Wisconsin Center for Wildlife

10/07/2026

Don't forget! Our rescheduled spring seminar, presented by Dick Thiel, is tomorrow, October 8 at 5 pm!

Have you ever been to Sandhill Wildlife Area in Babcock, Wisconsin? Have you ever wondered about how the DNR and wildlife management and conservation came to be in our state? Be sure to check out this talk!

Join us tomorrow, October 8 at 5 pm in the Trainer Natural Resources Building, room 170 or via YouTube Livestream!

Dick Thiel will trace the development of nascent wildlife management specifically within the Central Sands Region of Wisconsin, and as it relates to pioneer wildlife biologist, Wallace Grange and his wife, Hazel. Grange spent a career working in game management. He became the fledgling Wisconsin Conservation Department’s (now the DNR) first superintendent of game management and worked for the U.S. Biological Survey (now US Fish and Wildlife Service) as a biologist. Wallace and Hazel created the state’s largest game farm, which was later sold to the State of Wisconsin and is now Sandhill Wildlife Area.

Join us for this fascinating presentation by Dick Thiel, a retired Conservation Educator, Wisconsin’s first Wolf Biologist, and former Coordinator for WDNR Sandhill Outdoor Skills Education Center.

Visit our website at https://www.uwsp.edu/wisconsin-center-for-wildlife/ for more information and the YouTube Livestream link!

Hope to see you there!

10/05/2026

Welcome back to Migration Monday!

This week, we introduce you to the Pine Siskin!

Some years, this social little finch will turn up in great numbers at feeders, especially thistle socks. Other years, you may only see a few, or none at all.
That’s because pine siskins follow an irruptive, somewhat unpredictable migration pattern. Their movements into Wisconsin and the rest of the eastern United States are related to the production of cone seeds: pine siskins primarily eat seeds of conifers such as cedar, spruce, hemlock, and, of course, pine. During years when cone seed crops are low, they leave their boreal forest homes throughout Canada and Alaska and can head as far south as Florida in search of food. When they do show up, they often show up in large numbers, temporarily dominating a feeder and fighting amongst themselves for the best spot to eat.

If you hope to see them at your feeder, they enjoy small seeds such as nyjer (thistle), millet, and hulled sunflower seeds.

Pine siskins are small brown finches with a streaked breast and flanks, a notched tail, and some yellow on the edges of its wing feathers. Listen for their chattery call punctuated by an ascending ‘zip.’

Have you heard or seen this bird yet this fall? Tell us or show us your pictures in the comments!

09/28/2026

Welcome back to Migration Monday!

We've been telling you a lot about the birds that LEAVE Wisconsin for the winter, but what about the ones that come TO Wisconsin for the winter?

Meet the Dark-eyed Junco! Our winters aren't too cold for this gregarious little sparrow. Watch your feeders; flocks should be arriving back in Central Wisconsin right about now!

Dark-eyed juncos breed in much of Canada, heading south for the winter just around the time we may see the first signs of frost. Dark-eyed juncos are one of the most common birds in the United States, often living in woodlands, but as voracious seed-eaters, they are also regular visitors to backyard feeders. Watch for flocks of them hopping around on the ground under feeders, in the gravel along the side of the road, or in short grass. They are also quite comfortable flitting about amongst trees and shrubs.

Dark-eyed juncos are easy to recognize, usually with a dark head, back, sides, and wings, a white belly, a contrasting pink bill, and two distinct white outer tail feathers that flash when the bird flies. Their plumage can be quite variable, with the dark upper parts ranging from dark charcoal gray to softer brown-grays. In fact, there are 15 different color varieties of Dark-eyed juncos in North America. Wisconsin is home to the "slate-colored" variety during winter.

Be sure to keep a lookout for this fun winter visitor!

We saw some in Schmeeckle Reserve this morning!

Are you seeing juncos in your yard or your feeder yet? Let us know in the comments!

09/24/2026

We're excited to announce we rescheduled this seminar from our 2026 Spring Seminar Series!

If you’ve ever been to Sandhill Wildlife Area in Babcock, Wisconsin, you won't want to miss this seminar!

Join us Thursday, October 8 at 5 pm in the Trainer Natural Resources Building room 170 or via YouTube Livestream!

