CAWS

The Madison Audubon Society

222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-2473/ www.madisonaudubon.org April 2007

Inside This Issue

MAS April Program.................................. 1
Gardening for Hummingbirds
H
MAS Art Fair.............................................. 1 ow do you attract hummingbirds
MAS Officer Elections.............................. 2 Free Public Program
to your home? What are the best
Advocacy Corner...................................... 3 What: Michael and Kathi Rock on
feeders for these fascinating birds? What
MAS Big Bird Day..................................... 3 Hummingbirds
are the best perennial and annual plants
Spring Field Trips...................................4-5 When: Tuesday, April 17, 2007
to include in your garden if you want to
Lk. Lucerne Retreat................................... 6 7:30 p.m.
watch hummingbirds?
Wood Duck Report................................... 6 Auditorium, Pyle Center
For answers to these questions, or if you
Blizzard at Goose Pond............................ 6 702 Langdon St.
simply want to see photos
SPECIAL EVENTS http://conferencing.uwex.edu/pyle_
and video clips of hummingbirds at
location.cfm
Tuesday, April 10 flowers and feeders, join Michael and
Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Kathi Rock on Tuesday, April 17. Besides
Parking: Lake Street Ramp or Helen
Preserve annual meeting advice on attracting hummingbirds, the
C. White Library
Rocks will also discuss hummingbird
Monday, April 16 identification, the life and behavior
DNR Spring Hearings of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Tuesday, April 17 migration patterns, and reproduction
Public Program: Michael and Kathi and nesting. They will have handouts on
Rock on Hummingbirds hummingbird gardening as well as free
Thursday, April 26 flower bulbs and seeds for a few of the
Whole Foods Market 5% Day to benefit plants that hummingbirds love.
MAS Michael and Kathi have been studying
hummingbird behavior for 10 years.
Saturday, May 5 Their hummingbird garden contains
31st Annual MAS Art Fair more than 100 varieties of annual and
See back cover for more. perennial plants that attract humming-
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Pat Ready
birds, and they maintain more than 20
Just for Bird Brains continued on page 2
See if you can match the bird with its
song Celebrating Art and Nature
American Robin “Po-tato-chip” 31st Annual MAS Art Fair is Saturday, May 5
American Goldfinch “What-cheer, Mother’s Day beckons. Sunny daffodils nod gently. The rich scent of damp
what-cheer, earth begs a gardener’s touch. And, of course, Madison Audubon Society’s
what-cheer” biggest fundraising event -- the Art Fair -- opens once again in the lush and
Northern Cardinal “Cherry cher- lovely Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Where else can you shop for one-of-a-kind
ry cherry” graduation, wedding, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts and support
talented regional artists and MAS at the same time?
Madison One hundred fine artists will show their work in media ranging from
watercolor, oil and photography to ceramics, metal, stone and textiles. The fair
Audubon is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 5. Admission and parking
Society are free.
We need more than one hundred volunteers to run the fair. If you can spare a
Serving Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Iowa, few hours to help park cars, make sandwiches, help artists, greet volunteers,
Jefferson, Richland and Sauk Counties etc., please contact Dave at (608) 255-2473 or masdave@mailbag.com.
We look forward to spring (at last) and a wonderful Art Fair. See you there!
Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society
 New, renewal and enhanced members
To join Madison Audubon Society,
renew or upgrade your membership,
please complete this form:
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bers only, please)
[ ] $ 20 CAWS newsletter only (non-
member)
Over and Above Memberships
[ ] P atron $1,000
[ ] B enefactor $500
[ ] P artner $250
[ ] C ontributor $100
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National Audubon magazine.
The Audubon CAWS
Time to renew? Members
Check your Madison Audubon CAWS
address label to determine your
