By Jerry Huffman
I'll admit it. I had a bias against birding. Somehow when people mention birding I have a tendency to think more of Wally Cox than the Crocodile Hunter. Somehow the idea of spending an afternoon in the woods saying things like, "Hey honey, isn't that a Prairie Chicken over there," had struck me as kind of silly.
"Oh, we know our image is a little on the dull side," said Sue Foote-Martin. Sue, a Department of Natural Resources employee, is a former marketing expert turned ornithologist. She had volunteered to lead me on my first birding trip. "Our idea of fun is early to bed and early to rise," Sue confided. At that point I was fighting the urge to jump out of the car at a stoplight. Just for fun, of course.
Birding is a unique activity if for no other reason than you don't have to spend any money to enjoy it. All you really need is a birding guidebook and you can find one at most public libraries. Even field glasses are optional. And if you have physical challenges there are accessible trails scattered all over the state. One of the many things I was about to learn was that you can often "bird" from your car.
Wisconsin is also one of the nation's birding hot spots. There are more than 400 different bird species statewide. "Whooping cranes," Sue said with a reverence only birders would understand. "Whooping cranes are what sets us apart from other states. The next closest state where you'll find cranes is Texas." Slowly Sue was winning me over. A few years ago I had toured the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo. (www.savingcranes.org / 608-356-9462) The ICF is a world-class facility defining both an educational opportunity as well as a chance to see these glorious animals in a natural environment. The ICF has also developed a unique migration program where a volunteer, flying an ultra-light, leads the cranes to warmer weather in the winter and back to Wisconsin in the spring.
"We're here," Sue said shutting off the car. Goose Pond Sanctuary is just north of Madison off of Highway 51 and County K. More than 600 acres of an Audubon nature preserve that is home to nearly 300 of the different Wisconsin birds. Sue had promised I would see swans and kept her word. But what I didn't expect to see were hundreds of swans. Goose Pond was a gigantic aquatic parking lot filled with countless swans all, it seemed, bent on honking simultaneously.
Graceful white swans. Younger swans still covered in gray neck feathers. (Note to other birding beginners, swans are born yellow. As they age their color changes from yellow to grey and eventually, in year 2, turns completely white.) Spring was definitely in the air as some of the swans had clearly paired off and were beginning their elaborate courtship ritual. "Watch how the male bows and flaps his wings and then the female will follow suit," Sue said. “That's how you can tell when they're flirting with each other."
At Goose Pond you should also take a moment to pay homage to the seven prairie peacock sculptures standing watch. They are the work of Baraboo's Dr. Tom Evermore. Like all of Dr. Evermore's artistry these graceful guardian birds are made of junkyard treasures and are alone worth the trip to Goose Pond.
It always made me chuckle when people would refer to birding as a silent sport. This was anything but a quiet spot. Hundreds of swans, ducks, geese and sandhill cranes all honking, chirping and quacking in a wonderfully spontaneous chorus.
I stood at the side of the road snapping pictures when four swans flew overhead skidding to a stop on the pond just over my shoulder. That sound -- air flowing over their wings -- was a moment of natural perfection that will never be repeated the same way again. And I was the only person who heard it.
"I think I just had my first birding moment," I excitedly told Sue as I climbed back into her mini-van. "You did," she said, "Welcome to the club."
Crex Meadows - Grantsburg, Burnett County
Crex Meadows is a 30,000-acre wildlife area featuring restored wetlands and upland brush prairie habitats with oak and jack pine forest interspersed. The property includes 6,000 acres of open water and is home to 270 species of birds. Spring and fall migrations entice more than 7,000 sandhill cranes and 12,000 Canada and Snow geese to use the property.
715.463.CREX (2739)
www.crexmeadows.org
Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area - Florence, Florence County
A 7,400-acre, state-owned barrens boasts an undulating terrain with many small, clear lakes. Managed by fire, the barrens are interrupted with patches of mixed hardwood and conifer. The Pine River, a state-designated wild river runs through it. Explore dirt roads for numerous species of birds.
715.528.3595 (Florence County Chamber)
888.889.0049 (Wild Rivers Interpretive center)
www.florencewisconsin.com/Attractions/interpretive_center.htm
Red Cedar State Trail - Menomonie, Dunn County
The trail head is located in Menomonie at the old railroad depot in Riverside Park. The trail meanders south along the Red Cedar River for 14.5 miles through serpentine valleys, rolling hills, bluffs, woodlands and prairies all the way to the junction with the Chippewa River. Bike or hike to see the birds.
1-800-283-1862 (Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce)
www.menomoniechamber.org
www.menomonie.com/tourism_frame.html
International Crane Foundation - Baraboo, Sauk County
Who can resist seeing all the species of cranes in the world under one roof? Enjoy prairie walks and visit their wonderful education center and gift shop.
608.356.9462
www.savingcranes.org