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 conservation a priority, protecting land, writing ordinances, and educating the public on issues concerning our avian neighbors. You can learn more about the Bird City Network by visiting its website. This month: the City of Milwaukee (part 2).

It’s been a treat to share and celebrate the Bird Cities found throughout our great county. It takes a lot of dedication and time to build enough bird-friendly initiatives to become a Bird City. It takes a group of people willing to sustain those values to ensure that their neighborhood’s Bird City designation will continue for years to come. So I want to take a moment to applaud everyone in the county and the state who have committed themselves to environmental stewardship. Your work pays dividends for birds and people alike. There are so many amazing places to enjoy bird life, including six more places to round out a year of birding in the City of Milwaukee. We’ll get to part 2 of the column’s finale in a minute, but before I do that I want us to look forward.

There’s a lot to celebrate, but as with seemingly everything in life, there are still efforts to be made. We’ve presented interviews on topics ranging from keeping cats indoors to planting native pollinators to researching birds through bird banding programs. These interviews all coincide with issues the Bird City initiative cares about. That’s why our final interview will be a discussion on how to start a Bird City with Bryan Lenz, interim director of Bird City Wisconsin.

I’m hoping this article is not the true finale of the Bird City, Milwaukee County series. In time, I hope to revisit the column as Cudahy, St. Francis, West Milwaukee, Franklin, Hales Corners, and South Milwaukee join in the Bird City party! For now, let’s finish celebrating the epic-ness that is our great Bird City of Milwaukee! Last month’s column gave readers a place to bird from January through June of 2025. Here’s to closing out the last six months of birding in 2025!

July: Humboldt Park

Humboldt Park is the perfect park for beginner birders. That’s mostly due to the park’s location. It’s surrounded by a very busy section of Bay View, which attracts birds that are more comfortable living amongst humans. Birds can be easier to photograph and spot compared to areas that are more dense in foliage.

Humboldt Park is also a wonderful microcosm of bird activity throughout Wisconsin. In late winter it attracts redwing blackbirds who set up nesting territories in the park’s cattails; migratory birds find quick refuge in the lagoon during springtime. The summer is full of activity, including ducks and mallards raising their young. During this time you can also spot three different heron species, including a lone great blue heron that enjoys the park’s solitude after spending time with dozens of its kind in a nearby rookery. As fall and winter approaches, there are greater chances of seeing waterfowl. These sightings are usually brief, but they provide a lot of excitement for the park’s human visitors like local birding legend Konrad Kuchenbach.

Mallard ducklings

The park has a robust friend’s group with a plethora of educational opportunities. For kids in nearby schools, the park hosts an annual tree day. Last month, the group started a speaker series that will continue into 2025. Humboldt in Harmony will start the year with a talk from John Gurda. The late winter lineup includes talks on the importance of rain and pollinators, with plans to dive into other nature topics (including birds) as the year continues. Humboldt Park provided a great starting point for my birding and photography interests, and it would be impossible for me not to include it in this list.

An Eastern Kingbird chases away a Great Blue Heron

Anyone that makes a stop at Humboldt Park is putting themselves in a position to have a great meal. To me, Bay View is the food mecca of the city. That’s due to its endless dining options hitting with a high consistency of execution and taste. You want a New Age take on the humble sausage? The Vanguard is bar none. Up for a plate of sushi or some ramen? Well that’s just a door over at Hungry Sumo. Three Brothers brings homestyle Serbian flavors that are perfect when celebrating a big occasion. Egg & Flour is owned by a celebrity chef with creative pasta specials on the regular. There’s endless brunch, Mexican, pizza, and any-cuisine-you-can-think-of options, so spin a bottle and smack them lips onto something delicious in Bay View. You can’t go wrong.

