OCTOBER 6
Nest Box Treasures
Join the DNR's Horicon Marsh wildlife
conservation educator and nest box
monitor Liz Herzmann as she tells us
about some of the surprises that can be
found while monitoring nest boxes. As Liz
says, “It's just like Christmas. You really
never know what is going to be in the nest
boxes until you open them.” Liz has
collected many examples of treasures from
club members and co-workers. Come see
what nature hides in nest box cavities.
---------------------NOVEMBER 3
What have we learned about Common
Nighthawks nesting in Wisconsin?
Jana Viel did her Master’s thesis on
Common Nighthawks in Wisconsin. More
than 80 volunteers (including members of
our bird club) have conducted more than
1,400 surveys to assist her in finding
urban-nesting Nighthawks and identify
what environmental features are optimal for
their breeding. Learn how her findings may
help conservation efforts to prevent further
decline of this species..
PRE-MEETING BIRD HIKES
APRIL through OCTOBER: At 6 p.m., a
bird hike across the variety of habitats at
the Riveredge Nature Center precedes the 7
p.m. bird club program. Other field trips
will be announced via email.
BIRDATHON/BANDATHON
May 9, Saturday - Dawn to Dusk:
Join us in the main parking lot at 6 a.m. to
explore the Back 40 or show up anytime
later for this all-day birding and banding
event on Riveredge Nature Center property.
Bird Club members are encouraged to
make and collect pledges since no dues are
collected and this continues to be the club's
only internal fund-raising event.
2015
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
The Timberdoodle
Meetings are held from 7 to 9 p.m. on the
first Tuesday of each month January through November
at the:
---------------------The Riveredge Bird Club held its first
meeting in March 1986. The club
brings together those who enjoy
observing and learning more about
birds and sharing these interests with
others. All activities are free and open
to the public. Attend a meeting or field
trip to become a member and receive
the bimonthly newsletter, The
Timberdoodle News.
NOEL J. CUTRIGHT
BIRD CLUB
SAVE THESE DATES
New Year’s Day: Half-day field trip (every
bird is a new bird!); start the day with
breakfast at Harry’s in Port @ 6:30 a.m.
Great Backyard Bird Count: Feb. 13-16
Noel J. Cutright Pike Lake Field Trip:
Our oldest field trip, Sunday, April 12
Port Bike Trail Warbler Walk: Noel’s
favorite field trip, Sunday May 3
WSO Convention: May 22-25 in Wausau
over Memorial Day Weekend.
RIVEREDGE NATURE CENTER
4458 HAWTHORNE (Hwy. Y)
NEWBURG, WI 53060
262-375-2715
http://www. riveredge.us
PROGRAMS
JANUARY 6
Hummingbirds: Their Life Cycle,
Behaviors and How to Attract Them
Many people, even those who would not
describe themselves as “birders,” love
viewing hummingbirds here each summer.
Emily and Larry Scheunemann will
explain how to create a habitat that will
attract and nurture Ruby-Throated
Hummingbirds and share some of their
wonderful photos, demonstrating the varied
habits of this aggressive little bird. Mickey
O’Connor, an avian zookeeper at the
Milwaukee County Zoo, will show the
special equipment she uses as just one of
only 150 hummingbird banders in the U.S.
In 2014, Mickey banded 232 hummers to
track their age, health and migration.
---------------------FEBRUARY 3
Global warming: What should we do?
Dale Snider was a nuclear power
instructor in the Navy, has a Ph.D. in
physics and taught physics and astronomy
at UW-Milwaukee for 30+ years; now he
leads a birding class during spring
migration and is on a mission to explain
climate change to everyone who’ll listen.
---------------------OUR 29TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING
MARCH 3
“From Billions to None”
The bird club helped fund this awardwinning film in which Joel Greenberg reveals
the compelling story of the Passenger Pigeon
extinction, and the striking relevance of the
bird's demise to conservation issues today.
Using stunning CGI animation, From
Billions to None recreates the glory of
pigeons in flight as well as the ways in which
our 19th century ancestors destroyed them
all. But it offers a message of hope: We can
learn from past mistakes.
---------------------APRIL 7
Our Role in Wisconsin’s Next
Breeding Bird Atlas
Where did those 20 years go? Director of
Volunteers Mike Reese and WGLBBO
Director Bill Mueller explain what the
new atlas hopes to accomplish and how
each of us can play a role in picking up
where Bird Club founder and WBBA I editor
Noel Cutright left off. Also, an update on
the Great Wisconsin Birdathon and Bill’s
“Long Walk for Birds.”
---------------------MAY 5
How Birds Fly: The Physics of Flight
Birds, insects and bats fly ... so do
airplanes. Learn how nature solved the
challenge of flight and how man had to
unlock its secrets before we could leave the
ground. There‘ll be a special demonstration
to help us grasp the simple but important
physics of flight. Dr. Paul Lupton brings
years of aerospace education to his
presentations; he was founder and director
for 10 years of a Summer Air Camp for
teens.
----------------------
Complete Birds of North America, and Birds
of South Asia: The Ripley Guide.
---------------------JULY 7
Feather Tailed Stories
Mequon photographer Allan Block calls
his blog “Feather Tailed Stories” and
describes it as “beautiful birds in pictures
and words.” His fine eye, patience and
technical skill produce stunning photos he
uses to tell life histories of many familiar
and not-so-familiar species. In the past
year his photo essays have captured
colorful warblers, Peregrine young being
banded, Red-wings battling Red-tails and
the many faces of fall migration
---------------------AUGUST 4
Shorebirds on Lower Green Bay
Tom Prestby has spent four or five days
each week during migration months at 13
sites around Green Bay monitoring
shorebirds to research the locations
shorebirds are using most. On Cat Island -a lump of land that juts a little above the
waters of Green Bay not far from the mouth
of the Fox River -- Tom has found more
than 30 species, including some that are
listed as endangered. He tells us about his
graduate work at UW-Green Bay in
Environmental Science and Policy.
----------------------
JUNE 2
The Art of Field Guide Illustration
SEPTEMBER 1
Wisconsin's Endangered Terns
Anyone who has reached for a bird guide to
identify a mysterious warbler has probably
seen Tom Schultz’s work. He helped
illustrate the original National Geographic
Field Guide to the Birds of North America
and has since illustrated more than half of
the Houghton-Mifflin Peterson Series Field
Guide to Warblers, the National Geographic
MuirLand Bird Club President Daryl
Christensen is heavily committed to bird
monitoring. All four species of terns in
Wisconsin -- Black, Forster's, Common and
Caspian -- are on the state endangered list.
Learn about plans to bring these elegant
birds back from the brink.