Author: Kyle Arpke

Changing of the Feathers: Summer is for subtlety

June 11, 2026

Changing of the Feathers is a quarterly series detailing the ebb and flow of Milwaukee's seasonal bird life. You can view previous entries HERE. Domestic Routine For humans, summer marks a period of movement....

Changing of the Feathers: Long live the spring

Kyle Arpke

April 13, 2026

Changing of the Feathers is a quarterly series detailing the ebb and flow of Milwaukee's seasonal bird life. When The City Comes To Life Nothing beats that first warm walk of the year. Lungs free from frigid ...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Milwaukee birding by the month (pt. 2) and becoming a Bird City

Kyle Arpke

December 18, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Milwaukee birding by the month (pt. 1) and bird banding

Kyle Arpke

November 20, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Let’s talk about trees (and more): Humboldt In Harmony speaker series begins tonight

Kyle Arpke

November 12, 2024

Humboldt Park Friends (HPF) has a long-standing tradition of preserving the natural elements that make the Bay View park special. Over the last decade and a half, Milwaukee has encountered many problems conc...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Brown Deer and Lights Out

Kyle Arpke

October 23, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Whitefish Bay and the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin

Kyle Arpke

September 25, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Exploring and advocating for birds in Wauwatosa

Kyle Arpke

August 21, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Fox Point, and drinking coffee with a purpose

Kyle Arpke

July 25, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: River Hills, Lynden Sculpture Garden, and residential birding

Kyle Arpke

June 26, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Shorewood has nature preserves, yoga cafes, warblers

Kyle Arpke

May 15, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Signs of life in Greenfield

Kyle Arpke

April 24, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Touring the parks of Glendale (and keeping cats indoors)

Kyle Arpke

March 20, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Exploring the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in the Village of Bayside

Kyle Arpke

February 21, 2024

Bird City, Milwaukee County is a monthly column celebrating the 11 cities, towns, and villages that have achieved Bird City status within Milwaukee County. Citizens of these locations have made bird conservatio...

Fall signals bird migration season in Wisconsin

Kyle Arpke

September 28, 2023

With changing leaves and wish-washy weather, fall is officially here, which means it’s bird migration season on the Mississippi Flyway. Many birds are leaving the state for a sunny siesta. Others make a trek fr...

Flamingos…in Wisconsin?

Kyle Arpke

September 22, 2023

There are Flamingos in Wisconsin! Yes, you read that right: Flamingos. In. Port Washington. Wisconsin. Earlier today I got an out-of-the-blue text message (shout-out to Smitty Smith from Fire Ridge Golf Club...

The rarest bird to ever venture to Wisconsin is currently in the region

Kyle Arpke

May 1, 2023

My wife let out an audible gasp as we pulled up to Cudahy’s Sheridan Park on Sunday. Dozens upon dozens of cars filled the streets. “Don’t worry. There’s gotta be something else going on," I remarked. "There's ...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (The Final Chapter)

Kyle Arpke

December 24, 2022

Chapter 9: The Richland Resolution In July, I challenged myself to bird in all 72 of Wisconsin’s counties before the end of the year. By the beginning of December, I had birded all but nine of them. After mont...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 8)

Kyle Arpke

December 5, 2022

Chapter 8: Fall Turns To Winter As One Last Obstacle Is Created My efforts in Chapter 7 place me within striking distance of reaching my goal, but I’m not finished yet! There are still 17 counties to go, with ...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 7)

Kyle Arpke

October 24, 2022

Chapter 7: The Gauntlet I’m anxious. Ever since starting this journey during summer, I’ve felt behind, and for good reason...I am behind! Note to self and to others: don’t give a year-long project six months. ...

Author Kyle Arpke