August: Three Bridges Park & Hank Aaron State Trail

Also known as the Menomonee Valley, the area that encompasses Three Bridges Park and a portion of the Hank Aaron State Trail is the perfect place to get your birding fix if you find yourself in Milwaukee’s beloved Silver City district. The Hank Aaron State Trail—named after perhaps the most important major leaguer of them all—is vast, linking Lake Michigan to Milwaukee’s west side. The Menomonee Valley portion of the Hank Aaron Trail is adorned with colorful murals that fit alongside gorgeous views of the Menomonee River. It’s a great place to find ducks, gulls, and a medley of Wisconsin birds of prey like the Cooper’s Hawk.

Cooper’s Hawk

In many ways, last month felt like a deep dive into the Urban Ecology Center (UEC), and their third location is located here. The UEC turned a railyard into Three Bridges Park, the largest city-owned park. The 24-acre space was once heavily polluted and is now a native paradise that is one of many reasons the City of Milwaukee has the coveted “High Flyer” Bird City status. UEC hosts bird walks in the valley every Tuesday morning. You can find a complete list of events held at this location here.

You know what pairs well with enjoying nature outdoors? Enjoying nature indoors. You can walk the Hank Aaron State Trail through Three Bridges Park and arrive at the Mitchell Park Domes. The three domes are a cultural touchstone of the city and they provide a stepping stone of sorts into other areas of the world. Each dome is its flavorful biome ranging from desert and tropical to a seasonal dome that rotates theme and flower arrangements. If you haven’t been there you should go. Like the streetcar and the Public Museum before it, the Domes are in a constant state of public discussion due to their cost of upkeep. If Milwaukee had a “7 Wonders” list, the Domes would undoubtedly make the cut, and that’s worth the super cheap price of admission itself.

September: Oak Leaf Trail

The Oak Leaf Trail has been mentioned in this column countless times because it runs through the entire county. It’s back again with a proper highlight.

There are over 135 miles of trail to choose from, spread across 10 different lines. The Milwaukee River line is my personal favorite of the bunch. Nestled against the Milwaukee River, the heavily wooded trail makes for a killer birding combo. It’s a popular woodpecker and nuthatch locality and is a decent place to catch an eastern screech owl or two. You truly can’t go wrong no matter what area of the Oak Leaf Trail you hike. It’s a real boon both to birds and citizens county-wide. For myself, I’ll forever cherish the breaks it gave me during stressful periods of my college years. It’s the one area where the sounds of nature can break through the urban noise East Siders are used to.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Eastern Screech Owl

Speaking of my college years, I spent all of it in or around Riverwest, which hugs the Milwaukee River line of the trail. The neighborhood is home to both classic and fresh locales for the artistic-minded folks who call it home. I find the Oak Leaf Trail (whether I’m birding or not) has a reflective atmosphere which pairs well with one of Riverwest’s longest-running monthly events. Poet’s Monday was a Linneman’s staple during my college days in the late ’00s, and the back house of the rugged bar continues to speak words of rhythms and rhyme. Hosted every Monday of the month (with some holiday exceptions), expect a who’s who of Milwaukee’s poetry scene to be in attendance.

October: Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum

A cemetery might sound like a strange place to go birding, but believe it or not some of them are great places to observe birds and other wildlife. And hey, it’s October, so I had to pick somewhere thematic.

Forest Home Cemetery truly transcends the gimmick. The cemetery honors the dead in an old-growth forest, an increasingly rare habitat to find in our urban landscape. Species like the camouflaged brown creeper rely on these old trees for nesting spots. Forest Home is surprisingly packed in the spring months with migrating warblers, but in the fall expect to see woodpeckers, including the always fun yellow-bellied sapsucker.

Brown Creeper

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Maybe the diversity of birds shouldn’t come as a surprise. The cemetery is home to more than 100 species of trees, giving Milwaukee’s first arboretum a Level II accreditation from ArbNet. There are also plenty of pond areas for ducks to enjoy, and if you’ve learned anything from our bird-based articles it should be this: find areas of trees and water and you will find birds. One-hundred-twenty-eight species have been found here, making Forest Home Cemetery a place that honors both life and death.

