Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance Events
Regardless of the time of year, there is always something fun, interesting, and inspiring to do with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA)! Join in one of our upcoming events listed below. Registration for most field trips opens 6 weeks in advance, on the Monday of that week.
Explore further, safer, and steadier!
We are proud to offer a comfortable, outdoor, electric-powered wheelchair at most of our events & field trips—for free! > LEARN MORE HERE <
Have questions about upcoming events? Contact Brenna Marsicek, director of communications and outreach, at 608-255-2473 or bmarsicek@swibirds.org.
SoWBA’s field trip program is made possible, in part, through funding from the Henry A. Anderson III Fund.
>> SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS <<
This field trip is full. Join the waiting list. Join UW Bat Brigade members and UW-Madison students for a walk through Lakeshore Nature Preserve looking for bats! Learn about the diversity of bats that use the area and see how tools like echolocation recorders and thermal imaging cameras make it possible to identify and document bat species in the area.
Photo by NABat FCC
Come help us kick off our Giving Tuesday Fundraiser! $1 of every draft pour will be donated to support Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. Thank you, Working Draft Beer Company!
SoWBA graphic
Come enjoy Fair Meadows Sanctuary during the Birding Day! This 374 acre sanctuary and State Natural Area has many trails and habitats to explore. During this Birding Day, attendees can grab a map, wipe their boots, and hit the trails independently. No guided walks are provided.
Fair Meadows Birding Days are held the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, except in November.
Photo by Gary Shackelford
This field trip is full. Join the waiting list. Join UW Bat Brigade members and UW-Madison students for a walk through Lakeshore Nature Preserve looking for bats! Learn about the diversity of bats that use the area and see how tools like echolocation recorders and thermal imaging cameras make it possible to identify and document bat species in the area.
Photo by NABat FCC
Come enjoy Fair Meadows Sanctuary during the Birding Day! This 374 acre sanctuary and State Natural Area has many trails and habitats to explore. During this Birding Day, attendees can grab a map, wipe their boots, and hit the trails independently. No guided walks are provided.
Fair Meadows Birding Days are held the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, except in November.
Photo by Gary Shackelford
Late fall through winter is prime time to view dozens of waterfowl species that migrate through south-central Wisconsin. In this class, you'll learn about what species you can expect to find, useful field marks for identifying waterfowl in varied viewing conditions (especially if you don't have a scope!), helpful birding tips for waterfowl viewing, and recommended locations to visit. Before you know it, you'll be picking out a Redhead hiding in a raft of Canvasbacks!
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance has some of the largest restored prairies in Wisconsin. Our Faville Grove Sanctuary, located just north of Lake Mills, is a major part of SoWBA's restoration efforts... but our restoration work is only possible with the help of volunteers!
Seed collecting at Faville Grove Sanctuary is held Sept. 2-Nov. 4, Wednesdays from 9:30am-12:00pm and Saturdays from 9:30am-12:00pm and 1:30-4:00pm. Saturday participants can choose to join the morning, or afternoon, or both sessions.
Photo by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance has some of the largest restored prairies in Wisconsin. Our Goose Pond Sanctuary, located near Arlington, is a major part of SoWBA's restoration efforts... but our restoration work is only possible with the help of volunteers!
Seed collecting occurs almost every Saturday, 9:30-12:00 from Sept. 5-Nov. 14.
The meeting location varies each week. RSVP to Emma Raasch, Goose Pond Land Steward, at eraasch@swibirds.org, to get involved.
Photo by Carolyn Byers
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance has some of the largest restored prairies in Wisconsin. Our Faville Grove Sanctuary, located just north of Lake Mills, is a major part of SoWBA's restoration efforts... but our restoration work is only possible with the help of volunteers!
Seed collecting at Faville Grove Sanctuary is held Sept. 2-Nov. 4, Wednesdays from 9:30am-12:00pm and Saturdays from 9:30am-12:00pm and 1:30-4:00pm. Saturday participants can choose to join the morning, or afternoon, or both sessions.
Photo by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance has some of the largest restored prairies in Wisconsin. Our Faville Grove Sanctuary, located just north of Lake Mills, is a major part of SoWBA's restoration efforts... but our restoration work is only possible with the help of volunteers!
Seed collecting at Faville Grove Sanctuary is held Sept. 2-Nov. 4, Wednesdays from 9:30am-12:00pm and Saturdays from 9:30am-12:00pm and 1:30-4:00pm. Saturday participants can choose to join the morning, or afternoon, or both sessions.
Photo by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance has some of the largest restored prairies in Wisconsin. Our Goose Pond Sanctuary, located near Arlington, is a major part of SoWBA's restoration efforts... but our restoration work is only possible with the help of volunteers!
Seed collecting occurs almost every Saturday, 9:30-12:00 from Sept. 5-Nov. 14.
The meeting location varies each week. RSVP to Emma Raasch, Goose Pond Land Steward, at eraasch@swibirds.org, to get involved.
Photo by Carolyn Byers
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance has some of the largest restored prairies in Wisconsin. Our Goose Pond Sanctuary, located near Arlington, is a major part of SoWBA's restoration efforts... but our restoration work is only possible with the help of volunteers!
Seed collecting occurs almost every Saturday, 9:30-12:00 from Sept. 5-Nov. 14.
The meeting location varies each week. RSVP to Emma Raasch, Goose Pond Land Steward, at eraasch@swibirds.org, to get involved.
Photo by Carolyn Byers
Penny and Gary Shackelford, resident managers of Fair Meadows, have been tallying birds at the sanctuary since the early 2000’s, concurrently with the Fort Atkinson CBC. Starting in 2023, we began offering a separate and fun Fair Meadows Christmas Bird Count! Although Fair Meadows does not have its own official CBC circle, we submit data to eBird as CBC data anyway.
Photo by Gary Shackelford
Madison is home to thousands of bird-lovers, just like you. The annual Christmas Bird Count is a great citizen science project that involves meeting other enthusiastic birders and helping collect important data about birds in the at the same time! Registration will open November 1!
Photo by Arlene Koziol
As winter sets in, smaller ponds and lakes in south-central Wisconsin freeze, causing migrating birds to become concentrated on Madison’s large lakes, which remain open longer. We will look for waterfowl, gulls, and winter birds. This trip has produced some unusual sightings in the past, including Red-throated Loons, so don’t miss it!
Photo by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance