Upcoming events & field trips
Our community, events, and field trips are open to all BIPOC Birders at any level, and allies. We invite you to join in the fun, learn something new, connect with others, and become part of this great group! We are family- and kid-friendly and encourage anyone who has an interest in learning about birds and the outdoors to join us! Field trips are free to attend, and do not require RSVP.
Cover photo by Jeff Galligan
Birding 101 (FULL)
CLASS FULL - If you love all things nature and want to get to know the birds you'll find in and around Madison, this class is for you. This four-part class is taught annually by Jeff Galligan and Chuck Henrikson, done in partnership with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.
Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar
Great WI Birdathon 2024: Team BIPOC Flock
Warnimont Park in Cudahy (southern Milwaukee County) is close to 250 acres and covers a variety of habitats that attract migrating birds including prairie, deciduous woods, ravines and more. Its east border is Lake Michigan. The bird species count is 234 including a number of rarities that show up every spring and have included Western Kingbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Blue Grosbeaks, Prairie Warblers and many more.
Photo by Arun Christopher Manoharan
Birding by Boat: Cherokee Marsh South (FULL)
Join SoWBA and the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin for a slow paddle exploring the incredible diversity of Cherokee Marsh. Get a great experience looking for spring birds, insects, and aquatic plants by boat; we expect to see species like Green Heron, Kingfishers, swallows, Sora, and more!
Photo by Jeff Galligan.
Black Birders Week event: Raptors & Habitats at Fair Meadows
Join the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, Feminist Bird Club of Madison, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance for an awesome Black Birders Week event celebrating black birders and the birds they love!
Photo by Gary Shackelford.
Spring Birding at Wetland Woods
Wetland Woods, as the name suggests, consists of diverse habitats including woods of mature maples and oaks, prairies, streams, and wetlands. We will be sure to see early migrants and resident birds throughout. The boardwalks give us access to the wetlands, and easy trails will lead us through the woods and prairies.
Annual Woodcock Walk - Madison
We are excited to host our third annual Woodcock watch in Madison! Join us as we search for these cool little birds as they "peent" and do their quirky and elaborate courtship fights that are called "sky dances.”
Photo by Rita Flores Wiskowski.
Hiking at Wehr Nature Center - SW Milwaukee
Join us for a hike at the Wehr Nature Center, an inland birding hotspot! The Wehr Nature Center is a 220 acre nature preserve and is part of Whitnall Park. The trails go through woodlands, prairies, around Mallard Lake, and near creeks.
Photo by Rita Flores Wiskowski.
Winter Walk at Seminary Woods - Milwaukee
Join us for a walk through Seminary Woods in St Francis, just south of Milwaukee! Seminary Woods is a beautiful woodland that often attracts winter finches, many species of woodpeckers, and owls.
Photo by Rita Flores Wiskowski.
Winter Walk at the UW Arboretum - Madison
Join us for a walk through the UW-Madison Arboretum. We will be looking for "the usual suspects", our hardy overwintering friends. The arboretum can be a great place for raptors and does provide some surprises, so it will be a great adventure.
Photo by Arun Christopher Manoharan.
Birdin’ & Owlin' at Paradise Valley
Event Cancellation Notice: Safety First
Due to safety concerns and hazardous road conditions, we regret to inform you that the upcoming event at Paradise Valley is cancelled.
Photo by Rita Flores Wiskowski.
Learn to Bird with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee
Hoping to turn a loved one into a full-fledged bird nerd? Looking to sharpen your bird identification skills? Just need a bird-related excuse to visit the Milwaukee County Zoo? Join us!
Photo by Rita Flores Wiskowski.
Milwaukee-Area Christmas Bird Count
The Milwaukee Christmas Bird Count is the BIPOC Birding Club’s event for the month of December! Each year, birders around the country participate in Christmas Bird Counts (CBC).
Photo by Rita Flores Wiskowski.
Madison-Area Christmas Bird Count
The Madison-area Christmas Bird Count is the BIPOC Birding Club’s event for the month of December! We are leading the birding effort in the northeastern part of Madison, near the airport and the Madison College Truax campus.
Photo by Dexter Patterson
Fall Birding at Turville Point - Madison
Turville is a gem in the heart of the concrete jungle of Madison. With restored prairies and woodlands stretching along glacial Lake Monona, it offers great views and lots of great birding habitat.
Fall at the Milwaukee Lakefront
Veterans Park is a great place to check out during the fall months. There is bound to be something of note in the lagoon, Marina, and/or Lake Michigan. November is often the time to find snowy owls, interesting ducks and geese, late migrants, exciting gull species and more!
Tour of the International Crane Foundation
Join the BIPOC Birding Club for a trip to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, where we will learn about their important mission and see their work in action.
CANCELLED: World Migratory Bird Day at Jackson Park - Milwaukee
EVENT CANCELLED - We regret to inform you that the World Migratory Bird Day event scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday), October 14th, 2023, at Jackson Park in Milwaukee, has been canceled due to inclement weather.
Waterfowl at Lake Farm Park - Madison
LOCATION CHANGE: Bring your friends and family and join us at Lake Farm County Park!
