Across Wisconsin! Bird Surveys in 2019

Join field Ornithologist, Brian Collins, on a search for evidence of breeding in Wisconsin's birds! From Black-throated Green Warblers to Northern Goshawks, this film captures the essence of Breeding Bird Atlas work and point count bird surveys, with emphasis on the backcountry experience. Explore spectacular Wisconsin scenery and up close encounters with birds and bird behavior on this adventure! Additional narration is given to make this a good educational film for the Ecology classroom or anyone interested in bird conservation. Enjoy!

[@GratefulDeb270]

Wonderful video! Ty for all you do for birds. That merganser with babies video is incredible!

[@stcroixoutdoors]

Thank you for watching! Good Birding!

[@kaylahlalalahawinn8408]

This is absolutely beautiful, and stunning! Great job!!! Hope your doing well, and staying safe.

[@stcroixoutdoors]

Thanks so much, and thanks for the positive feedback! Thanks for watching!

[@josephbieksza2147]

I was ABSOLUTELY STOKED to see the Wisconsin 2019 Bird Survey title!!!! A very passionate, educational and stunning array of birds, habitats, and rightly so observations. You help make my personal birding journey that much better!

[@stcroixoutdoors]

Thank you so much for the positive feedback! Good Birding to you! Thanks for watching!

[@bruceleventhal3292]

Fantastic Brian... so enjoyed following your adventures from the summer of 2019... looking forward to Part 2

[@stcroixoutdoors]

Thanks so much! Part 2 will release in a couple of days. I think you will very much like the Bonus Part 3! Cheers! Thanks for watching!

[@joshuasmith1215]

Awesome video! I applaud the effort you put into making this. Just thinking about all the miles you had to put in while carrying all that equipment and dealing with mosquitoes makes me exhausted.

[@stcroixoutdoors]

Thanks for watching! It is challenging and difficult work for sure, but the birds and the beauty out there sure makes it worthwhile. So many things don't make it onto video, but the 2019 field season I knew there would be some unique things happening, so I tried to have the camera ready as much as possible. Good birding!

[@joshuasmith1215]

@@stcroixoutdoors I hope you get the itch to do this again.

[@birdy1527]

This was the coolest video! Beautiful video and pictures ❤️ I'm new to birding but all ready I want to be out there doing that! What an amazing job bird detective! Though it does look cold and wet haha

[@stcroixoutdoors]

Thanks for watching and for your kind words! Yes, those mornings often start out with a bit of a "morning swim" in the forest dew! Always an adventure! Good Birding to you!

[@mandyistired]

Hi Brian! I'm just getting into identifying birds in central Wisconsin using sound. I am a sounds artist, so i have a couple of microphones (zoom h2n ambisonic 5 channel surround hand held and a pair of binaural headphone/microphones.) I also have a few good cameras and lenses). My goal is to eventually learn enough to get involved in the bird surveys. Couple of questions: -Do you have any resources/online training that you would recommend? -Do you have to be an ornithologist to eventually get involved? I am a certified software tester, I wonder if some of the testing/verification process might help me in some way. Wonderful videos! Thank you!!

[@stcroixoutdoors]

Hi! Great questions! First, it sounds like you are definitely on the right path! Recording is a great way to get immersed and to slow down the pace enough to start taking note of things. To become qualified for most contract-work bird surveys, you need to pass birder certification tests...and then contact the nongame state agencies or other conservation agencies and organizations to see what work might be needed. I have worked mostly for the State of Wisconsin, but also National Parks Service, a couple of land trusts, and a lake association or two, most for pay and some as a volunteer. Here is the link to eventually start practicing and testing on bird identification... www.birdercertification.org/ Regarding good resources, I feel it is best to learn the birds of a region by spending a lot of time pursuing them with a good set of 8 X 42 Binoculars and some sound equipment. Locate them by ear, follow the sound, find the bird by sight, and make an impressionable memory. I think the Sibley eGuide to North American Birds is a very good application, and teaming up two sites... www.ebird.org with www.allaboutbirds.org .... is a great way to look up the birds in your area to see what the possibilities are. My own qualifications stem from a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries with graduate level classes and lots of internship work with birds that got me a specialization of sorts with nongame birds (forest tropical migrant landbirds mostly). I have been a high school biology teacher for 19 years though, so profession doesn't dictate whether or not you can do bird surveys. Qualification through reliable skill set does. Some great birders that contribute to science are working in all sorts of jobs that are not related to science. My own mentor was a professor of English. One qualification that is often overlooked is backcountry navigation skill sets. It is often the landscape that will make or break a bird surveyor, not the ability to identify birds. I strongly recommend making sure your wilderness skills are solid and that you can put together a good safety plan for the backcountry. Preventing tick-borne illness, hypothermia, dehydration, injury and maintaining accurate data and precise navigation so as to make the science repeatable are a huge part of the success at the end of the day! If you have that skill set, you are ahead of the game! It is a great and worthwhile pursuit, and judging by the amount of gray hair and bald spots in our birding circles, we need new and energetic surveyors! If you have a local Audubon Chapter, join for sure! Also consider joining the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology wsobirds.org and perhaps the Wisconsin Natural Resources Foundation www.wisconservation.org/ or similar organizations, as connections with people and time afield on trips makes for very fast paced learning and connections to opportunity! Best of luck to you in your pursuits! Keep pursuing your love of birds!