Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

10/13/2026

This spooky season, we want to celebrate another winged wonder🦇

Bats play an important role in the ecosystems at our sanctuaries, and throughout our region. Unfortunately, Wisconsin's bats face serious threats, including from habitat loss and white nose syndrome, and they really need our support.

Learn more about our upcoming Bat Week events in the Madison area—we'd love for you to join us for one or many!
🔨 October 24: Bat Box Construction Class
🎞️ October 25: "Invisible Mammal" film screening
🌙 October 30: Bat Walk at Lakeshore Nature Preserve

(Bat flying overhead at Fair Meadows Sanctuary, filmed by Giuliana Gonzalez)

10/12/2026

We collect A TON of seeds at our sanctuaries.
While most must be collected by hand, we employ the Goose Pond seed st****er (an attachment for our tractor) to collect some grass species and a few forb species, like the cup plant shown here. The tool can collect seed of a single species in bulk, working more quickly through large patches where that species is abundant and not surrounded by other species of a similar height. And with great seed collecting equipment comes great responsibility: each year we share our bounty with local organizations and private landowners who are restoring habitat on their own properties.
(filmed by Emma Raasch/SoWBA)

10/08/2026

Did you know that monarchs aren't the only butterflies that migrate?

Painted ladies, the most widespread butterfly species in the world, are known for their irruptive migrations in North America, which are not strictly seasonal—researchers have suggested that their movements are influenced by weather patterns that determine host plant abundance. Some years, under the right conditions, they may show up in big numbers as far north as the upper Midwest or Canada, and can be spotted in October or even November.

(painted lady on tall boneset at Faville Grove, filmed by Soraya Castle/SoWBA)

10/06/2026

What do you know about the mischievous squirrels in your neighborhood?

In this month's QuACK episode, Mickenzee sits down with Jamie Nack, Extension Senior Wildlife Outreach Specialist at UW-Madison to answer some squirrely questions asked by kids. Subscribe to QuACK today wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts or tune in on on our website!

(📷: eastern gray squirrel by Courtney Celley/USFWS)

10/04/2026

Wondering how to tell if milkweed pods are ripe for harvest?

The best time to collect them is when the pods aren't quite yet open, but the seeds inside have turned brown. The ones here have our sign of approval 👍

Alongside our partners in the Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative, we are hoping to collect 100lbs of pure live milkweed seed this year, and now's a great time to help out! Visit our website to learn more about this project and how you can help.

(filmed by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA)

09/29/2026

HUGE kudos to Madison College for doing such great work to reduce bird-window collisions at their Truax Campus on the north side of Madison!
This year, the school installed dot window treatments on glass that our Bird Collision Corps volunteers identified as hot-spots for collisions. We are so grateful to Madison College for their commitment to making their campus safer for birds and better for the people who love them.

09/28/2026

Great article alert! Teagan King at Wisconsin State Journal writes about the chimney project and how swifts have come to symbolize the school and community connection at Cherokee Heights Middle School.

The School District and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance are preserving chimney swift habitat at Cherokee Heights Middle School’s future new building. ⤵️ Find a link to the story in the comments.