couples
around the world who want to plan
their families. These are win-win
strategies that are desirable in their
School Kids Have a Field Day at Goose Pond Sanctuary
MAS Education Committee had the
great pleasure of hosting three groups
of elementary school students this fall.
In all, we hosted over 110 children at
Goose Pond, including four fifth grade
classes from Sun Prairie and two
Home School groups from the greater
Madison area.
Seed collecting was clearly one of the
children’s favorite activities, as they
fanned out over the prairie, in grasses
towering over their heads… Searching
out, cutting, and plucking great quan-
tities of yellow coneflower, thimble
weed, stiff goldenrod, and milkweed
pods. Mark and Sue Martin and Rick
Durbin were the fearless leaders of
our ambitious and hard working seed
collectors.
Rosie Meinholz and and Larry
Hochman hosted the scope station
over-looking Goose Pond. The stu-
dents were “wowed” looking through
binoculars, and thrilled to get up close
through the scopes, observing coots,
The Audubon CAWS
own right, and will have the added
value of relieving pressure on our
overtaxed resources.
Historically, the United States
was a world leader in supporting
voluntary international family
planning programs around the world.
Unfortunately, U.S. funding for these
international programs has declined
dramatically, even as the need has
increased. Currently, the U.S. trails
most of the developed world in
supporting family planning.
An unfortunate example of this came
when President Bush announced
that he would once again withhold
funding for the United Nations
Population Fund (as he has done
every year for the last seven years).
This agency works in more than 150
countries to provide reproductive
health and family planning services,
make motherhood safer, prevent
HIV/AIDS, and promote gender
equity. Each year, the U.S. Congress
appropriates funding for the United
Nations Population Fund, but
President Bush refuses to release the
funds. Given the important work that
this agency does around the world
to slow global population growth
and save lives, President Bush’s
Nearly 100 Sun Prairie 5th graders, with their teachers and several parent
volunteers, spent the day at Goose Pond on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
geese, Mallards, wigeons, and ruddies.
Muskrat houses, which looked like
mounds of sticks emerging from the
pond, were a new discovery for most
kids. At lunch time, the hundreds of
geese that flew in from the eastern sky
and landed one by one on Goose Pond
2 November 2008
announcement appears callous and
short-sighted.
There are still many in the world
who don’t have the information
and services that will allow them to
determine freely and responsibly the
number and timing of their children.
When people can plan their families,
they can plan their lives. They can
plan to beat poverty. They can plan on
healthier mothers, healthier children,
and a healthier planet. We have a
responsibility to current and future
generations to ensure that all people
have the family planning information
and services that many of us take for
granted.
If we are going to get serious about
addressing the threat of global
warming, our policymakers must do
more to craft comprehensive solutions
that address multiple facets of the
problem. Addressing rapid population
growth can also be a part of the
solution—for people, for wildlife, and
for the future of the planet.
John Flicker is president of the National
Audubon Society. Comments can be sent
to audubonaction@audubon.org
produced an audible group WOW!
Cranemania, facilitated by Gail
Martinelli, provided students with a
fun and engaging experience. As they
learned about the natural history of
the Whooping Crane, and the loss of
habitat that threatens its existence, the

