Birdathon to kick off birding events in May

Riveredge Nature Center’s annual spring birdathon and bandathon will be held from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 9.

Participants may come for a hike and look for and listen to as many species as possible. Binoculars are recommended.

Participants should be in the Visitor Center parking lot, where the property will be divided up and teams will set off by 6:30 a.m.

People who want to attend an owling session should be at the center by 4 a.m. For details, email Carl Schwartz at cschwartz3@wi.rr.com or (414) 416-3272.

The bandathon will start in the west parking lot. Licensed Master Bander Jana Gedymin, along with a team of skilled volunteers, will band as many birds as possible from sunrise into the afternoon, weather permitting.

Observers may stop by anytime from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Last year, 35 birds were banded representing 13 different species, including a Blackburnian warbler in stunning spring plumage and a Baltimore oriole that sang in-hand.

Visitors will have the opportunity to observe songbird capture and banding techniques up close and learn about the science behind bird banding.

For more information, email Gedymin at jgedymin@riveredge.us.

A plethora of other birding activities will be held in May by the Ozaukee-Washington Birding Coalition.

The coalition consists of the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, the Lac Lawrann Conservancy, Mequon Nature Preserve and Riveredge Nature Center.

A field trip to Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve in the Town of Grafton will be held at 7 a.m. Sunday, May 10.

Led by members of the Noel J. Cutright Bird Club, the visit to the 73-acre park at 511 High Bluff Dr. will showcase the variety of habitats in a major migration corridor.

For information, contact Carl Schwartz.

A field trip to three Restoring Lands nature preserves will be held at 6:30 a.m. Saturday May 23.

The trip will begin at the Kurtz Woods State Natural Area off Dahlia Lane between Saukville and Grafton, then travel to Bratt Woods and end at Donges Bay Gorge Natural Area.

For information, contact Carl Schwartz.