renewal date. To avoid interruptions to
your subscription, please renew two
months before that date, so you won’t
fall behind on news and notices of
events.
Tip: Renewing through the MAS
office directs more of your donation
to local activities and conservation
projects.
Update: We are now sending a sepa-
rate renewal notice once a year and in
the future we plan to offer the option of
renewing on the Madison Audubon
website.
MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY
President: Joanne Herfel
Vice-president: Debra Weitzel
Goose Pond resident managers:
Mark and Sue Martin
Faville Grove Sanctuary managers:
David Musolf, Roger Packard
Editor: Michael Becker,
caws.editor@gmail.com
Graphic design: Patrick Ready
readyworks@mac.com
Contributing writers: Karen Etter
Hale, Marge Burke, Mark Martin,
John Minnich, and Levi Wood.
CAWS publication: Roemer Printing
The mission of the Madison
Audubon Society is to educate our
members and the public about the
natural world and the threats that
natural systems are facing, to engage
in advocacy to preserve and protect
these systems, and to develop and
maintain sanctuaries to save and
restore natural habitat.
THE AUDUBON CAWS is published
September through June by:
Madison Audubon Society,
222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703,
(608) 255-2473.
Birding hotline, 255-2476.
www.madisonaudubon.org
masoffice@mailbag.com
E-mail services donated by Berbee
 April 2007
Hummingbirds . . .
continued from page 1
hummingbird feeders. They publish a
newsletter, The Dane County Nectar News,
and offer a website: http://mywebspace.
wisc.edu/mjrock/web.
You are invited to join our speakers,
MAS board members and friends at
the pre-program dinner at Porta Bella
Restaurant (425 North Frances St.) begin-
ning at 5:15 p.m.
Next meeting: September 18, 2007
MAS Election of Officers
Madison Audubon Society will elect
its officers for the next two years at
the membership meeting on April 17.
The nominating committee chaired by
Peter Cannon is presenting the follow-
ing slate: President – Howard S. “Stan”
Druckenmiller; Vice President – Debra
Weitzel; Secretary – Jennifer Schehr; and
Treasurer – Ann Freiwald. Stan is new to
the board. The other nominees currently
hold the same offices.
Avian-Tower Mortality Study
Emilie Travis, a second-semester gradu-
ate student at UW-Madison, is studying
the impacts of communication towers on
avian mortality across Dane County.
The information collected from this
project will be critical in finding ways to
prevent bird-tower collisions. If you are
interested in volunteering or have any
questions, contact Emilie at:
ertravis@wisc.edu.
Upcoming Events at the
Arboretum
Friends of the Lakeshore Nature
Preserve will be holding their annual
meeting on Tuesday, April 10, at the
Visitor Center Auditorium in the UW-
Madison Arboretum. The meeting begins
at 7 p.m. and the featured speaker will be
UW Emeritus Professor John Magnuson
with a talk titled “A Changing Lake
Mendota: Past, Present and Possible
Futures.” For more information, visit
http://waa.uwalumni.com/lakesho-
represerve.
Advocacy Corner
Shop at Whole Foods Market on
April 26 to benefit MAS
On April 26, Madison’s Whole Foods
Market will commemorate John James
Audubon’s 222nd birthday by donating
5% of net profits to the Madison Audubon
Society. Help us celebrate this historic
occasion by shopping at the Whole Foods
Market at 3313 University Avenue, where
you’ll find a wide assortment of organic
produce, meats, cheeses, specialty foods,
baked goods, wines and much more.
Whole Foods Markets’ 5% Days are a
meaningful way that the company gives
back to the community. On designated
days throughout the year, 5% of the day’s
net sales are donated to local non-profit
organizations that have been selected by
Whole Foods staff. Madison Audubon is
honored to be among the chosen organi-
zations this year. You can help MAS just
by shopping at Whole Foods Market
on April 26. We’ll be there to greet you,
so please stop by to see us.
Lead Poisoning of Wisconsin’s
Birds - What Can You Do To
Help?
The lead poisoning of Wisconsin’s birds
is a serious concern, say Noel Cutright
and Scott Diehl in a Wisconsin Bird
Conservation Initiative Issues paper of
the same title. They write: “Lead is a
toxic metal, yet tons of lead are deposited
in Wisconsin’s environment annually
