We are into that time of the year when many of our favorite songbirds have departed for warmer climes, but there is one group of birds that will still be traveling through the bay of Green Bay in flocks of thousands. Waterfowl — diving ducks in particular — are arriving on the bay in incredible …
Divers and dabblers
Tens of thousands of ducks invade the bay Read More »
By Charlie FriskCorrespondent The experience of fall migration is very different from that of spring migration. In the spring there is the excitement of all the first sightings – the first redwings, the first white pelicans, the first sandhill cranes – until all of our favorites have returned. In the fall we end up wondering, …
By Charlie FriskCorrespondentThis summer, I am spending more time than usual cruising the backroads east of Green Bay on my bike.I am training for the RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, so I am biking at least every other day. I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of birds I see …
By Charlie Frisk Correspondent For birders, the depth of winter is also a low point for bird sightings. No worries. Woodpeckers continue to provide entertainment at our bird feeders and on our walks in the woods because many species are non-migratory. We have all been entertained by the sound of woodpeckers pounding on trees. Most …
Bay Area Birds: Woodpeckers – A splash of winter color Read More »
By Charlie Frisk Correspondent Sandhill cranes are one of those species that entertains us with beauty, and a magnificent overture of calls. They were also clearly one of the great conservationist Aldo Leopold’s favorite birds. Marshland Elegy, a chapter in “A Sand County Almanac” from 1949 sums up the conservationist’s ardor. “High horns, low horns, …
Bay Area Birds: Say ‘no’ to sandhill crane season Read More »
By Charlie Frisk Correspondent One of my wife’s favorite expressions is, “When it comes to biology, never say never, and never say always.” I can think of few areas where that is more appropriate than migration. It seems every bird species, and even individuals within a species, do things a little differently than the rest. …
By Charlie Frisk Correspondent On July 2, the federally endangered rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) was found at a home in Appleton and documented by Lawrence University Biology Professor Israel Del Toro. Del Toro isn’t alone. In the summers of 2019 and 2020, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Biologist Jay Watson also found rusty patched …
Bay Area Birds: Decline of pollinators is alarming Read More »
By Charles Frisk Correspondent As my wife and I were enjoying morning coffee in the backyard we were entertained by the sight of two red-tailed hawks soaring high above. That got me thinking about the number of bird species that have moved into urban areas in my lifetime. Some of these are species that had …
By Charlie Frisk Correspondent On March 22, Audubon Great Lakes, the regional office of the National Audubon Society, announced an ambitious new report titled, “Audubon’s Vision: Restoring the Great Lakes for Birds and People.” The primary goal is to rebuild bird populations by restoring wetlands habitats and shoreline nesting areas for birds that nest around …
Bay Area Birds: Effort underway to restore Great Lakes bird populations Read More »
By Charlie Frisk Correspondent Wood warblers make up for their small size with beautiful and vibrant plumage. These jewels of the woods begin to arrive in Northeast Wisconsin in late April and continue through May. Some species will nest here, but many warblers are just passing through to nesting grounds in the boreal forests of …
Bay Area Birds: Warblers are jewels of the woods Read More »
