RESOURCES

Photo: Common Loon @Becky Martin

Resource Links

Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

Our local chapter expands this mission by offering local programming and a monthly newsletter. This page shares these resources and offers additional information on ways you can make a difference in the protection of birds and conservation of resources.

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BIRDING BASICS

Birding Basics -Let's get started with some tips and ideas to get started or improve your birding skills.

9 Tips for Beginner Birders (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Inside Birding – Short videos to help you become a better birder (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Binocular Basics - How to pick and use binoculars in order to optimize your bird viewing.

Tips to Get a Crystal Clear Focus with Your Binoculars (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Birding Optics, Birding Binoculars and How They Work, (Michael and Diane Porter, Bird Watching)
Birding Optics, Binocular and Scope Reviews (Michael and Diane Porter, Bird Watching)
Optics Planet, How to Choose the Right Binoculars (Optics Planet)
Guide to Binoculars for Bird Watching (Heartland America)

Local Birding Hot Spots - Now it is time to find some birds. Here are some great spots for birding in Central Wisconsin.

Erickson Natural Area (Stevens Point) The 5.5 acre Godfrey and Maybelle Erickson Natural Area is located along the shores of McDill Pond in Kozcizkowski Park in Stevens Point. The park has been found to be an important "rest area" for many species of neotropical migratory birds, like the Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole, with more than 170 species documented.

Birding Trails on the Green Circle (Stevens Point) This 30.5-mile trail linking scenic natural areas that follows along the Wisconsin and Plover Rivers and circles around the city of Stevens Point. Accommodates recreationalists of all types in all seasons. The mixture of habitats make this trail an ideal place to see an incredible diversity of birds: 245 bird species have been observed along the Green Circle.

Great Wisconsin Birding & Nature Trail - Central Sands Prairie Region. The Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail is a mapped auto trail that links important wildlife sites throughout five regions of Wisconsin. A wealth of birding locations are mapped and described in the Central Wisconsin area, including five locations in the Stevens Point area.

Checklists of Wisconsin Birds

Birding Basics

Jewels of Nature

Delightful Birds I Have Known

by Alan Haney

Did you ever wish for a bit of insight into what makes a particular bird special, something more than the bird guides, or the academic descriptions of their reproductive behavior that you get in reference books? Especially if you live in the Midwest, Jewels of Nature may be your wish fulfilled.

Author, Alan Haney, has been an astute observer of birds for nearly 40 years, seeing them as an ecologist and field biologist, but most importantly, as one who has come to admire and appreciate how these energetic creatures adapt to and contribute to nature. In Jewels of Nature, he captures the essence of 91 species that can be seen in the Midwest, as well as in many other regions, most of them in backyards or
neighboring fields and forests. His personal stories highlight first sightings, humorous observations, unusual behavior, and ecologically important characteristics that elevate these birds from dull descriptions to living creatures that share and enrich our world.

Go into the field with Alan to gain a more complete understanding of these birds, through which he provides the reader a window into Nature.

Published July 30, 2014. 256 pages.

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Jewels of Nature

BIRD CITY

Bird City Wisconsin is a program to encourage conservation of birds and habitat preservation and restoration. Wisconsin sponsors include the Milwaukee Audubon Society, the Wisconsin Audubon Council, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology,

the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative, Madison Audubon Society, Natural

Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wiscon-

sin, Friends of the Mead/McMillan Association, Inc., and the Aldo Leopold Audubon

Society (ALAS).

A “startup” grant was given to this consortium in 2009 by the “Together Green” program sponsored by Toyota and the National Audubon Society.

ALAS was the third applicant for a BCW award. Modeled after the Tree City USA program, awardees will receive a large flag, four signs to be posted at the City limits, and a plaque to be displayed in the Mayor’s office of that community.

There are 5 Bird City communities in Central Wisconsin including: Pittsville, Plover, Rome, Stevens Point, and Wausau. To learn more visit: www.birdcitywisconsin.org

Learn more

Bird City

BLUEBIRD TRAIL

Several of our members are active in monitor a bluebird trail as an ongoing effort to contribute to the conservation, protection, and scientific research of bluebirds.

In 2018, ALAS received National Recognition from the North American Bluebird Society for the outstanding work and community involvement for the protection of bluebirds. Kent Hall, PhD, was the the coordinator at the time and wrote, "“The Audubon Bluebird Trail has completed 17 seasons of research on the Eastern Bluebird and associated cavity nesting songbirds (tree swallow, chickadee and wren). Based on successful total population of bluebirds (EABL’s) per season, this effort has been the most successful bluebird trail in Wisconsin for the past 7 seasons and the U.S. for the past 6 seasons.”

Learn more at our news story to read ALAS's accomplishments to date, or visit www.braw.org for more information.

ALAS Receives National Award from The North American Bluebird Society (2018)

Bluebird Trail

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Safe Passages
for Birds

As a recognized Bird City, ALAS partners with the City of Stevens Point on a conservation effort to give birds safe migratory passage in Stevens Point. Safe Passage is an effort to protect birds from window strikes especially during spring and fall bird migration. Bird-window collisions are a serious conservation concern, killing up to one billion birds annually in the United States. A Safe Passage program will make our community more bird-friendly while also supporting our sustainability goals by reducing energy usage. We are currently seeking local businesses in Stevens Point interested to join the program.

Learn More

Millions of birds die every year, because in daylight they can’t tell reflections from reality and during night migration lights from windows attract them to buildings increasing the chances they will encounter and collide with glass.

Source: American Bird Conservancy

Our mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems,

focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

Critical Issues

POLITICAL ACTION

Follow the Latest in Conservation Issues:

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CRITICAL ISSUES

Invasive Species: The introduction and spread of invasive species are threatening the ecological balance and relationships among native species. This is having a big impact on bird habitats. Learn More:

Window Collisions: Up to about 1 billion birds die from window strikes in the U.S. each year. This article helps us better understand the issue and offers some ways we can help prevent window Why Birds Hit Windows and How You Can Help Prevent It. collisions

Keep Cats Indoors: It has been estimated that cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year in the U.S. alone. The American Birds Conservancy has more on this important issue. Visit the ABC Website.