through hunting, fishing, and recreational
shooting.”
Though lead shot for waterfowl hunting
was banned at the federal level in 1991,
the use of lead shot continues for most
other hunting – although 26 states, includ-
ing all of our neighboring states, have
non-toxic shot requirements that are more
restrictive than federal rules. Lead persists
in the environment indefinitely, causing
mortality in a wide variety of birds. In
addition, lead toxicity can have sub-lethal
physical and behavioral consequences
which can affect avian survival and repro-
duction.
Here are just a few examples from
Wisconsin. Of 110 Trumpeter Swan car-
casses submitted to the Wisconsin DNR
between 1991 and 2004, 34 deaths were
attributed to lead poisoning. Similarly,
of 559 Bald Eagle carcasses submitted to
The Audubon CAWS
the WDNR between 1994 and 2003, 68
deaths were attributed to lead poisoning.
Some American Woodcock in Wisconsin
are accumulating unusually high levels
of lead in their wing bones, according to
a WDNR study published in 2004. While
the exact source of the lead is not known
at this time, a dietary source for the lead
is likely; the study could not rule out lead
shot in soils as the ultimate source.
So what can you do to help? Report any
suspected cases of lead poisoning in birds
to your local WDNR warden. Use fishing
sinkers and jigs and shot that are made
from nontoxic materials. These are often
available, although you may have to ask
for them. If they’re not available, ask
your local bait and tackle shop and your
ammunition dealer to carry a variety of
non-lead products. Dispose of old lead
sinkers and jigs properly. Spread the word
by distributing “Get the Lead Out” edu-
cational “rack cards” (available through
www.wisconsinbirds.org/leadpoisoning.
htm) to your friends, local sporting goods
distributors, and sportsman’s clubs.
Cutright and Diehl’s paper on lead
and birds, including an extensive list of
resources and literature, can be found on
the WBCI website, www.wisconsinbirds.
org. Look under Resources, then Issues.
Spring Hearings
One additional way you can help pre-
vent lead from entering our environment
is by attending the annual DNR Spring
Hearing in your county on Monday, April
16 at 7 p.m. Two of the DNR advisory
questions that are on the ballot involve the
use of non-toxic shot on lands managed
by the DNR. Question 67 asks whether
you favor requiring the use of non-toxic
shot for dove hunting on department
managed lands. Question 68 asks wheth-
er, because of concerns about the continu-
ing effects of lead shot on wild game and
non-game birds in Wisconsin, you favor
requiring the use of non-toxic shot for
hunting all birds other than turkeys on
DNR-managed lands.
The location of each county hearing
can be found under the Conservation
Congress portion of the DNR website
(www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/nrboard/)
or call the MAS office at (608) 255-2473.
Please attend your hearing on April 16
and weigh in on these and other ques-
tions.
 April 2007
Chestnut-sided Warbler: Pat Ready
MAS Big Birding
Day 2007
It’s time to start organizing your team
for Big Birding Day on Saturday, May 12.
Teams of two to six people will scour one
of seven counties (Dane, Columbia, Sauk,
Jefferson, Richland, Dodge or Iowa) to
see how many bird species they can find
between 4 a.m. and 6 p.m. Last year’s
participants found 172 species across five
counties, with the winning team spotting
121 species in Sauk County.
Registration for the event is $20 per per-
son ($30 if you’d like to attend the awards
banquet at the end of the day). We also
urge you to ask friends, relatives and
acquaintances (or even total strangers!)
for pledges of $.05 to $.50 (or more) per
species found by you and your team. Last
year, we raised more than $1,000 through
registration and pledges; all proceeds go
to further the work of Madison Audubon
Society.
Registration and pledge forms can be
obtained at the MAS website (madison-
audubon.org) or from Chuck Heikkinen
and Delia Unson at deliachuck@gmail.
com or (608) 274-4043 or (608) 206-0324.
Please include your name, address and
telephone number. For phone messages,
please spell your name; for emails, please
put “Big Birding Day” in the subject line.
Registration forms should be submitted
to Chuck and Delia by email or surface