Leon’s might not be in season in October, but from my money custard is a year-round treat and there’s nowhere in the state of Wisconsin (or maybe the world) that has as good of custard as Leons has. The street view alone sparks waves of nostalgia and history, and like birding Forest Home in October, Leon’s old-fashioned storefront is no gimmick. The custard is creamy and goes down easy. Unlike the other Milwaukee favorite, Kopp’s, Leon’s sticks to simplicity. The pack flavors like vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, and more with a rich nuance that has crowds lining up in the summer. In October you can forego the wait, and I guarantee your cone will be finished before your drive back home.

November: Havenwoods State Forest

Did you know Milwaukee has a state forest? Not only that, Havenwoods State Forest is the state’s only urban state forest, and it’s a beauty.

Calling Havenwoods a “forest” is a bit of a misnomer, though it has a sizable maple tree canopy. A large portion of the property is prairie and marshland, so you can expect just about any type of bird southeast Wisconsin has to offer (outside of shorebirds) to make an appearance. Eastern bluebirds, gadwall, and (the adorably small murderbird) merlins are just a few of the exciting birds that have been spotted at Havenwoods in November throughout the years.

Eastern Bluebird

Gadwall

Havenwoods is a popular destination for school groups that enjoy both outdoor and indoor activities. The forest’s education center has a large lecture hall, a few terrariums, and a wall showcasing the site’s surprising history. Overall, the forest is a tremendous community resource and an excellent location to add to your birding adventures!

Located just west of the forest is the showroom for Walthers, a model railroad company that started in Milwaukee back in 1932. Now, I know what people are going to think: “First birds. Now model trains. Kyle, do you have to update your author photo, because I’m pretty sure you’re 60 years old?” I swear I’m just an old soul, but also… the showroom at Walthers is totally cool no matter who you are. They have a giant diorama that fills the entryway, and the details will have you there longer than you’d expect. It’s a bit of marvel, and hey, the company is nearing 100 years old. Gotta give any local company that chugs along that long some flowers.

December: Lakeshore State Park

If I wanted to tie Summerfest in I’d say go to Lakeshore State Park in the summer, and you’d still have a great time birding there because it’s a year-round hotspot. However, this is a birding column, and prime birding at Lakeshore State Park is in the winter. Why? Waterfowl of all sorts congregate in the area, so it becomes the best spot in the whole county to experience a variety of duck species. More than that, this is the best place to spot wintering snow buntings, and one of the few spots in the county where people spot snowy owls. I haven’t seen one yet, but it happens occasionally… usually when I’m not in town, like this past November. (I’m not bitter…)

Female Long Tailed Duck

American Coot

I really don’t want to sell Lakeshore State Park short, because it is a true crystal on the shores of Lake Michigan and one of the absolute best places to find fleeting rare birds, like the Lapland Longspur. You have some of the greatest views of the city all while being surrounded by prairie and water. It’s a great morning walk whose location makes it a perfect stopover site for rare birds across taxonomies. There are even maintained nest boxes for house wrens and tree swallows. Who doesn’t like cute little wrens?! That, and at different points in time there are piles of Canada geese… but piles of Canada geese WITH the Milwaukee Art Museum in the background. Is there a better capper to this series than that?!

Lapland Longspur

Canada Geese

As for an activity to pair with it, I say just have a whole downtown Milwaukee day! Both Discovery World and the Milwaukee Art Museum are a stone’s throw away. The Milwaukee Public Market and Betty Brinn Children’s Museum are around a 20-minute walk. So is everyone’s favorite Milwaukee thing to bitch/chirp about: The Hop streetcar. The nice thing about The Hop? It can take you anywhere you want downtown, just so long as that’s east of the Milwaukee River. So take in a show or go check out the Bronze Fonz. Most importantly, like any good day of birding, the goal is to enjoy and take in what’s ahead of you. There’s a lot to enjoy good ‘ol downtown Milwaukee!

Q&A With Bryan Lenz, Bird City Network Director and Glass Collisions Program Director for American Bird Conservancy

Milwaukee Record: Before we dive in, I’ve been looking into it, and am I right in saying Wisconsin kind of originated the Bird City program?

