Author: Kyle Arpke

Bird City, Milwaukee County: Signs of life in Greenfield

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. ...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 6)

Kyle Arpke

September 23, 2022

Chapter 6: Reaching the halfway mark during a dreary day in Central Wisconsin I teased fall migration in Chapter 5, and while it might not fully feel like fall here in Milwaukee, the leaves have begun to chang...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 5)

Kyle Arpke

September 9, 2022

Chapter 5: The Good, The Bad, and the Outagamie The Wisconsin Society of Ornithology’s list of best bird haunts became a crucial resource during my last bird outing. I continued to utilize it as we head into f...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 4)

Kyle Arpke

August 26, 2022

Chapter 4: Cranes and Lifers During the Dog Days of Summer When I last wrote, I briefly mentioned summer can be a difficult time of year for birding. Increased temperatures and humidity paired with molting sea...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 3)

Kyle Arpke

August 12, 2022

Chapter 3: Iowa by way of Iowa County Last time, I traveled all the way to the Mississippi River in search of eagles, kestrels, and other winged-wonders. Today’s entry takes us back to the Mississippi River, d...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 2)

Kyle Arpke

July 29, 2022

Chapter 2: Birding, Banding, and the Beauty of Magic Hour on the Mighty Mississippi In my last column, I mentioned my love of North America’s smallest bird of prey, the American Kestrel, during my time at Will...

Wisconsin Birding Challenge 2022: Exploring every county in the state (Chapter 1)

Kyle Arpke

July 22, 2022

Chapter 1: Issuing a New Year's Resolution...In Summer I have a tendency to overdo things. It’s a trend that started back in high school. While others used senior year to slack off, I used it to create a ba...

Migrating warblers, others bring a world of color to Milwaukee’s spring landscape

Kyle Arpke

May 24, 2022

If you've spent time outdoors within the last couple of weeks, you might have seen tiny flashes of bright color frantically darting around trees and brush piles. If you're lucky enough to see one of those flash...

Author Kyle Arpke