mail (5018 Odana Rd., Madison, 53711)
before May 5. Forms received after May
5 will be assessed a $5 late fee. Non-par-
ticipants are also welcome to attend the
awards banquet at a cost of $15 per per-
son. They, too, must register by the May 5
deadline or incur a $5 late fee.
We hope you can join us for a great day
of celebrating birdlife and the outdoors
and supporting Madison Audubon!
 Spring is Here and Field
Trips Abound
Saturday, April 7: Spring Birds
of Columbia County
Tony Kalenic and Carol Anderson will lead
this car birding trip through northern Dane
and southern Columbia counties to look for
early spring migrants and late winter birds.
We hope to see migrating swans, geese and
other water birds.
Meet to carpool at 8 a.m. in the parking
lot of Copp’s supermarket at the
intersection of Allen Blvd. and Century
Ave. in Middleton. Meet at the east end
of the lot near Century Ave., or you
can join the group at 9:30 a.m. at Goose
Pond. Bring your binoculars, a scope if
you have one, and a snack, as the trip
may last to early afternoon. Call Tony
and Carol at (608) 249-8836 if you have
questions.
Thursday, April 12: Frogs’ Night Out
Bring a sense of adventure on this
trip as you look
at the world
from a different
perspective --
through sounds.
Besides listening
for a variety
of frog calls,
Pat Ready
participants will
learn about frog
lifestyles and wetlands ecology.
Meet at the Mazomanie Wildlife Area at
6:45 p.m. From Hwy 14 in Mazomanie,
drive north on County Hwy Y for about
four miles. Just before the highway bends
to the east (right), turn left on Law’s
Drive. Travel on the access road about a
quarter mile and turn left onto the first
gravel road. Follow this about one and a
half miles until it dead-ends at a parking
lot.
Bring a flashlight and dress for wet
conditions. The trip will be canceled if
the daytime high temperature is below
45°F or and in the event of very strong
winds or heavy rain. The rain date is
April 19. Call trip leader Bob Hay only
if you have questions -- work: (608) 267-
0849, home: (608) 829-3123.
Friday, April 13: Evening
at Zeloski Marsh
Join Mark and Sue Martin for an evening
watching waterfowl and listening to
evening sounds at Zeloski Marsh. This
will be the first spring for the restored
wetlands so we do not know what
wildlife we will find, however, we do
not expect to be disappointed. We will
hike gravel access lanes (if you are not
able to hike, let us know in advance and
arrangements can be made). The trip
The Audubon Caws
will last till dark and a flashlight may be
handy.
Zeloski Marsh is located west of Lake
Mills and about one mile west of Rock
Lake. We will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the end
of Alley Road, located on the west side
of Hwy. S between Hwy. A and Hwy. B.
Contact Mark or Sue at goosep@chorus.
net or (608) 635-4160 with questions.
Saturday, April 14 & Saturday, April 28:
Beginning Birding
Madison Audubon sponsors numerous
birding field trips throughout the year,
and though the leaders attempt to help
new birders, it is not always possible
to answer all of their questions. Picnic
Point will be the site for beginners to get
their questions answered. This area, at
the west end of the UW campus, offers a
varied habitat and a good opportunity to
observe a variety of waterfowl and small
birds.
We will meet in the parking lot by the
1918 Marsh (across from the entrance
to Picnic Point) at 8 a.m. on both dates.
Questions? Call Allen Holzhueter at
(608) 238-0546.
Pat Ready
Sunday, April 15: Scope Day at Goose Pond
Spotting scopes will be set up along
the lane at Goose Pond Sanctuary from 2 to
4 p.m., and volunteers, including trip lead-
ers Pat Ready and Dorothy Haines, will be
on hand to help visitors locate and identify
waterfowl. Scope Day is held during the
peak of the spring migration season, and we
have had as many as 20 waterfowl species
on the “Seen Today” board. Tundra Swans
are often present at this time, stopping for a
rest on their long trip from Chesapeake Bay
to the Arctic Circle.
If the weather is inclement, the scopes will
not be set up. Anyone who is interested in
carpooling to this event from the Madison
Metro North Bus Transfer Center should
call Dorothy Haines at (608) 221-1948 by
Saturday evening. If you have questions
or would like to volunteer as a host, call