Dick Thiel will trace the development of nascent wildlife management specifically within the Central Sands Region of Wisconsin, and as it relates to pioneer wildlife biologist, Wallace Grange and his wife, Hazel. Grange spent a career working in game management. He became the fledgling Wisconsin Conservation Department’s (now the DNR) first superintendent of game management and worked for the U.S. Biological Survey (now US Fish and Wildlife Service) as a biologist. Wallace and Hazel created the state’s largest game farm, which was later sold to the State of Wisconsin and is now Sandhill Wildlife Area.

Join us for this fascinating presentation by Dick Thiel, a retired Conservation Educator, Wisconsin’s first Wolf Biologist, and former Coordinator for WDNR Sandhill Outdoor Skills Education Center.

Visit our website at https://www.uwsp.edu/wisconsin-center-for-wildlife/ for more information and the YouTube Livestream link!

Hope to see you there!

09/21/2026

Welcome back to Migration Monday!

Not all migrators are birds, so this week, we are featuring the monarch butterfly!

Watch for these highly recognizable, black and orange butterflies on warm days this fall. You may have seen more of them lately, traveling in a southeastern direction. These monarchs are migrating, and they’ll largely all be gone by early to mid-October.

Monarch butterflies are truly remarkable for many reasons, most notably – they can migrate up to 3000 miles from their summer breeding grounds (including Wisconsin!) to their winter overwintering sites in Mexico. But did you know that the monarchs that migrate to Wisconsin in the spring are not the same individuals that migrate back to Mexico?

Four monarch generations spend the summer in Wisconsin. The first generation arrives from the south, and their great-grandchildren migrate to Mexico! No living members of the first generation remain to lead the way south.

When the butterflies arrive in Mexico, they group together in large clumps and overwinter in fir trees in a mountainous region of Central Mexico. Their winter habitat provides protection from freezing, but yet is cool enough to allow the monarchs to conserve energy for the duration of winter. Starting in March, they begin the journey north to their breeding grounds. This generation won’t make it as far as Wisconsin: they’ll stop to feed and breed in the southern United States, and their offspring will finish the journey north.

This seemingly common butterfly is declining, largely due to habitat loss for all of its life stages. Monarchs need flowering plants to feed on and power them through their migration journey. They are dependent on milkw**ds as their reproductive host plant. Monarch caterpillars must eat milkw**d, they will not survive on any other plant species.

Create habitat in your own yard to help conserve monarchs! Plant flowering plants – especially species of milkw**d – and avoid using pesticides. Monarchs nectar on many different native flowers, including coneflowers, Joe Pye W**d, Prairie Blazing Star, Wild Bergamot, and of course, many species of milkw**d!

09/14/2026

Welcome back to Migration Monday!

Surely, you’ve seen this tiny gem rapidly zipping through your yard, buzzing from flower to flower, hovering with expert skill.

Meet the ruby-throated hummingbird!

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are Wisconsin’s only hummingbird, barely bigger than a large bumblebee at just under 3 inches long. They have an iridescent green back; the male is easily distinguished by the bright, ruby-red throat patch, which is called a 'gorget.'

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are migrating out of Wisconsin right now, headed for the southern US (Florida or Texas), Mexico, or Central America. You may notice that you see only females; the males have mostly moved on by now. The males hang around only long enough to court females and mate, but generally don't help raise the chicks. The remaining females will largely be gone and off to their winter home by the end of September.

These tiny, unique birds feed on the nectar of many tube-shaped flower species, but they also eat small insects such as mosquitoes, fruit flies, gnats, and sometimes spiders. Though these hummingbirds seem quite cute and dainty, both males and females are very territorial and will fiercely defend territories and favored food sources.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds need lots of energy to help them on their migration journey– their wings beat over 50 times per second! Hummingbirds like many native flowers and seem to favor orange, red, or pink flowers, such as cardinal flower, butterfly w**d, orange jewelw**d, and eastern red columbine.

Now is the time to put up a hummingbird feeder, but be sure to keep it clean and the nectar fresh! Feeders can supplement hummingbirds’ diet during migration when blooming flowers may be less plentiful. Fill your feeder with plain sugar water (no food coloring necessary!), made with white granulated sugar at a 4:1 ratio. Change the sugar out every day or, at most, every two days, before it becomes cloudy. The sugar water can ferment and create alcohol, which is toxic to hummingbirds.

Have you had ruby-throated hummingbirds visiting your yard? We know they're quite hard to photograph, but we'd love to see your pictures!

08/25/2026

What happened to this cardinal?

Here at the WCW, we sometimes get calls from people who are concerned about a bald cardinal visiting their feeder. We admit, northern cardinals look quite strange without their head feathers, and we understand why you'd be worried!