Enthusiastic students walked through the prairie
filling their buckets with seeds that will be used to
restore more prairie habitat.
children became motivated to take
action to ensure this majestic bird’s
survival. Through collecting seeds
which they knew would later be sown
to increase and enhance Whooping
Cranes’ habitat, the students felt a
deep sense of purposeful satisfaction.
Critter Quest, created by Kevin
Riggle, and modified by Gail Marti-
nelli, generated intense involvement.
The Quest involved wading through
the high grasses and thick forbs, seek-
ing to locate and gently bring back
critters found on the prairie. Students
were invited to make up a classifica-
tion for their critter (non-scientific,
and in their own words), to sketch
their critter, and finally to write some
observational statements about their
critter. In the words of Joanne Herfel,
Critter Quest leader, “I witnessed
many small and wonderful happen-
ings. The children went out eager and
free to explore. They fell over in the
tall grass deliberately, for the sheer
joy of it; they hid, silently waiting for
their critters to come to them. Some
worked alone and others worked in
teams.
After collecting a multitude of amaz-
ing critters including numerous cat-
erpillars, tree frogs, crickets, spiders,
worms and a walking stick, students
The Audubon CAWS
set about the task of
“classifying.”
I saw the most amazing
things. The affection for
their critters conveyed
through the students’
eyes and expressions
was priceless. The
statements about the
critters that were ver-
bally expressed were
just as amazing. For
some students it was
apparent that their entire
universe for those few
minutes was comprised
of themselves and their critter. It was a
beautiful experience to witness.”
Activities at the prairie hike sta-
tion, facilitated by naturalist Jennifer
Schehr, included hiking through the
prairie and discovering scat, wood
frogs, toads, woolly bear caterpillars
and feathers; finding and sketching
Scavenger Hunt items, singing the
Awakenings Bird Chorus, measur-
ing the prairie (tallest Big Bluestem
was over 8 feet, roots go up to 15 feet
deep), and joyfully running down the
hill.
We learned about the history of prai-
ries, and discussed what it would be
like to encounter an endless prairie…
Imagining a prairie stretching from
Goose Pond to Sun Prairie and be-
yond. Watching a large toad eat its
lunch inspired a huge “wow” reaction;
several students were brave enough
the hold the toad as well.
Nancy Hylbert led the Prairie Reflec-
tions walks, which included awak-
ening our senses to the prairie, and
practicing the skills of receptive obser-
vation. Together we practiced feeling
the wind on our skin, breathing in the
scents of the prairie, noticing all the
colors present on a cool fall day, and
listening to the prairie sounds. We
heard crickets, geese, laughing voices,
wind rustling the grasses and across
our ears, and rattling seed pods.
On our walk we used our senses to
learn about a variety of plants.
We identified the prickly seed heads
of the purple cone flower, the fluffy
yellowish seeds of goldenrod, bristly
rattlesnake master, bright pink, indigo,
and white asters, yellow coneflower
seed heads, and the awesome cup
plant, whose leaves wrap around its
3 November 2008
stem to create a tiny cup from which
butterflies, birds, bees, and insects sip.
At the top of the hill, we paused to
write Nature Cinquains. Some chil-
dren read theirs aloud.
Wooly Worm
by Maddie
Furry
Soft and Cuddly
Crawly, eating
Silent, fuzzy, squiggly, calm
Sits right in your hand
Wooly worm
Come share the magic of the prairie,
and learn about the creatures, large
and small, who call our sanctuaries
their home. We welcome school, home
school, club, and scout groups to our
sanctuaries. If you are interested in
arranging a field trip, please contact
Nancy Hylbert, (608) 271-0956, or
nhylbert@yogaforhealth.net
Goose Pond –
Early Fall
By Mark and Sue Foote-Martin
September was dry but water levels
remain high. Goose Pond is still five
feet deep (the water has gone down
less than two feet since mid-June).
Muskrats are busy every evening
building houses that appear larger
than in most years.
In early October, there were roughly
200 acres of water and we recorded
high numbers of ducks and coots
including 1,300 Mallards, 600 Blue-
winged Teal, 150 Northern Shovelers,
and 2,100 American Coots. These are
the most coots we have ever recorded
at Goose Pond.
Prairie seed quality is very good and
volunteers have been busy harvesting
large quantities of many species
including thimbleweed, pale purple
coneflower, milk vetch, and potentilla.
On a recent field trip to the sanctuary,
nearly 100 fifth grade students from
Sun Prairie helped by collecting large
amount of seeds.They especially
enjoyed collecting and cleaning
common milkweed.
Plans are to plant 10 acres at the
Lapinski-Kitze Prairie on November 8
or 15. If you would like to help hand
broadcast seed, contact us at (608) 635-
4160 or goosep@chorus.net