Dorothy or the MAS office at (608) 255-2473.
Friday, April 20: Evening at Cherokee
Marsh
Enjoy a few hours of evening birding
in Cherokee Marsh. We should find
 April 2007
cranes, observe the courtship flight of
woodcock and snipe and see several
spring migrants. Cherokee Marsh,
Madison’s largest natural area, is located
on the northeast side of Madison. Meet at
6:30 p.m. at the Cherokee Marsh parking
lot at the north end of Sherman Ave.
Waterproof footwear is recommended.
Trip leaders are Levi Wood and Tony
Kalenic. For questions, call Levi at (608)
277-7959.
Saturday, April 28: Birding
at Wyalusing State Park
Quentin Yoerger and Charles Naeseth
will lead this trip to Wyalusing State
Park, which
overlooks the
confluence of the
Wisconsin and
Prothonatary Warbler: Bob Leggett
Mississippi Rivers.
The Mississippi is
a major migration
route for numerous
birds, and the
rugged bluffs make
this breathtaking
scenery a beautiful
spot for a spring
adventure. We’ll observe hawks, warblers
(including Yellow-throated), lots of other
birds and a few spring wildflowers.
Bring a lunch, as this trip will last until
mid-afternoon. We will carpool at 5 a.m.
from the Home Depot parking lot on
Verona Rd. by Cub Foods (just south
of the Beltline). If you have questions,
contact Quentin at (608) 882-6078 or
harrierqman@gmail.com.
Sunday, April 29: Baraboo Hills
Birds and Blossoms
Join us on a visit to Baxters Hollow, walk-
ing one of the old wagon roads to “Burga’s
Slough,” and the site of the murder at Shark’s
Hollow. Along the way we’ll look and listen
for birds such as Louisiana Waterthrush and
spring migrants and admire the abundant
wildflowers that have existed here since
the days of more intensive human use and
abuse. This two-mile round-trip walk passes
through forest, old field and some wet areas,
so wear appropriate footgear.
Meet at 9 a.m. at the north end of Stone’s
Pocket Rd -- this is a half-mile beyond the
TNC gate at the former Klondike camp-
ground, at the dead-end of the gravel road.
Expect the trip to last about three hours.
To get to Baxter’s Hollow, take Hwy 12 eight
miles north from Sauk City (or seven miles
south from Baraboo). Near the north end of
the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, turn
west on King’s Corner Rd, and continue a
little more than a mile to the intersection with
Stone’s Pocket Rd. Turn north and go two
miles to the dead-end. For questions, contact
trip leader Mike Mossman at (608) 544-5501.
Sunday, April 29: Abraham’s Woods—
NOTE DATE CHANGE
Abraham’s Woods, a State Natural Area
and one of the UW Arboretum’s outlying
areas, is one of the finest remnants of sugar
maple forest left in southern Wisconsin.
On this trip, we will be looking for spring
wildflowers and early migrant birds as we
stroll through the forest of sugar maple,
basswood, yellowbud hickory, hackberry,
and other typical southern mesic forest trees.
Time permitting, we will stop at nearby
Oliver Prairie, a limestone “goat” prairie,
in search of pasque flower fruits, bird-foot
violets, prairie smoke, and leaves and flower
buds of other lime-prairie plants.
We will carpool at 8 a.m. from the Cub
Foods parking lot, near the intersection of
the beltline and Verona Rd. For questions
or directions to Abe’s Woods, contact trip
leader Isaac Nadeau at (608) 262-1491 or
inadeau@wisc.edu.
Tuesday, May 1: Warbler Walk
at Pheasant Branch
Join us for the first of MAS’s early morning
warbler walks. We will be looking for
migrating warblers as well as vireos,
thrushes, tanagers and whatever else flies
by.
Meet at 6 a.m. at the Branch Street Retreat
bar parking lot at the corner of Century Ave.
and Branch St. in Middleton. If you have
questions, contact Jesse Peterson at (608)
849-3108 or peterson.jesse@tds.net.
Canada Warbler: Pat Ready
Thursday, May 3: Warbler Walk
at the Arboretum
This is one of a handful of annual early
morning warbler walks to be held in the UW
Arboretum.
We will be looking for migrating warblers as
well as vireos, thrushes and tanagers.
Meet at 6 a.m. in the Arboretum at the
Wingra/Galistel Woods parking lot along
McCaffrey Dr. Enter the Arboretum from the
east off Mills St. If you enter from the west
(Seminole Hwy.) you will have to walk from
the McKay Center parking area. If you have
questions, call Levi Wood at (608) 277-7959.
