$900
Raised of $300
Based on 20 estimated number of bird species seen each worth $45
Nickie G
Fundraiser Profile
47/20 number of bird species seen
Participating in Great Wisconsin Birdathon 2026
Apr 15 - Jun 15, 2026
Team Captain of FEC Songbird Squad
Support the FEC Songbird Squad in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon!
Hello!
I am participating to support the preservation of our neighborhood forest. This little patch had been ignored and was difficult to access my whole life, but over the last number of years local volunteers have been clearing buckthorn, creating accessible trails, and hosting educational opportunities for children and adults. The surrounding land has also been getting lots of love and restorative attention- and the wildlife is bounding back!
By donating to my page, you're supporting the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin's Bird Protection Fund, which funds Wisconsin's highest priority bird conservation projects. A portion of what we raise will also go directly to the Forest Exploration Center, helping our local birds and our neighborhood forest!
Your support would mean a lot to me. Help our team protect our wild spaces and wild critters. Every dollar counts when it comes to helping our birds, so no donation is too small. Thank you for considering!
Make a donation online by clicking "donate" above, or mail a check to: Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, ATTN: Great Wisconsin Birdathon, 211 S. Paterson St., Suite 100, Madison, WI 53703 (and include our team's name in the memo line!)
Nickie G
1 wk. ago
9
number of bird species seen
$45
Per bird species seen
$405
Earned
Our final early a.m. expedition yielded 9 more new ones for me. Mine seen were: Willow flycatcher
Phoebe
Barn swallow
Orchard Orioles (working on their nest using cottonwood fluff)
2 tom turkeys and 1 sneaky hen
Heard were: Red eyed vireo
Grey catbird
Scarlett tanager
Wood thrush
Other birds we saw but have already been counted were 2 flickers, lots of robins on active nests, ruby throated hummer, yellow throats, pewee, Baltimore oriole, blue jay, 3 red tail hawks, cardinal, grackle, and the sora is maybe nesting in the middle of the parking lot pond.
Nickie G
2 wk. ago
2
number of bird species seen
$45
Per bird species seen
$90
Earned
Took a bike ride as the sun was setting and EVERYBODY in the feathered world was out in force! I heard and saw lots of song sparrows and a northern Mockingbird!
Otherwise many of the ones I've already noted like a grosbeak, greater crested flycatcher, and savanna sparrows. (Closer to Hoyt was a catbird and sadly I found a dead least bittern next to the parking lot of Sanctuary Wood- but not FEC, so not counted.)
Nickie G
2 wk. ago
11
number of bird species seen
$45
Per bird species seen
$495
Earned
Alrighty! Today I lost track of time all by my lonesome out there. I saw or heard 11 new-to-me birds for the Birdathon.
I saw:
rose breasted grosbeak
house sparrow
cedar waxwing
red bellied woodpecker
turkey vulture
great crested flycatcher
white breasted nuthatch
(and FINALLY actually SAW the sora! But she was already on my list, so she don't count.)
I heard:
Baltimore oriole
common yellowthroat
cardinal
eastern wood pewee
I also visited with a bunch of FEC humans. Talked up the birdathon's fundraising aspect, so hopefully a few of those folks come through for us.
Nickie G
1 mo. ago
3
number of bird species seen
$45
Per bird species seen
$135
Earned
Last evening the new-for-me sightings were bluebirds, an especially melodic goldfinch, and what I've been told was a black-throated green warbler. The group saw a number more but I've either already checked them or don't feel I caught a good enough glimpse to count. After the rest of the team left, I pulled a TON of garlic mustard til my back ached and spent quality time with a little toad buddy as well as a mystery pond-dweller with a darling call.
Donations 14
Your Donation Makes a Difference For Birds
Donations made to the Great Wisconsin Birdathon support the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin’s Bird Protection Fund, which has given out over $1.4 million towards Wisconsin’s highest priority bird conservation projects since its inception in 2009.
Whether it's creating Piping Plover habitat, rearing Whooping Crane chicks, spreading awareness about declining songbirds, supporting community initiatives for bird-friendly neighborhoods, engaging new and underrepresented voices in the birding community, building impactful collaborations to protect Wisconsin's Important Bird Areas, or protecting our neotropical migrants on their long migratory journeys to Central America... the Bird Protection Fund is there to help.
Your donations make this work possible. Thank you for supporting on-the-ground conservation and being there #ForTheBirds!