Extreme Makeover
Remodeling work on Madison
Audubon’s house at Faville Grove
Sanctuary is moving along nicely. By the
time you read this, work should be nearly
complete, resulting in an updated, hand-
some, and energy-efficient residence for
the sanctuary ecologist, and gathering
place and restroom facility for summer
interns and volunteers.
After the new roof was put on, volun-
teers removed the old siding, windows
and doors and we had rigid foam sprayed
between the studs, with plywood sheath-
ing and insulating foam board applied
over the studs. This will provide insula-
tion value of about R-30 in the walls while
strengthening the walls and sealing all
The Audubon CAWS
Photos by C. Caslavka
the leaks in the once-
drafty house. The
crawl space and base-
ment sills have been
that have made in-kind contributions
foamed, and we plan to have the attic
toward the house remodeling. Ulrich
insulated to R-50. New siding, and ener-
Builders of Lake Mills has done a ter-
gy-efficient windows have been added,
rific job as general contractor and has
with new doors coming.
given Audubon a nice break on the costs.
A deck has been added that will permit
RenewAire of Madison has donated a
access for summer interns and volunteers
heat exchange ventilator to efficiently
to the screened porch. The interior layout
provide fresh air in the now airtight
of the house has been modified to allow
house, and TemTec in Lake Mills will
direct access to the first-floor bathroom
install the unit free of charge. Other busi-
from outside while improving the layout
nesses that have provided discounted
of the kitchen and dining area. And the
services or supplies include Gene Burrow
garage under the house has been elimi-
Plumbing and Empire Electric, both in
nated to keep the basement warm and the
Lake Mills; Country Wood Floors in Fort
house exhaust-free.
Atkinson; Premier Paint in McFarland;
New oak flooring has been installed, and
and EvenAire in Madison.
new kitchen cabi-
We would also like to thank many gen-
nets are in place,
erous donors whose contributions have
and we hope to
made all this work possible. We also
complete structural
thank Sally and Dick Keyel for donating
work on the porch
an electric range, and Epic Systems of
soon. Volunteers
Verona for a used computer. And none
have been busy
of this work would be possible without
painting the interior.
generous financial contributions from
The electric service
a number of individuals. We still need
has been buried,
a variety of household furnishings, as
and the ugly utility
well as a rider mower and other yard
pole and glaring
equipment, so if you are looking to part
yard light have been
with anything that might be of use at the
removed.
sanctuary residence, please contact David
We extend our
Musolf at dmusolf@uwalumni.com or
thanks to a number
(608) 265-4562.
of local businesses
4 November 2008
SACRED GROUND
Nature and Reality
By Terrill Knaack
The Madison Audubon Society recently held an “Audubon
Adventure Day” at Faville Grove Sanctuary in Jefferson County,
entitled “Prairies in Bloom.” Bird watching, the lifecycle of but-
terflies, a look at the world of snakes, turtles, and salamanders,
were all part of the day. People learned about prairies and wet-
lands as plant and animal communities. These ecosystems are a
look at the unity of nature itself.
As the late afternoon breeze picked up, the nearly oppres-
sive heat of the day waned, and the compass plants and other
silphiums seemed to wave at the sun as they followed its path
through the sky. We caught flashes of yellow from a warbler
and a meadowlark. As the prairie moved with the breeze, it was Painting of Marsh Hawk over Faville Grove Sanctuary
more than just alive. The impressions of light, color, sound, and “September Morning - Faville Grove” by Terrill Knaack.
smell called us to explore.
sense of belonging.
What would bring children, their parents, and grandparents
For ourselves, as well as our youth, learning about nature
out on a hot July day to experience prairies and wetlands, those
enhances our awareness of what it means to be human, and
parts of our landscape that were nearly erased from Wisconsin
that the order and beauty of natural systems are fragile. A sense
over the last century?
of responsibility can possibly grow from these insights. The
Prairies, woods and wetlands invite our attention. They have
man-induced disintegration of the natural world by means of
to be experienced to be understood, not read about, not watched
climate change, the spread of invasive species, and pollution,
on TV, or browsed on a monitor. Many who have experienced
are not degrading the existence of some “other world.” They are
them recognize our prairie remnants, undrained wetlands, and
degrading the potential of our own children, the quality of life
restorations as some of the most beautiful and inspiring places in
for millions, as well as our own health.
Wisconsin. These aspects of nature are not a distant reality. They
There are many ways we can expose our children to nature,
are our reality, shaped by forces that across eons shaped our
including hunting, fishing, and hiking. In addition, try walk-
bodies, and the remarkable phenomenon of human intelligence
ing through an old-growth woodland this fall, canoeing one
itself.
of Wisconsin’s incredible wild rivers, or listening to the wind
When we learn about the plants and trees indigenous to an
through the prairie grasses. Get away from the din of the traffic
area, we see how they are one with the soils, geology, and cli-
and listen to the distant calls of grassland and woodland birds.
mate of the region. We discover a sense of place and that we too
Around every bend, there is life, beauty, and order.
are part of that place. Rather than being a population that is basi-
cally not native to anywhere, we might find a feeling of belong-
Terrill Knaack has been painting Wisconsin landscapes and wildlife
ing, by becoming aware of plant and animal communities that
for 30 years. He is also a photographer and a perpetual observer of
are an extension of our own communities.
Wisconsin’s natural history.To learn more about his work, see www.
Protecting our few intact natural areas, and the restoration of
terrillknaack.com. This article was originally published in “On
the vast acreage of biologically degraded lands and waters in
Wisconsin Outdoors,” Sept./Oct. 2008
Wisconsin, perhaps can come about through this awareness and