Thursday, May 3: Evening at Token Creek
Ed Saur will lead this evening trip at Token
Creek County Park. He has lived a few miles
from the park and visited it frequently for
more than 20 years. Ed also surveyed this
The Audubon Caws
park for the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas
Project for three years. Though bordered
by Hwy. 51 and I-90, the park’s varied
habitat holds species such as Baltimore
Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Brown Thrasher,
Eastern Bluebird, Warbling Vireo and
several species of flycatcher. At the time of
this trip, a variety of migrant warblers are
also possible.
The trip will begin at 6:30 p.m. Token
Creek County Park is located in the
northeast quadrant of the I-90-94 & Hwy.
51 interchange, about one-half mile north
on Hwy. 51 from I-90-94 and just east of
the Pine Cone Restaurant truck stop. Bring
binoculars and a field guide and wear
appropriate footwear. Meet at the parking
lot at the first building on the right. For
questions, contact Ed at (608) 846-4482 or
ejsaur@aol.com.
Sandhill Crane: Pat Ready
Friday, May 4: Evening at Nine Springs
Steve Thiessen will lead this two-and-
a-half hour birding trip. We will visit
one of the more interesting, and often
overlooked, birding spots in the Madison
area to search for shorebirds, herons,
cranes, terns, swallows and waterfowl.
This area typically has good mud flats,
marsh and pond habitat.
Meet at 6:30 p.m. at the E-Way parking
lot along the Capitol City Bike Trail on
Moorland Rd. Please bring a scope if you
have one. This trip may last until 9 p.m.
or later.
If you have questions, call Steve at (608)
873-3323.
Saturday, May 5: Birding at Picnic Point
Join trip leaders Roma Lenehan and Dan
Doeppers on a trip co-sponsored by the
Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve.
Together we will have a pleasant spring
morning of birding on Picnic Point, one
of Madison’s birding hot spots. With lots
of shoreline, open water and a variety of
woods, wetlands and open areas, Picnic
Point is known for its diversity of birds.
Roma has more than 20 years of birding at
Picnic Point and compiled the Lakeshore
Nature Preserve Bird Checklist. Dan has
been doing bird censuses and recording
the Audubon Hotline for years.
Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the circular 1918
 April 2007
Marsh parking lot across University Bay
Dr. from Picnic Point, north of the UW
Hospital. The trip will last for up to three
hours and possibly longer. If you have
questions, call Roma at (608) 238-5406.
Common Yellowthroat Warbler: Bob Leggett
Sunday, May 6: Warbler Walk
Charlotte Blotz will lead this warbler
walk on Turville Point. Participants should
expect to see warblers and other migrant
songbirds along the western edge of Lake
Monona. Expect the trip to last from 6-8
a.m.
Meet at Olin-Turville Park in the parking
lot closer to the stop light on Olin Ave.
(near the woods). Call (608) 267-4918 with
any questions.
Community Supported
Agriculture
What can one person do to help the
environment? Why not join a CSA
farm? A CSA, or Community Supported
Agriculture farm, is an organic farm
that is supported by consumers in the
surrounding community. Shares are pur-
chased annually that entitle the member
to a box of fresh food each week during
the growing season. Food boxes may
include produce, fruit, eggs, cheese, meat,
flowers, herbs or other products.
Joining a CSA is a win-win. It helps you
by providing organic farm-raised food
below retail cost. It helps the farmer by
creating a stable market. It helps the envi-
ronment by saving energy transporting
food long distances and by providing
food naturally—without pesticides and
herbicides, and by building rich topsoil
that will sustain farming for generations
to come. Consumers can feel a connection
to their food supply and help support a
local agricultural community that benefits
everyone.
Interested? Find out more by contacting
the Madison Area Community Supported
Agriculture Coalition at (608) 226-0300, or
visit online at macsac.org.
 2006 Wood Duck Results
143 Ducklings Make the Jump
Last year, Sam McGinley earned his
Eagle Scout award by coordinating
the building and erecting of 26 Wood
Duck nest boxes on U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Waterfowl Production
Areas and adjacent wetlands. These

