Bird City - Oshkosh
The Oshkosh Bird Fest in celebration of IMBD will be held May 5; click here
Click here for a look at the highly successful 2011 Oshkosh Bird Fest and find tips for your community
The Oshkosh Bird Club now has an updated website - Click Here to link
To achieve annual certification as a "Bird City," communities need to demonstrate in a written application that they have met at least seven of 22 criteria, including three from Category 1 and one from each of the other four categories:

Became a Bird City Wisconsin for 2011 by meeting 11 basic requirements

Category 1: Creation and Protection of Habitat

x Compliance with Wisconsin's "Smart Growth" law for land use planning and resource management.

x The community has a park system with habitat for a number of species of birds. This is demonstrated by bird monitoring results and/or other data obtained from researchers or local volunteers.

x The community does not restrict "wild" or natural lawns and landscaping.

x The community contains a segment of the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail or a designated Important Bird Area.

x Some other municipal action in furtherance of habitat creation or protection.

Category 2: Participation in Programs Promoting Effective Community Forest Management

x The community is a "Tree City, USA.

Category 3: Limiting or Removing Hazards to Birds

x The community has an educational program to control free-roaming cats and/or actively publicizes the "Cats Indoors!" program.

Category 4: Public Education

x Community is represented in at least one bird monitoring program such as Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird Count, or Swift Night Out.

x Community has a program that involves schools, garden clubs, etc. in bird conservation activities.

x Some other important municipal accomplishment in this area.

Category 5: Community celebration of International Migratory Bird Day

x Community adopts resolution recognizing IMBD and organizes a local IMBD celebration.

Highlights of Oshkosh's Bird Conservation Efforts

Bird Monitoring

Counts of nesting colonial waterbirds have been conducted since 1993 at the pre-treatment basin at Millers Bay, adjacent to Menomonee Park in Oshkosh. Habitat management to encourage the nesting of herons and egrets has taken place since 2003. Among the species that have nested there and the maximum number of nests counted:
Ring-billed Gull – 15,000
Herring Gull – 78
Double-crested Cormorant – 966
Great Egret – 300
Cattle Egret – 300
Black-crowned Night Heron – 903
Yellow-crowned Night Heron – 1
Green Heron – 2

The Oshkosh Bird Club also conducts a large amount of bird monitoring, including annual May Day and Christmas counts and participates in the Great Backyard Bird Count each February.

Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail LogoGreat Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail (Click Logo left to link)

The Oshkosh-Larsen Trail Prairies site is a series of three low prairie remnants along a 4-mile segment of the Wiouwash State Trial. Notable species: Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Short-eared Owl, Sedge Wren, American Tree Sparrow.

Purple Martin Colony

In 1989, the Oshkosh Bird Club became aware of an old martin house at the Oshkosh water treatment plant on the shore of Lake Winnebago. It was in bad repair, had not been cleaned out in years and was full of house sparrow nests. However, there was one pair of martins attempting to nest in it. In 1990, Tom Ziebell repaired and painted the house and the club purchased and erected 6 plastic gourds. Three pairs of martins nested that year. Since then the club has added more houses and gourds and now has 52 possible next sites: 24 gourds and 28 apartments. In 2010, it appeared that 45 to 50 nest sites were in use.

Oshkosh Sustainability Advisory Board

One of the community’s Bird City partners has created a section on its web site devoted to making the city bird friendly. The site promotes the Cats Indoors! Campaign and provides links to Bird City Wisconsin, IMBD, Winnebago Audubon (another partner), the Wisconsin Bird Initiative (link below right), and tips on making your yard bird friendly. Conservation

Below: Canvasbacks and other ducks crowd the Lake Winnebago Shoreline as the ice retreats
(Click Photos to enlarge)

Winnebago Audubon members work on the prairies adjacent to the Wiowash Trail

Heron and egrets nest near picturesque Millers Bay
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 Bird City Wisconsin - 1111 E. Brown Deer Road - Bayside, WI 53217 - Phone (414) 416-3272 - Email Us