Spring Migration

 By: Alex Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Writing Intern

The first day of spring was on March 19th, and as we move toward the season of new beginnings, the world around us begins to change in many ways. The weather gets warmer, animals are coming out of hibernation, and flowers begin to blossom. Birds are an interesting group of animals to view during this changing time, which is made easier due to spring migration. If you’re looking for a place to take an exploratory bird hike, test your knowledge on our hiking trails or sign up for a guided bird hike on our program calendar to witness these changes for yourself! 

During the spring, birds begin to migrate back north from their southern adventure to grace us with their presence. Among the first to arrive in the north are many waterfowl, such as ducks, geese, cranes and swans, according to Kenn Kaufman from the National Wildlife Federation. In southern states, this process begins earlier, but in Wisconsin, migration typically occurs from late March to early May. 

Nesting and courting also begins with the arrival in the spring, as male birds come first to claim their nesting territories. Our Citizen Science Center has been busy watching the bird feeders during their weekly bird banding sessions, and participating in local bird hikes and crane counts as they observe the return of our feathered friends. Our AmeriCorps Avian Field Technician, Luke Trittlewitz, shared information: “The males begin singing and the females will choose a male based on how well they sing, court, and the location they have selected and defended for the breeding season.”

Donna L. Long’s “Spring Bird Migration for Beginning Birders” provides great information for beginning birdwatchers interested in spring migrations. Long says that songbirds fly by night and rest, eat, and sleep during the day. They can be spotted where they rest, which can be anywhere from forests to feeders in your backyard. If you are more interested in spring migration and birdwatching, check out our program calendar for upcoming gatherings! We have events on bird watching and bird banding, where you will have a fun experience learning about birds and connecting with nature.  

Free Events, in the Spirit of Sustainability!

By: Alex Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Writing Intern

Happy Earth Day! It seems that spring is finally upon us. Now that it has warmed up outside, do you find yourself wanting to go out and explore? Well, look no further, Beaver Creek has you covered. As part of our Earth Month celebration during the month of April, we are invested in providing and hosting activities for the community to participate in, which will entertain and educate those who attend. Events that we are hosting coming up at the end of this week include the Earth Extravaganza, Bird Banders Thrift Sale, and Earth Week Open House!

Earth Extravaganza & Bird Bander Thrift Sale

When? April 20, 10am-3pm. Where? Beaver Creek Reserve, S1 County Rd K, Fall Creek. Cost? The event is FREE to attend, with no registration required, thanks to our many sponsors. For those who are interested, guests are welcome and encouraged to take part in building Bluebird boxes, the fee is $15 per box, which includes the tools, supplies, and instruction. 

During the Earth Extravaganza event, you can help us celebrate Earth Day by exploring Beaver Creek with family or friends. Connect with nature while you take a walk on our hiking trails and learn about plants, animals, and pollinators. Browse through our thrift sale to help promote sustainability! All proceeds go to our Avian Monitoring Program.

Earth Week Open House

When? April 25, 4pm-8pm. Where? The Brewing Projekt, 1807 N Oxford Ave, Eau Claire. Cost? FREE, no registration required. Earth Week Open House is an event where you can learn about the basics of sustainability from the 40+ vendors. Explore booths, learn about sustainability, and win prizes!

Earth Week Open House is being hosted by Beaver Creek Reserve, JONAH Environmental Task Force, and Eau Claire County Office of Recycling and Sustainability. We encourage everyone to celebrate Earth Day with us in the spirit of sustainability. See you there! 

Extra Earth Day Activities!

If you can’t make it to Earth Extravaganza and Earth Week Open House, here are some other alternative activities to participate in to celebrate Earth Day:

• Get outside! Monday April 22 is the LAST DAY for FREE parking at ALL Eau Claire County Parks and FREE admission to Beaver Creek Reserve!

• Submit a photo to our Earth Week Photo Contest (see website)

• Stop by Red Fern Café in Fall Creek after your visit to Beaver Creek and show your admission sticker for .50 cents off your drink!

• Pick up a bag of trash, take a selfie, and show your picture at Red Fern Café for a FREE drink!

• Donate your unwanted metal clutter to Alter Metal Recycling in Eau Claire! 100% of the value of the metals you drop off through April 30 will be donated back to Beaver Creek Reserve and MATCHED!
  

A special thanks to our sponsors for the Earth Extravaganza and Bird Banders Thrift Sale:

• City of Eau Claire

• Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce

• Eau Claire County Parks & Forest

• Eau Claire Energy Cooperative

• Eco-Minded

• Festival Foods

• Mayo Clinic Health System

• Paint Creek Nursery

• Scheels

• Xcel Energy

Earth Day is All Month Long at Beaver Creek!

By: Alex Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Writing Intern

Here at Beaver Creek Reserve, we love to celebrate everything nature! So much so, that celebrating Earth Day on a single day is hardly enough, which is why we celebrate Earth Day all month long! During this time we host weekly events with the chance to win prizes, and introduce eco-friendly programs to inform the community on various different topics ranging from bird and plant identification to making paint out of natural materials. 

Earth Day is all about bringing attention to our environment and finding new ways to support our planet. Ever since 1970 when Wisconsin governor Gaylord Nelson founded the holiday, Earth Day has been bringing people together in order to concentrate on improving the quality of the environment. One simple thing anyone can do to help the environment is taking sustainable actions. Sustainable actions are anything that prevents more waste and pollution from entering our environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sustainability is “everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.” 

Some easy tasks you can do to be more sustainable:

• Reduce waste by using more eco-friendly products, such as metal straws, cloth napkins, and reusable shopping bags
• Save Energy by turning off and unplugging extra appliances
• Reduce pollution by carpooling with friends and coworkers 
• Recycle, by recycling you reduce the amount of garbage in landfills

These practices are an easy, good start to becoming more sustainable and, in turn, helping improve our environment not just during Earth Month, but all year. If you want to learn more about Earth Day, you can visit Earth Day’s website, which provides a more extensive history of the holiday. Visit our event calendar to see what events we are hosting for Earth Day this month. 

A great way to learn about what eco-friendly vendors are in the Chippewa Valley is our
 Earth Week Open House event co-hosted by Beaver Creek, JONAH Environmental Task Force, the Eau Claire County Office of Recycling and Sustainability and the Brewing Projekt. 

Morning at the Feeders

By: Alex Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Writing Intern

Looking to increase your bird identification knowledge? Consider signing up for one of our Morning at the Feeders program! This program is hosted by our Citizen Science & Education Director, Jeanette Kelly, and our AmeriCorps Avian Field Technician, Luke Trittlewitz. As the temperatures increase and we get closer to spring, less birds are coming to the feeders. This is due to food being  easier to find naturally. However, we can still see a large variety of other bird species that visit our feeders!

During the program, attendees are provided with binoculars to use and a bird book to reference. Luke assisted in pointing out the birds, and gave tips on different ways to identify them.  Three of the species that were popular at feeders during the last program were different species of woodpeckers; Hairy woodpecker, Downy woodpecker, and Red-bellied woodpecker. Hairy and Downy woodpeckers look very similar, except the Downy woodpecker’s beak is about half as long as its head, whereas the beak of the Hairy woodpecker is twice as long. 

Other birds that made an appearance at the feeders were Blue jays, Mourning doves, Northern cardinals, American goldfinches and Dark-eyed juncos. At Beaver Creek Reserve, we also see a lot of American goldfinches, and they are the most common bird that is banded here during our weekly bird banding on Tuesdays. If you’re interested in attending our next Morning at the Feeders program or any of our other bird related events, visit our program calendar for upcoming opportunities!