Bryan Lenz: Yup. In 2009 there was something called the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership. They had an Urban Habitat subcommittee and someone in that committee said “Hey, you know Tree City USA is doing pretty well. We could do a Tree City for birds where we could ask a lot more than what Tree City asks for, where we put things in different subcategories that cover different issues.” The program was once a part of the Milwaukee Audubon Society and it moved over to the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory, which covers the program today. The whole time the goal was to run it in Wisconsin, and the first director, Carl Schwartz, drove to every bird and garden club meeting that would have him to build a groundswell of support.

But on the side, other states were like “What are they doing over there?” and now it’s spreading. There are nine state programs, with more on the way, and we’ve got programs in Mexico and Colombia with others in Latin America and the Caribbean on the way.

MR: That’s incredible.

BL: It’s good and I’m excited to see where it all goes.

MR: My goal with interviewing you is to help people who are in a city or village that isn’t a bird city but would like to make that happen.

BL: Bird City is designed around the premise that there are a lot of people that don’t like what they see around them with bird populations declining, but feel like “What can I do?” because it can feel daunting. So I like to think of Bird City as a guide to actions that you can take within your area that can be vetted by an expert. You don’t have to be a PhD ecologist to go and do this stuff. The actions on a list aren’t always something that one person can do themselves, but one person could go to their forester to have them take action, or one person could go to a town board to pass and adopt a new policy or make a rule change. Or you start working with teachers and librarians to do more education, and we have a package of things that you take to make that happen. Just doing that process builds a community of people, and that’s a really cool aspect.

MR: And it seems like you’re pretty flexible.

BL: We’re trying to meet people where they are. You can look at our website and see that we have four categories of priorities, and within those categories there’s a lot of options and flexibility. Just reading the categories is an educational experience. So you might do your 12 to 15 goals to achieve Bird City status, but you’ve read the rest so a year down the road when an opportunity comes up you can say “Wait, I’ve read about this. If we use all native plants instead of a mix it’ll be better for birds and we can get another (Bird City) point.”

The website is a great place to go and look for instructions. And we’re coming up with PDFs and videos that will help with people who have meetings (with city officials, etc).

MR: So are people doing these tasks and then applying, or are they reaching out to Bird City before they get started?

BL: It’s happened both ways, but you do have to talk to Bird City at least once within the process. I’ve had applications that have three word answers for each question, so those are people that we need to talk to help them through the process. Sometimes we get an application and it’s just perfect. And of course there’s everyting in between those extremes.

MR: Once a community gets involved, what do they need to do to keep renewing their Bird City status?

BL: We have an annual renewal. You have to do a World Migratory Bird Day event every year and there’s a whole range of things in between that. Some actions provide long lasting credits, and some are yearly. Take for instance, getting a speaker at your local library. If you did that once in 2015 it’s not something that rolls over. You’d only get Bird City credit if you brought a speaker in every year. If you took a three-acre parking lot and turned it into a grass prairie, you wouldn’t have to do something like that every year. That’s a big thing, so the credit would roll over for several years, right? There’s a whole range of action items and we review them item by item with your your yearly application and application fee.

On the public side of it we’ve made the actual process of filling out the forms as painless as possible. Your application from last year is saved, so it makes filling out this year’s form easier, and stuff like that. I don’t want people spending a minute more than they need to filling out applications.

MR: What’s cool about this program is that I think everyone has at least a little love for birds, and people can take that passion and turn it into action that goes beyond their backyard. You’re able to shape governmental policy and your community in ways that on paper might feel small, but in reality they’re powerful.

BL: I agree. The other thing is that there’s public recognition for your community so people listen to those asks differently. Everybody would like to see a Bird City status for their community. People like to feel good about the place they live in. People like to work to make that kind of thing happen. There’s a study that looked at the number of bird species you’ve got and property values, and tree canopies and their relationship to mental health. The more greenspace you have the better people do. These things that help birds help people too, and it’s just a reminder of that.

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