Swift Night Out Social - Madison
Swift Night Out Social returns this September, and we are collaborating with fellow bird-loving organizations to make this even bigger and better! The BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, the Feminist Bird Club - Madison Chapter, Madison Audubon and the Wisconsin Chimney Swift Working Group are collaborating to host a community gathering that showcases the amazing phenomenon of hundreds of Chimney Swifts coming into roost for the night.
"Mini" Big Sit at Forest Home Cemetery
What is a Big Sit you might ask? A Big Sit is like a tailgate for birding. It’s traditionally a 24-hour event, but we’re going to do a mini 2-hour event instead. We will keep a tally of all bird species we see from a 17-foot diameter circle. We are going to set up near a prairie area of the cemetery where the birding is often quite good!
Photo courtesy of Rita Flores Wiskowski
Birding at Grant Park, South Milwaukee
August is a great time to check the beaches along Lake Michigan. Shorebirds, gulls, and terns are beginning their fall migration. Songbirds are still abundant. Who knows what else we might see!
Photo by Rita Flores Wiskowski
Cherokee Marsh South Birding
Join us on August 12 at 9:00 AM as we bird at Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park - South Unit. This was previously scheduled to be held at Lewis Nine Springs eWay but changed due to site conditions and slower birding there.
Photo by Jeff Galligan
Birding by Boat: Cherokee Marsh South
Join the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and Madison Audubon for a slow paddle exploring beautiful and interesting habitats and birds of Cherokee Marsh. Get a great experience looking for spring birds, insects, and aquatic plants by boat; we expect to see species like Green Heron, Kingfishers, swallows, and more. Then after the paddle, join us for hanging out and socializing across the road at Murphy’s Bar and Restaurant.
Photo by Jeff Galligan
Bats and Birds at the UW-Lakeshore Preserve
Pack up a folding chair and bins and join us early on July 29, 2023 at UW-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve for a pre-dawn bat swarm watch and a morning birding walk!
Photo by Heather Kaarakka
Birding for Families at Patrick Marsh
Join the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and Groundswell Conservancy for a morning of birding at Patrick Marsh on Saturday July 8 from 9:00 AM-11:00 AM. Get outside and experience the joy of birding with the whole family. We’ll learn some birding basics and then enjoy an easy, one-mile walk along the hiking trails.
Photo by Jeff Galligan
Exploring the Cedarburg Bog
The Cedarburg Bog, a designated Important Bird Area (IBA), is an irregularly shaped sprawling mosaic of cedar swamp, hardwood swamp, conifer bog, southern hardwood forest, pine plantation, sedge meadow, native grassland, willow/alder/dogwood swamp, and six relict lakes surrounded by emergent vegetation.
Photo courtesy of Cedarburg Bog
Black Birders' Week: Birding the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers
Join us June 2-4 as we bird the beautiful St. Croix and Namekagon watershed system with folks from the Wild Rivers Conservancy and with Daniel Peterson, a St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Interpretation & Education Park Ranger.
Photo by Joshua Mayer
Bird Banding at Emmons Creek
Join the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin in partnership with the Emmons Creek Bird Observatory and Ringing Station for an amazing bird-banding opportunity on May 22nd, during the height of the spring migration!
Photo by Arlene Koziol
Birding by Boat: Cherokee Marsh South
Join the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and Madison Audubon for a slow paddle exploring the incredible diversity of Cherokee Marsh. Get a great experience looking for birds, insects, and aquatic plants by boat; we expect to see species like Green Heron, Kingfishers, swallows, Sora, and more!
Great WI Birdathon 2023: Team BIPOC Flock (part 2)
Lake Park, with its multiple ravines, including one with a waterfall, provides wonderful habitat for migrating songbirds including many warblers, flycatchers, and sparrows. It has hosted rare warblers such as Worm eating, Black-throated Gray, Connecticut, and many others. Walking paths go through the ravines with foot bridges over the running water. Additional paths above the ravines give great views of the tree canopy to see what might be flitting about there.
Photo by Jeff Galligan
Great WI Birdathon 2023: Team BIPOC Flock (part 1)
Warnimont Park in Cudahy (southern Milwaukee County) is close to 250 acres and covers a variety of habitats that attract migrating birds including prairie, deciduous woods, ravines and more. Its east border is Lake Michigan. The bird species count is 234 including a number of rarities that show up every spring and have included Western Kingbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Blue Grosbeaks, Prairie Warblers and many more.
Photo by Arun Christopher Manoharan
Birding 101
If you love all things nature and want to get to know the birds you'll find in and around Madison, this class is for you. This is a four-part class taught by Jeff Galligan and Chuck Henrikson, done in partnership with Madison Audubon.
Class dates: April 15, 22, and 29, and May 6 from 8:00-10:00am CST.
Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar
Madison Event: Lake Farm County Park & Boardwalk Bridge
Join us for a spring walk along the shores of Lake Waubesa as we bird Lake Farm Park and then the inland boardwalk that connects the Capital City Trail with McDaniel Park in the Village of McFarland.
Photo by Joshua Mayer