Paul Noeldner
boxes increased to 42 the number

Rich Armstrong
of boxes that volunteers are helping
monitor in southern Columbia County.
This winter, volunteer “wood duckers”
Lake Lucerne Memorial Sam, his parents Mark and Jenny, Curt
Day Weekend Birding Caslavka, Mark Martin, and Brand Smith
The Blizzard at Goose
were busy cleaning out the boxes and
Retreat checking for hatched eggs, which are Pond - February 2007
Would you like a relaxing Memorial
determined by finding intact egg mem- Eight inches of light fluffy snow arrived
Day weekend at a private camp -
branes. Everyone was pleased to learn on Friday night, February 23. The county
- plus great birding? Bird lovers
that 143 ducklings made a jump from 21 plow arrived about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
and outdoor enthusiasts have been
boxes. Another 10 boxes contained eggs The forecast was for blizzard conditions
attending this annual retreat since
that did not hatch. All boxes are located for Saturday night and the forecast was
the 1950s, and the organizers are
over water with predator guards. right on. It snowed and blew hard all
once again extending an invitation to
The first area nest boxes were placed at night. In the morning it was estimated 20
Madison Audubon Society members,
Otsego Marsh, where eight of nine boxes inches of snow fell in the Poynette area in
friends and families. 
produced hatched eggs. The boxes at a 36-hour period. This was the heaviest
Lake Lucerne is an old church
Otsego Marsh also featured three dump snowfall in the past 17 years. It was hard
camp surrounding a spring-fed lake
nests -- nests where more than one female to tell how much snow fell at Goose Pond
about an hour north of Madison
lays eggs in a box. Of the three dump with all the blowing.
near Montello. The camp features
nests, one box had 17 eggs, though none A friend heard on the police scanner
paved and unpaved trails, a beach
hatched; another with 22 eggs had 21 that the county received a 911 call from
on the no-motorboats lake, and
ducklings hatch; and a third box with a residence to the north on Goose Pond
plenty of wildlife. Guests stay
23 eggs had 16 ducklings hatch. Jackson Road. The Sheriff called in a plow and
in private bedrooms in comfortable,
WPA was also quite successful, with all it sounded like the plow got stuck on
inexpensive group cabins. 
four nest boxes showing evidence of new Goose Pond Road.
Over the weekend, you’ll be welcome
ducklings. There was no sign of the snowplow on
to join other birding novices and
Ideally the successful hens and their Sunday. The snow was wet and heavy
experts for informal birding hikes on
daughters will return to these areas each and difficult to move with the snow
the extensive campgrounds and short
spring and the population of “woodies” blower. It was anticipated that the plow
trips to White Marsh and other
will increase. would arrive early Monday morning,
birding hotspots. If you wish, pack
your swimsuits, bikes, and canoes
or kayaks. Or you can just kick back,
read a book and listen to the wind in
the trees. And forget about cooking
-- the weekend includes chef-cooked
meals served in a beautiful dining
hall overlooking the lake.
  Kids are welcome, and family-oriented
group cabins are available. Adults can
ask for a quieter cabin if that is preferred.
You can come up Friday, May 25, and stay
three nights, or Saturday, May 26, and
stay two nights. The weekend includes six
meals starting with supper on Saturday
and ending with lunch on Monday.
Sign up soon as openings are limited!
Contact Lyn Noeldner at (608) 835-7471
or lyn_noeldner@charter.net for more
information and a registration form. The
reservation deadline is April 21. Jenny McGinnley, Brand Smith, Mark McGinnley, and Curt Caslavka