Area Christmas Bird Counts – 2008

These are the scheduled dates for Madison area Christmas Bird
Counts. All the counts can use more volunteers. If there is one Mt. Horeb - Saturday, Dec. 27
you’d like to participate in, please contact the coordinator as Ken Wood, (608) 767-3343,
soon as possible, to help them in their planning. kwwood@wisc.edu
Baraboo - Tuesday, Dec. 23 Poynette - Saturday, Dec. 27
Scott Swengel, (608) 356-9543, Mark and Sue Martin,
aswengel@jvlnet.com (608) 635-4160, goosep@chorus.net
Cooksville - Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009 Sauk City - Saturday, Dec. 27
David and Anna Marie Huset, Karl and Dorothy Legler,
(608) 882-5648, huset@att.net (608) 643-4926, karlndot@chorus.net
Madison - Saturday, Dec. 20 Waterloo - Tuesday, Dec. 16 (tentative)
Aaron Stutz, (608) 294-9618, Bob Domagalski, (262) 251-6259,
agstutz@sbcglobal.net rcd10@att.net

The Audubon CAWS 5 November 2008

2008 Songbird Nest
Box Results
By Mark and Sue Martin
and Pat Ready
The Madison Audubon Society 2008
nest box results are in. Twenty-five
volunteers monitored 21 nest box trails
with 329 nest boxes and fledged 1,576
songbirds (567 Eastern Bluebirds, 789 Tree
Swallows, 192 House Wrens, 26 Black-
capped Chickadees, and 2 Great-crested
Flycatchers). This does not include tree
swallow nest box trails at Faville Grove
Sanctuary and Zeloski Marsh that are
cleaned out at the end of the nesting sea-
son.
The great increase in numbers fledged
is due to additional trails, changes in box
locations, and more birds returning from
last year.
Goose Pond and Erstad Prairie provide
ideal Tree Swallow habitat and limited
Eastern Bluebird habitat due to the tall
grass. However, this year three bluebird
nests were successful at Goose Pond
compared to one successful nest in 2007.
Numbers of Tree Swallows that fledged at
Goose Pond increased from 140 in 2007 to
193 this year.
The two trails with 24 boxes at the DNR
Poynette Game Farm & MacKenzie
Center fledged 114 bluebirds with an
average of 4.75 young per box.
Curt and Arlys Caslavka established a
18 box trail at the Pope Farm Park west of
Middleton and fledged 45 bluebirds, 13
swallows, and 21 wrens the first year.
On two of Pat Ready’s trails he had
Cowbirds that laid eggs in two bluebird
This nest box was destroyed by a
black bear near Portage.
The Audubon CAWS
nests and also a chickadee nest. One of
the bluebird nests failed but the other pro-
duced one cowbird and 2 bluebirds. One
bluebird chick disappeared at the 10 day
old stage. Don’t know why? The chicka-
dee nest had 5 eggs plus the cowbird
egg. One egg failed but the rest from that
brood all fledged. The cowbird was days
ahead of the others and caused 2 chicks to
develop several days behind schedule.
Despite all the rain in early June and a
massive hatch of gnats in early July none
of the trails in eastern Dane County had
chick losses due to excessive feeding by
the gnats. Black fly gnats are known to
feed on young chicks inside the box and
can cause death.
Some areas of the state had unprecedent-
ed losses from black fly gnats.
Problems included nest predation by
raccoons and wrens. We thought rac-
coons could not climb up the conduit but
were wrong. Next years goal is to add
PVC below the boxes to reduce raccoon
problems. It is hard to believe that wrens
puncture eggs or kill young bluebirds.
Some boxes will be moved away from
wren habitat. One swallow nest at Goose
Pond that was placed along a waterway
was abandon when water rose over 5 feet
and flooded the box.
The most unusual nest box predation
was having a black bear destroy 2 broods
of wrens and 1 brood of bluebirds on
the Unimin trail south of Portage. Brian
Doverspike thought vandals were mess-
ing with the boxes at first and then saw
the claw marks. The bear was later photo-
graphed in a backyard where it was feed-
ing at bird feeders. Brian and Becky also
