Northeast Wisconsin Birding Club
Welcomes You

Come along to a meeting or field trip with the Northeast Wisconsin Birding Club. Since 2003 we have been discovering the great birds of Northeast Wisconsin and beyond.

Who We Are

Here at Northeast Wisconsin Birding Club we love to share the enjoyment of bird watching.

We have monthly meetings with informative guests (typically at Mosquito Hill Nature Center) and regular field trips.

Membership is just $10 per household per year.

Get in Touch

Photos of past events.

A visit to the Feather Wildlife Rehab Center.
Though she no longer is able to take in injured animals anymore, Pat Fisher was happy to show some of her permanent companions.

A nice write up about Pat Fisher from the WDNR.

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” — David Attenborough

“Birds teach a great life lesson. All you have to do is listen to their song.” — Anonymous

Searching for Warblers at one of our trips to High Cliff State Park.

“Birds are beautiful. After a lifetime of study I still love to look at them and listen to them, even the common species.” — Kenn Kaufman

A past outing to Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

Our July field trip.
Kayaking on the Wolf River.

High horns, low horns, silence, and finally a pandemonium of trumpets, rattles, croaks, and cries that almost shakes the bog with its nearness ... A new day has begun on the crane marsh. A sense of time lies thick and heavy on such a place ... Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language.

Aldo Leopold

Come and join us for a Meeting or Field Trip. All events are free and open to the public. Check the Meetings or Field Trip pages for dates and details.

The Birding Year in NE WI

Some suggestions on where to go birding in our area during the year.

If you are not familiar with ebird go and register on ebird.org - the worlds largest citizen science project! There is so much information here - after the calendar are the top hotspots in our four local counties. This will give you an idea of what our top sites are.

January - Snowy Owls, Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Shrikes can be found in our field areas such as Killsnake SWA in Freedom and Shady Lane in Fox Crossing.

February - Part of the Fox River usually stays open around the Neenah/Menasha area. Rare Ducks and Gulls might brighten up a winters day along with hundreds or even thousands of commoner species.

March - Thousands of Tundra Swans and Canada Geese migrate through our area. The 54 corridor between New London and Black Creek is a good spot to observe this spectacle. Rarer species such as Greater White-fronts, Snow & Ross's Geese are found most years.

April - Look for early spring migrants such as Fox Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and both Kinglets at some of our local nature centers such as Mosquito Hill, Heckrodt or Gordon Bubolz.

May - The most exciting month of the year as Neotropical migrants pass through on the way to their northern breeding grounds. High Cliff SP is an essential site at this time of year, but many of our nature centers and conservancies can provide excellent birding if you hit the right conditions. Get out as often as you can!

June - A good time to look for some of the later migrants such as the grassland or wetland species. High Cliff, Rush Lake or Uihlein Marsh are good places to explore.

July - One of the quieter birding months but places like Mack SWA or Brillion Marsh will have interesting breeding wetland species. The Hartman Creek area holds some breeding species difficult to find locally otherwise.

August - Most of our wetland areas have been drained so good shorebird habitat can be difficult to find locally, although usually a muddy field or two is found. Mack SWA can be excellent if the habitat is right. A real local speciality is Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Anderson or Aga Sod Farms, although this might take a few visits to find.

September - Fall migrant numbers build up. The Herb Behnke unit of the Wolf River Bottoms SWA and 1000 Islands Nature Center have the potential for good birds.

October - Returning wildfowl should be checked for rarities on Lake Winnebago and our other water bodies. Birds such as Red-necked Grebes and Long-tailed Ducks regularly turn up at this time of year.

November - Short-eared Owls can provide spectacular views at Killsnake SWA on a November late afternoon if its not too cold or wet yet.

December - Some interesting birds usually turn up on Christmas Bird Counts. Check those ornamental berry trees for Bohemian Waxwings or Pine Grosbeaks on your Xmas shopping trip.Hopefully a rare Gull or two will be on one of our local lakes.

Be aware that this list isn't exhaustive and that many of our local sites are very underwatched - don't limit these sites to these months! And always record your sightings on ebird to help increase everyones birding knowledge.