The Great Wisconsin Birdathon at Holy Wisdom Monastery – May 11, 2024

The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is Wisconsin’s largest fundraiser for bird conservation. Each year bird enthusiasts from across the state form teams with the goal of finding as many unique bird species as possible, while raising important funds for bird conservation.

Holy Wisdom Monastery is participating in this event for the fourth time this year! We hope you’ll support our team Wrens of Wisdom Prairie in our efforts to find as many bird species as possible on our property on May 11, 2024, from sunrise to sunset.

There are several ways to participate:

Join us for a birding tour or ‘sit’

We are offering four walking tours. Group size will be limited to 10 participants. Tour options include 6:30 am, 8:00 am, 10:00 am and noon. Birders of all ages and experience levels are welcome, and the 10:00 am tour will be specifically geared towards families.

This year we are also offering a birding ‘sit’ at 7:30 am in which we’ll make ourselves comfy on a bench or platform overlooking Lost Lake and observe activity from that spot, with minimal walking involved.

Schedule

6:30 am – walking tour (Howard Fenton)
7:30 am – sit spot birding (David Liebl)
8:00 am – walking tour (Sylvia Marek)
10:00 am – walking tour, specifically geared for families (Julie Melton)
12:00 pm – walking tour (Amy Alstad)

Leaders

Howard Fenton is a lover of nature and all things wild, especially birds. Being retired, he now has plenty of time to follow his passions, including organizing regular birding outings at Holy Wisdom.

David Liebl is a former Pollution Prevention, Climate Adaptation and Stormwater Management educator, now retired from the UW-College of Engineering, UW-Extension and the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts. He currently serves on the Friends of Wisdom Prairie Council, helping advise on protecting Lost Lake from storm water damage. An avid birder, David works with the UW-Lakeshore Nature Preserve to monitor species activity in the preserve.

Sylvia Marek has loved birds since childhood. Her favorites are bluebirds, owls, warblers, and honestly, all of the feathered beauties. For many years Sylvia taught Birds and Their Environment for the UW Mini Course Program, and has led birding trips at the UW Arboretum and monitored the UW Arboretum Bluebird Trail since l988

Julie Melton loves to watch birds, which she finds endlessly fascinating. Each season she learns something new. Julie’s goal is to introduce kids and adults to this great pastime.

Amy Alstad grew up in a family of bird lovers, and learned to identify and appreciate our feathered friends from a very early age. In graduate school, she was a teaching assistant for a field-based ornithology course, teaching ID of Wisconsin’s birds to dozens of college students.

Come birding on your own

We invite you to come explore the monastery property Saturday, May 11th on your own, and keep track of the birds you see and hear.

Please register, so we know how many people are taking part in the Birdathon. On the registration form click on How will you take part in the birdathon and choose I’ll go birding on my own time on May 11th.

After birding on May 11, submit your list of species to Amy Alstad, aalstad@holywisdommonastery.org or 608-836-1631, x123, so we can include the birds you observe in the final count.

Register

Guided tour groups fill up fast, register today!

Support Wrens of Wisdom Prairie by making a financial contribution

All of the dollars raised will directly support bird conservation. Half of the funds raised will stay at Holy Wisdom Monastery and be used to create and maintain bird habitat here, with the remaining funds going to the Natural Resources Foundation. Click the button below to make a donation.

Support Bird Conservation