fledged two Great-crested Flycatchers in
6 November 2008
a box that had a larger entrance hole due
to squirrels. They also had a pair of flying
squirrels raise young in one box.
Thanks to Jerry Martin, Curt Caslavka,
and William Damm for building and
repairing nest boxes, the Pope Farm Park
and anonymous donor for providing
funding for material, and the volunteers
who erected, maintained and weekly
monitored nest boxes. In addition to
time, volunteers also spend many dollars
in gas. Also thanks to Kent Hall, Director
with the Bluebird Restoration Association
of Wisconsin, who toured our trails and
provided comments on placement of nest
boxes.
Donations Received in
September
ACRE MAKER
Jill and Jerry Martin
Philip Miles
David Musolf and Roger Packard
Lois Smithies
QUARTER-ACRE MAKER
Helen Baldwin
MY OWN VISION
Emily Earley
GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSON
In Memory of Mary Haberman
Margaret Olson
In Memory of Edwin E. Raymond, Jr.
Jane Raymond and Bob Mougin
In Memory of Jan Stiles
Jane Raymond and Bob Mougin
GIFTS IN HONOR OF A PERSON
In Honor of David Musolf
Marsha Mailick Seltzer
 Membership, Renewal and Donation Form
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME!
Join Madison Audubon Society, or give a
gift membership.
TIME TO RENEW?
Check your Madison Audubon CAWS ad-
dress label to determine your renewal date.
Please renew two months before that date
to keep your membership current and avoid
missing any issues of the CAWS.
Tip: Renewing through the MAS office
directs more of your donation to local
activities and conservation projects.
Update: We now send an annual renewal
notice. In the future we plan to offer a re-
newal option via the MAS website.
MAKE A DONATION
Help make Madison Audubon’s vision a
reality. We offer education about the natural
world, opportunities to advocate for the en-
vironment, and two wildlife sanctuaries with
natural habitat where you can learn about
the beauty and value of nature.
MAIL TO:
MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY
222 S. Hamilton St., Suite #1
Madison, WI 53703
Madison Audubon Society, Inc. is a tax-
exempt, not-for-profit organization under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code. Donations are tax deductible to the
extent allowed by law. Madison Audubon’s
financial statement is available upon
request.
MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY
President: Stan Druckenmiller
Vice-president: Debra Weitzel
Goose Pond resident managers:
Mark and Sue Martin
Faville Grove Sanctuary managers:
David Musolf, Roger Packard
Editor: Patrick Ready
pready@tds.net
Graphic design: Patrick Ready
pready@tds.net
CAWS printer: Roemer Printing
Submissions for the December CAWS
are due November 1st.
The Audubon CAWS
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[ ] Half-Acre-Maker, $1,250-$2,499
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THE AUDUBON CAWS is published
September through June by: Madison Audubon Wishlist
Madison Audubon Society, We greatly appreciate any
222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703, donations, or contributions, for the
(608) 255-2473. following items.
Birding hotline, 255-2476.
www.madisonaudubon.org • Quality binoculars
masoffice@mailbag.com • Digital (LCD) projector
E-mail services donated by Berbee
• Mule utility vehicle
The mission of the Madison Audubon •Rider mower in working
Society is to educate our members and condition
the public about the natural world and the
• Energy efficient washing ma-
threats that natural systems are facing,
chine
to engage in advocacy to preserve and
protect these systems, and to develop and • Household/office/patio
maintain sanctuaries to save and restore furniture in good condition
natural habitat.
7 November 2008
 Madison Audubon Society, Inc.
Stan Druckenmiller, President
222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1
Madison, WI 53703

