Coulee Region Audubon Society

Dr. Ryan Burner will give a presentation called "Adventures in Antarctica". Ryan Burner, Ph.D, Wildlife Research Biologist with the USGS in La Crosse, will give a presentation on his adventures in Antartica with Antarctic Penguins and other wildlife. The program is free and open to the public.

Dr. Alysa Remsburg & Beth Piggush will give a presentation called "From Ivory Towers to Indigenous Territories: Reimagining Land Justice". Dr. Alysa Remsburg is a Professor and Program Director of the Sustainability and Environmental Studies minor at UW - La Crosse and Beth Piggush is a Lecturer in the UW - La Crosse Environmental Studies Department. Their presentation presentation will include information and photos of the Hinukwas Native Tree Trail and discuss the concept of land justice and land-back initiatives around the country. The program is free and open to the public.

The Coulee Region Audubon Society will be holding it's Annual Meeting and Potluck on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. The potluck portion of the event will start at 6:00 PM. Potluck attendees should bring their own place setting and a dish to share. Coulee Audubon will provide juice and cups for everyone. The Annual Meeting will start at 7:00 PM. We will start with recent bird sightings and then cover chapter business including our annual election of officers and board members, a Treasurer's Report, and share upcoming events that may be of interest to everyone present. When the Annual Meeting is concluded, participants are encouraged to share their pictures of birds and nature. A laptop will be provided. Please bring your photos or a Powerpoint on a USB drive (limit of 30 photos per person please). We look forward to seeing you at this event!

The 2025 La Crosse Area Christmas Bird Count will abe held on Saturday, December 20, 2025. For this event, we will try to count as many birds as possible in a 15 mile diameter "Count Circle" that is centered on the La Crosse County Courthouse in downtown La Crosse. The circle will be divided into pre-defined sections and count teams will head out early to cover their section. We will also use the help of feeder counters - people who live and maintain a bird feeder within that count circle to count the birds that visit their yard. If you would like to help, please check out the Christmas Bird Count page of the Coulee Region Audubon Society website at: http://www.couleeaudubon.org/html/cbc.html New participants are welcome! Thanks, Dan Jackson, Compiler

The 2025-26 Audubon Program Year has started and we have a great lineup of speakers for the fall programs. Our October meeting will feature Dr. Markus Mika, UW-La Crosse Assistant Professor of Biology and Ornithology, who will give a presentation titled "Making A Living When Things Heat Up: Life History & Breeding in Flammulated Owls". For 18 years, Dr. Mika has studied populations of Flammulated Owls, a tiny insectivorous bird in northern Utah, and is observing how climate and landscape changes are impacting the forests and resources on which these owls rely. For our November meeting, Dan Jackson will give a presentation on Wisconsin's Bumble Bees. This will include a discussion of life history, identification, citizen science opportunities, and how you can make your yard more pollinator friendly. We hope that you will join us for these and the other programs of the 2025-2026 program year. Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month from September ...

It is field trip season in the Coulee Region! From Tuesday, April 29th through Sunday, May 18th, there are many birding field trip opportunities. They are on the Coulee Region Audubon Society Events Calendar, but I will include some details here too: Coulee Region Audubon and Partner Events (Free and open to all): Myrick Marsh Bird Hikes. Tuesdays April 29, May 6 and May 13 starting at 6:30 AM at the Myrick Park Center building parking lot. Hixon Forest Bird Hikes. Thursdays May 1 and May 8 starting at 6:30 at the Hixon Forest parking lot. World Migratory Bird Day at The Nature Place. May 3rd. This will include an Early Bird Marsh Hike at 6:30 and a Family Bird Hike at 9:30 as well as other activities including a raptor presentation. Family activities from 9:30 - 11:30. Wyalusing Birding Field Trip. May 15, 2025. Meet at 6:00 on the entrance road between County X and the entrance station. Wyalusing is the best birding destination in western Wisconsin and is the home to...

Our March membership meeting will feature a presentation by Steve Betchkal from Eau Claire (former Emmy-winning Journalist and birder). He will be presenting a program called “TheEvolution of Merlin”, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s birding app. It will be interesting to hear about the development of this great birding tool!

This meeting will feature a presentation by Ryan Burner, PHD who is a Wildlife Research Biologist with the USGS in La Crosse. He will give a presentation on his past work in Mongolia with the Amur Falcon.

The Coulee Region Audubon Society holds monthly membership meetings on the third Wednesday of each month from September through June (except December). These meetings are held at 7:00 PM in The Nature Place, 789 Myrick Park Drive, in La Crosse and are free and open to the public. Most of the meetings will include a discussion of bird sightings and a nature-related presentation. Our November meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, November 20th will feature Craig Thompson of the Wisconsin DNR. He will be talking about Coulee Birds - a new bird conservation group that he has helped to form in our area. We hope to see you at our meetings!

The 2024 La Crosse Area Christmas Bird Count will abe held on Saturday, December 14, 2024. For this event, we will try to count as many birds as possible in a 15 mile diameter "Count Circle" that is centered on the La Crosse County Courthouse in downtown La Crosse. The circle will be divided into pre-defined sections and count teams will head out early to cover their section. We will also use the help of feeder counters - people who live and maintain a bird feeder within that count circle to count the birds that visit their yard. If you would like to help, please check out the Christmas Bird Count page of the Coulee Region Audubon Society website at: http://www.couleeaudubon.org/html/cbc.html New participants are welcome! Thanks, Dan Jackson, Compiler

It is May 1st so it is field trip season! As in past years, the Coulee Region Audubon Society and other organizations have quite a few birding trips scheduled. These include: Myrick Marsh Bird Walks - Tuesday mornings at 6:30 AM. Meet at the base of the Rabbit Trail at the east end of the Nature Place parking lot. These run from April 30 - May 14. Hixon Forest Bird Walks - Thursday mornings at 6:30 AM. Meet at the Hixon Forest parking lot at the end of Milson Court. These run from May 2 - May 16. Nature Saturday Bird Walks - 6:30 and 9:30 AM on Saturday May 4th. Meet at the base of the Rabbit Trail at the east end of the Nature Place parking lot. There will be other activities as well including a bird of prey presenation by the River Valley Raptors education organisation. Trempealeau NWR World Migratory Bird Day Walks. 7:00 and 9:00 AM on Saturday May 11th. Part of the Trempealeau NWR World Migratory Bird Day Event. Lots of other activities as well. Meet at Trempealeau N...