have you seen a Prairie Falcon in Wisconsin?

The WSO Records Committee has rejected most Prairie Falcon records submitted in Wisconsin, for a variety of reasons, so it still officially has hypothetical status. But not all sightings are reported or documented.

Here are the records:

Sept. 23, 1957 -- Sheboygan; D. D. Berger, H. C. Mueller, Frank Kuhlman -
Oct. 31, 1976 -- Vernon; William A. Smith -
Sept. 16, 1979 -- Douglas; Janelle M. Humphrey -
Oct. 15, 1982 -- Sheboygan; D. D. Berger, H. C. Mueller, George Allez-
Nov. 30, 1989 -- Portage; Thomas Hoppa & Larry Semo-
Oct. 16, 1990 -- Racine; Gerald A. DeBoer-
Feb. 9, 1991 -- Portage; Erik Munson-
March 15, 1991 -- Portage; Daniel R. Spuhler-
Oct. 12, 1996 -- Grant; Jeff Dankert-
April 22, 1998 -- Douglas; Robbye J. Johnson & Shaun Putz

Have you seen this species in Wisconsin, and perhaps have not submitted a report? If so, I'd like to know about it; please e-mail me with your sighting details. Wheeler's Raptors of Eastern N. America PRFA range map shows some Wisconsin locations; were they all reported to WSO?

why I'm out there

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The land and sky are the reasons.

All that lives on the land or in the water, or moves through the air and sky are expressions of the land. To be there, to be part of it, those are my reasons.

That is all.

more alternative birding news and links to articles

During early 2008, some folks 'round the globe got started in earnest on a new effort to do birding in a different way, the "BIGBY" (big green big year). See the annual report of the BIGBY folks and their collective efforts in this pdf. Read more about BIGBY at the website, here.

On a related note, read this excellent, thought-provoking (and maybe argument-starting!) article on travel and birding/listing from The Living Bird. (Thanks to Mike McDowell for bringing this to my attention).

making paper and the birds in Canada's boreal forest

The amount of logging taking place in Canada's southern boreal forest is staggering. What effect does it have on the breeding birds that we see as migrants each spring and fall? Find out by reading this article in the online version of Audubon Magazine.

bird conservation news

Some recent American Bird Conservancy newslinks:


Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture and priority bird species in Tennessee Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Three new protected areas in the Pacific benefit seabirds and other marine life Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Some types of energy developments may impact Sage-Grouse habitat in Wyoming Tuesday, January 06, 2009 10:00:43 AM

Piping Plover protection news Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Endangered hummingbird benefits from conservation work on remote island chain Tuesday, December 30, 2008

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Here in Wisconsin, see more on the work of the Issues Committee of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative at this link. See the shorebird poster developed by the committee, as well as links to all of the existing Issues papers. One new paper will be published soon - more to come on that in a week or so.

unsustainable losses of wild parrots for illegal pet trade

Each year, wild parrots are smuggled from countries where they are captured and sold in the illegal pet trade. It is estimated that 40% of the captured birds die during shipment. Please consider writing a letter of support for ProFauna Indonesia, and to the Indonesian Government, regarding this situation. Read more here and the full report, here.

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Worldwide, the illegal sale of parrots, cockatoos, macaws, and other wild birds continues. Read more at the website of the World Parrot Trust.

See a photo of the spectacular Eclectus Parrot here.