But worry not! This bird doesn't need any help. Some cardinals go bald during the normal annual molting process, a time when they shed and replace all their feathers. While many cardinals molt slowly, some individuals shed all their head feathers at once. This is healthy and normal. The new feathers begin to grow, and the bird will be restored to their former glory before winter.

Blue jays are also known to show up bald from time to time. They too, sometimes shed their head feathers all at once.

Have you seen a bald cardinal at your feeder! Let us know!
Share your pictures in the comments!

08/24/2026

Migration Monday is back!

We will continue to highlight a fall migrant each week until the migration season ends.

Today, we introduce you to a relatively common, but rarely seen bird.

Meet the sora!

An intensely secretive marsh-dwelling bird, soras are heard more often than they are seen; they have a unique, descending, whinnying call. These birds mostly stay hidden among dense cattails and grasses of wetlands, foraging for seeds of wetland plants. Soras don't visit bird feeders and are rarely seen away from marshes.

So, image our surprise when we heard a sora showed up this morning in our outreach specialist, Jennifer Summers's front yard! They aren't typically seen among landscaping rocks and garden hoses. This bird is likely just starting to migrate south, and is looking for a place to hang out and fatten up for a while before continuing its journey.

We are doubly excited to see this bird because Ava Cross-Weisbeck, our Director Jason Riddle's graduate student, studies secretive marsh birds, including soras!
Ava's research mostly focuses on how bitterns and rails, including soras, use restored and existing wetland habitats. Ava uses call-broadcast surveys paired with acoustic monitoring, which involves using a special recording device left out in the marsh for weeks or months at a time to record the birds' calls. So far, Ava has learned how different survey methods can help us better understand these elusive birds.

Ava's co-advisor, Associate Professor Marie Perkins, Ph.D., who is also quite fond of soras and other birds in the rail family, tells some other interesting facts about soras! Soras fly long distances during migration, but outside of the migration period, they rarely fly at all. They prefer to walk or run through the dense marsh vegetation. They can swim in open water and are known to completely submerge themselves underwater to avoid predators!

Have you ever seen or heard a sora? Have you seen one in an unusual place?
Tell us about it or share your pictures in the comments!

Learn more about the Ava's research and the WCW's other bird-focused research on our website, www.uwsp.edu/wcw.

05/18/2026

Welcome back to the WCW’s Migration Monday!

Meet the Common Yellowthroat! This small warbler is easy to spot with its namesake brilliant, bright yellow throat on both males and females. The male has a striking black mask stretching across both eyes and a white band just above the mask. You’ll likely hear this talkative bird before you see it: listen for a ‘witchety- witchety- witchety' song. Once you hear them, watch for small brownish birds darting through low and mid-level scrubby brush.

Common yellowthroats live across most of the United States during the breeding season. They live in many areas with low, dense, scrubby bushes, and vegetation, especially in wet areas. They build carefully hidden nests among thick, tangled vegetation. Common yellowthroats are returning to Wisconsin now and establishing their territories. Now is a great time to go out and look and listen for these charming little warblers!

Have you seen the Common Yellowthroat yet this year?

05/13/2026

We're sharing this exciting opportunity for Wisconsin landowners on behalf of our colleagues at UW UW-Madison Extension Forestry!

🌲 Own woodland in Wisconsin or the Midwest? 🌲

Apply now for the 2026 Wisconsin Coverts Project Workshop —
a FREE, one-of-a-kind experience designed for private landowners who want to improve their woodlands for wildlife.

📍 Woodruff, WI
📅 August 6–9, 2026
💲 Cost: FREE (lodging, meals & materials included!)
🦃 Learn basic principles of forest and wildlife management
🐾 Explore the woods and learn how to inventory and monitor wildlife
🌳 Discover people and programs that can assist you in achieving your goals
🤝 Connect with experts and join a network of passionate land stewards

Become a Coverts Cooperator and help spark a ripple effect—landowners like you have already influenced over 1 million acres of habitat in Wisconsin and the Midwest. 🌎💚

📝 Apply by June 15
🔗 http://fwe.wisc.edu/coverts

🌿 Warning: Participation may cause sudden urges to improve your woods!

Wisconsin Coverts Project - Extension Coverts “Coverts” is a Woodland Wildlife Management Program for Private Landowners The next Wisconsin Coverts Project workshop will be held August 6-9, 2026 at Kemp Natural Resources Station in Woodruff, WI. Note: You do not need to be a Wisconsin landowner ...