Tree Swallows/Jack Bartholmai

Eastern Bluebirds/Jack Bartholmai

MAS Nest box results

see page 6 Black-capped Chickadee/
Pat Ready

Education Committee Update:

Bird Mentoring Program
By Dee Wylie
The Madison Audubon Bird Mentoring Program is off to a

Tundra Swans/Pat Ready

great start sharing bird identification and observation with
“kids” from 3 to 93+. During the past year, more than 500
children and adults have participated in the program. The 15
volunteer Mentors visited 14 elementary schools, 1 high school,
7 senior centers, 1 Boys & Girls Club, and 3 day camps!! WOW!
What a wonderful program that helps others to identify and
learn about the importance of our feathered friends! It is fun and
exciting to help a child discover the wonders of birding or listen
to the stories from older adults.
Last Field Trip of the Year
Saturday, Dec. 6: Madison Lakes Birding
So . . . What is the Bird Mentoring Program??? It is centered
As winter sets in, ponds and smaller lakes of south-central Wis-
around a kit that we acquired with collaborative funding from consin freeze, causing migrating birds to become concentrated on
National Audubon. It includes a PowerPoint program on birds, Madison’s large lakes, which remain open longer. Al Shea, expert
guide books, binoculars, and a viewing scope. We receive a birder and long time MAS field trip leader, will lead us in observ-
request from teachers, parents, or group leaders; then a volun- ing waterfowl, gulls and winter birds. This trip has produced
teer birder (Mentor) visits the group to share PowerPoint pic- some unusual birds in the past, including Redthroated Loons, so
tures of either “Common Wisconsin Birds” or “Attracting Birds don’t miss it!
to Your Backyard.” After learning about birds, their habitats, and We will carpool and leave at 7:30 a.m. from the middle of UW
how to use binoculars, the group goes to a nearby area and uses Parking Lot 60 at the north end of Walnut Street, near University
Bay. The trip will last about four hours. Bring a scope if you have
the binoculars to actually observe the birds. For many school
one and dress warmly. If you have questions, call Al Shea at (608)
students, it is their first time to use binoculars. 825-6232.
If you are interested in being a Bird Mentor or having a
bird presentation for your group or classroom, it’s easy! Call
Madison Audubon at (608) 255-2473 or Dee Wylie at (608)
833-2744.