For starters, WSO Treasurer Mickey O'Connor, avian zookeeper at the Milwaukee County Zoo, will be banding in Anna Pidgeon's place this year due to a scheduling conflict. But since Mickey is one of just two trained hummingbird banders in Wisconsin, Honey Creek Committee Chair Levi Wood is rounding up volunteers to put out hummer feeders a week in advance. We hope to add Ruby-throateds to the long list of species banded at Honey Creek.
For our second surprise, we have arranged some special gifts for those making larger donations to our principal fundraiser for the Harold and Carla Kruse Honey Creek Nature Preserve:
- Donors of $500 of more will receive the book "Birds of Wisconsin" by Owen Gromme with a preface by Sam Robbins. ($75 value).
- Donors of $250 to $499 will receive a copy of the "Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Wisconsin" ($40 value).
- Donors of $100 to $249 will receive the 556-page 5th edition of "Wisconsin's Favorite Bird Haunts" ($30 value)
Last year, through your generosity, we added over $8,800 to the Honey Creek fund to help maintain the site and battle invasives on the property. Finally, we have improved the odds for warmer weather by pushing the event to the back end of its traditional May window. The bandathon will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22, and the walk up the valley will be held on Sunday May 22 at approximately 8 a.m. That's 12 days later than last year.
If anyone needs a reminder of the importance of Honey Creek, this observation made by Anna Pidgeon in her write-up of the 2014 Bandathon bears repeating: "One thing of interest that I reflected on is that we caught one of the Northern Waterthrushes twice -- once on each day. The amount of visible fat on the bird increased between the two days. It was a nice visible reminder of what all these migrants are focused on as they make their way north. We enjoy their flitting beauty as they chase insects, but for them it's all about refueling and continuing the trek north to their breeding grounds in the most efficient way possible. Habitat of high quality, located all along their migratory path, matters substantially in determining their success." With that said, WSO strongly encourages you to take part in this year's event – either in person or through a gift.
You can pledge an amount per species seen/heard or per species banded or both. (The average is 86 species seen and 25 banded.) Or you can pledge or donate a flat amount. Everyone will receive a detailed summary of the results that will let you experience the day even from afar.
Fill out the Honey Creek pledge card and email to Jesse Peterson at:peterson.jesse@tds.net
And if you want to also take part in person?
Join the "counting crew" at Honey Creek by 8 a.m. on Sunday May 22 and help tally the number of species identified on the property that day. Bring footwear that can ford the waters of Honey Creek, a hiking stick and some lunch to enjoy after the hike up the valley. Overnight camping facilities (a lovely lawn, running water and privies) are available and the nature center building will be open.
Take part in the bandathon, run this year by Mickey O'Connor. Observers are always welcome, but Mickey also is looking for volunteers with experience extracting or banding songbirds. Please contact her at sharpbill@aol.com or 214 980 3103. If you have visited Honey Creek in the past, come back again! And if you've never had the chance, make time for it this year. Questions? Please contact peterson.jesse@tds.net