The Audubon Caws  April 2007

however it did not appear until noon. Goose Pond is near the south edge of
Arlington township, which lies just north of the Dane County line. Arlington Special Gifts
Township hires the county to remove snow and mow roadsides. The Arlington I wish to help make Madison
Prairie is probably the worse area in the county to remove snow when a blizzard Audubon’s vision a reality. Here
hits. The plow was still working on the Goose Pond Road cut adjacent to the is my contribution to the Wildlife
Lapinski-Kitze Prairie at 5:00 p.m. Monday. Sanctuaries Campaign:
Even though the snow was wet there was significant drifting. The county needed [ ] Acre-Maker, $2,500 or more to pur-
to use a large front-end loader to move snow on local roads. The front-end loader chase and restore one acre of land
is slow but can remove snow that the snow plows can not plow. The snow banks [ ] Half-Acre-Maker, $1,250-$2,499
were impressive. Snowdrifts, some up to five foot high, accumulated on the east [ ] Quarter-Acre-Maker, $625-$1,249
side of prairie restorations that were adjacent to farm fields. The ground hogs [ ] Adopt-an-Acre, $100 a year for three
hibernating under these snowdrifts are probably wondering if summer will ever years ($300 total). Here is my first
arrive. installment.
The birds and rabbits went through a lot of birdseed. Thanks to Mounds Pet Food [ ] Nest Egg, $50 a year for three years
Warehouse customers and Jill and Jerry Martin for donating birdseed. High counts ($150 total). Here is my first install-
after the blizzard included 125 American Tree Sparrows and over 200 Mourning ment.
Doves. A Short-Eared Owl was seen Saturday afternoon but after that small [ ] My Own Vision, a donation of $
mammals were probably pretty safe. The pheasants and the rabbits appreciate the _____
three corn food plots.
Sandy Breunig, who lives north of us, had relatives in town for her daughter's Please direct my gift to:
wedding. The wedding was held but the reception was postponed until the next [ ] Where it will help the most
Saturday March 3rd. On March 3rd, there was blowing snow and she was lucky [ ] Endowment fund to restore and
to get out of their driveway. The person plowing their drive got stuck Saturday maintain the sanctuaries
afternoon and was dug out Sunday morning. The family will probably always [ ] Land acquisition at Faville Grove,
remember the "Wedding Blizzard". When you visit Goose Pond this spring we Jefferson County
hope you appreciate the excellent water conditions that resulted from the "Blizzard [ ] Land acquisition at Goose Pond
of 2007". Columbia County
OR here is my contribution for MAS
Plant an Oak Tree education and newsletter support
[ ]M  y Gift to Learning, $ __________
On our watch two oaks were planted at Goose Pond in 1983. Sue rescued a two-foot
high bur oak from the edge of her parent’s lot in Brookfield that was in the way of a My name ________________________________
new power line. Address _________________________________
Ken Wood (gardener, landscaper, and prairie enthusiast) thought the Goose Pond yard City_____________________________________
need a specimen oak. One day in 1983 Ken arrived with a 5-6 foot high white oak sapling State_____ ZIP___________
for the backyard. The sapling might have been five or more years old when transplanted.
The bur oak grew slowly and is doing better since a nearby faster growing honey locust I want my gift to recognize another:
was removed. The white oak is growing faster and it helps to water it when the soil [ ] In memory of ______________________
is dry. Acorns were produced for the first time in 1998 and the oak is now about eight [ ] In honor of ________________________
inches in diameter.
Oaks make up for their slow growing nature by being long lived. Other bur oaks have Please send notification of this gift to:
been planted around Goose Pond and are becoming teenagers. We encourage others this Name ___________________________________
spring to plant trees, especially oak trees. This spring we plan to plant 2-3 swamp white Address _________________________________
oaks at a special place. If everyone planted one or two oaks a year, think of the difference
City _____________________________________
this would make in the long term.
It will be interesting to follow the Brookfield – Foote Bur Oak and the Wood White Oak. State__________ ZIP____________
Hopefully they will be around way into the 2200s. We are going to leave instructions that
Contributions will be acknowledged near the
the trees have their photos taken at decade intervals and that they are left standing when Information Board at Goose Pond Sanctuary:
they pass on. $1,250 or more, name to appear on perma-
nent plaque; $250-$1,249, name to appear
Donations made in February 2007 on engraved paving brick.
[ ] Please do not acknowledge my gift in
MY OWN VISION GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSON Madison Audubon CAWS
Anonymous In memory of John R. W. Smail
Laura Smail Please make checks payable to:
Hermann and Sheila Bultmann
Madison Audubon Society
Brian Doverspike In memory of Richard C. Turner
Mail to: Madison Audubon Society, 222 S.
Sue Fieber Mark and Elin Sullivan Hamilton Street, Suite 1, Madison, WI 53703
Madison Community Foundation In memory of Ivon Wilson
Gift is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Frank Petras Wayland Noland Madison Audubon Society’s financial statement is
Rick and Dawn Walstad available upon request.

The Audubon Caws  April 2007

 Madison Audubon Society, Inc.
Joanne Herfel, President Non-profit organization
222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1 U.S. Postage Paid
Madison, WI 53703 Permit No. 1831
Madison, Wisconsin

4/07

Is it time to renew your membership?

See form on page 2 and help MAS.

Return Service Requested

– May 5
MAS Art Fair
see page 1

MAS Calendar at a FIELD TRIPS Sunday, April 29

Glance Saturday, April 7 Baraboo Hills Birds and Blossoms
Spring Birds of Columbia County Sunday, April 29
Abraham’s Woods
COMING EVENTS Thursday, April 12 Tuesday, May 1
Tuesday, April 10 Frogs’ Night Out Warbler Walk at Pheasant Branch
Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Friday, April 13 Thursday, May 3
Preserve annual meeting Evening at Zeloski Marsh Warbler Walk at the Arboretum
Monday, April 16 Saturday, April 14 Thursday, May 3
DNR Spring Hearings Beginning Birding Evening at Token Creek
Tuesday, April 17 Sunday, April 15 Friday, May 4
Public Program: Michael and Kathi Rock Scope Day at Goose Pond Evening at Nine Springs
on Hummingbirds
Friday, April 20 Saturday, May 5
Thursday, April 26 Evening at Cherokee Marsh Birding at Picnic Point
Whole Foods 5% Day to benefit MAS
Saturday, April 28 Sunday, May 6
Saturday, May 5 Birding at Wyalusing State Park Warbler Walk on Turville Point
31st Annual MAS Art Fair
Saturday, April 28
Saturday, May 12 Beginning Birding
MAS Big Birding Day 2007

Answers to Birdbrain
American Robin – “Cherry cherry cherry”
American Goldfinch – “Po-tato-chip”
Northern Cardinal – “What-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer”