Just a reminder that we have 3 field trips set for January. These include a trip to join the WSO Lake Michigan field trip on Saturday, January 7th, a Golden Eagle field trip with Scott Mehus of the National Eagle Center on Sunday, January 15th, and the Sax-Zim bog field trip on January 27-29. The Sax-Zim trip is close to capacity, but the other trips are wide open.

On Saturday, January 7th, we will meet at 4:00 am in the outer section of the Office Depot parking lot. We will then car pool to Milwaukee and intend to arrive there in time to be there for the start of the WSO Lake Michigan trip which begins at 8:00 at the South Shore Yacht Club. Trip highlights will include up to 7 species of gulls, Scoters, Harlequin, and Barrow’s Goldeneye (sea ducks), plus many other species of waterfowl. We will also venture out to Six-mile road and may see Snowy Owls, Short-eared Owls, and other neat birds. I would expect to be back in La Crosse between 8:00 and 9:00.

On Sunday, January 15th, we will leave at 11:30 am from the outer section of the Office Depot parking lot. We will then car pool to Alma where we will join Scott Mehus for a Golden Eagle field trip. We will see Golden Eagles and this trip will also meet the training requirement for the Golden Eagle Survey which will take place the following Saturday. I would expect to be back in La Crosse at about 6:00-6:30.

On the weekend of January 27-29, a group will be headed to Duluth to bird in the Sax-Zim bog. We will leave at various times on Friday with some small groups leaving in the morning, at noon, and about 5:30. I would expect to be home at 5:00 – 7:00 pm on Sunday. We will be spending quite a bit of time in the bog looking for northern specialties and may also bird in Duluth and other area hotspots. This trip is close to capacity but e-mail me if you are interested in case I have a late cancellation.

For those interested in the trips on 1/7 and 1/15, please send me an update on your plans so that I can work on logistics.

Thanks,

Dan Jackson, President
Coulee Region Audubon Society
La Crosse, Wisconsin

January 7, 2012 - Lake Michigan / WSO field trip.
Leave at 4:00 AM from Office Depot lot to meet the WSO field trip at 8:00 at the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee. This trip will include stops at the mouth of the Milwaukee River, North Point – Milwaukee, Doctor’s Park, Port Washington Harbor, Harrington beach SP, Six Mile Road – Ozaukee County, Sheboygan Harbor, and possibly Kohler / Andre SP. Targets will include waterfowl, Gulls, Snowy Owls, and more. Please e-mail Dan Jackson if you plan to attend.

January 15, 2012 – Golden Eagle Field Trip with Scott Mehus of the National Eagle Center.
Leave at 11:00 from the Office Depot lot to meet Scott at 1:00 in Buffalo City. We will spend a few hours in the hills of Buffalo County looking for Golden Eagles and other interesting birds. This trip will provide training for people who would like to participate in the annual Golden Eagle Survey on January 21, 2012. Please e-mail Dan Jackson if you plan to attend.

January 27-29, 2012 – Sax / Zim Bog field trip.
We will travel to the Duluth, MN area to visit the Sax / Zim bog and other northern birding locations. We will leave at 5:00 – 6:00 pm from a location to be announced. We will stay overnight on both Friday and Saturday nights in the Duluth area and will return about 5:00 PM on Sunday 1/29/12. The Sax / Zim bog is a bog area about 50 miles NW of Duluth, MN. It is a winter birding hotspot and a great place to find boreal forest birds and other tough-to-find birds including Great Grey Owls, Northern Hawk Owls, Boreal Owls, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers, Common and Hoary Redpolls, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Grey Jays, Black-billed Magpies, and more. On this trip, we will spend quite a bit of time in the bog and may also bird the harbor area in Duluth and perhaps even up the shore to Two Harbors. Please e-mail Dan Jackson if you would like to attend.