Bird & Nature Outing

press release: Fourth Sunday Every Month at Lakeshore Nature Preserve, meet at Lakeshore Nature Preserve Picnic Point kiosk, 2002 University Bay Drive. Bring water, rustic toilet short walk. Remember to stay on trails and do not collect anything in the Preserve.  There may be hot chocolate and a campfire with smores at Fire Pit 2 after the walk.  Free, welcoming, diverse, family and kid friendly, fairly accessible, educational, no registration required, no pets.  Bird and Nature Adventures at the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve are co-sponsored by Madison FUN partners Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance and Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. See the partner websites and Facebook pages for updates and more activities!  Contact 608-698-0104. Check out friendslakeshorepreserve.com for more info about the Preserve, Friends activities, and volunteer opportunities.  Send pics and comments to tmzinnen@gmail.com and post to the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve Facebook page. 

Upcoming topics:

Sun May 25 1:30 "Frog and Toad Walk" Free Bird and Nature Adventure at Lakeshore Nature Preserve with Mary Campbell/UW HUA Labs

Join Mary Campbell with UW HUA Labs and Friends of Amphibians for a fun family friendly walk to learn about and look for frogs and toads along the trails, shoreline, and marsh at the Lakeshore Nature Preserve!  Find out how "Friends of Amphibians" Citizen Science volunteers are collecting important data by listening to frog and toad calls at spots all over Madison.  Learn how we can all help our amphibians!

Sun Jun 22 1:30 "Bluebirds & Martins" Free Bird and Nature Adventure Lakeshore Nat Preserve Jeff Koziol/Paul Noeldner

2002 University Bay Drive, meet at Lakeshore Nature Preserve Picnic Point kiosk, bring water, rustic toilet short walk

Join volunteer bird monitors Jeff Koziol and Paul Noeldner for a guided tour of the Bluebird Trail and Purple Martin projects at the Preserve. Learn how these Citizen Science research projects in the Preserve are helping provide supplemental habitat for cavity nesting native Wisconsin birds and how volunteer monitors do weekly monitoring and scientific data reporting. See http://friendslakeshorepreserve.com/birds.html for project descriptions, pictures and examples of monitoring reports. Visit the project areas with Jeff and Richard or see the project areas for yourself!  From the Picnic Point entrance kiosk take the access road up the hill and turn right then left when the road forks. Continue past the woods to where you can see the hilltop Biocore Prairie on your left. Take the mowed path loop around the prairie to see the rich diversity and beauty of restored native prairie habitat. Along the way you will pass Bluebird Houses that are located and designed for Bluebirds that also benefit native Tree Swallows, Black-Capped and House Wrens.  The white Purple Martin house on a pole at the top of the hill provides gourds for nesting as Native Americans historically put by their gardens for Martins.