Welcome to the SEVENTH annual Green Lake Bird Festival! 

We have activities planned for ALL levels of bird enthusiasm. 

FRIDAY

The Bird Festival kicks off on Friday evening, with the ever-popular birdwatcher’s social called Birds and Brews: A Birdwatching Social in the Town Square Ballroom on April 26th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. (See HERE for details). 

SATURDAY

• 5:30 am | Birdwatching Trip to Tichora Conservancy

  • Saturday’s Festival begins with a Green Team Bird Hike—this year at the new TICHORA Conservancy (formerly Camp Grow) on the South Shore. Meet in the parking lot west of Town Square by 5:30 AM to carpool, as parking at Tichora is limited. The bird hike will go until approximately 8:00 AM. To reach Tichora Conservancy, take South Street east out of Green Lake, turn south on Hwy A for 3.6 miles, and west on HWY K. Follow it about 5 miles west to Oakwood Beach Road and turn right. Drive north toward the lake, then turn right (east) and go to the end of the road to reach the Tichora Conservancy parking lot. There is NO CHARGE for the bird hike, and extra binoculars will be available

• 8:30 am | Breakfast Social and Trip Recap at Town Square

  • Following the bird hike, the festival activities move back to Town Square in Downtown Green Lake. Coffee, juice and Renard’s FRESH cinnamon rolls and pastries will be available starting at 8:30 AM.

• 9:15 am | Welcome and Bird City Wisconsin Presentation

  • An official Welcome and Bird City presentation begins at 9:15 AM. The City of Green Lake is a recipient of this prestigious award, which honors Wisconsin communities who follow criteria that demonstrate they are bird-friendly. Mayor Jon McConnell will be present to say a few words about Bird City.

• 9:30 AM | “Why All the Fuss Over Free-ranging Cats and Wildlife?” with Stanley A. Temple

  • Beginning at 9:30 AM Stanley A. Temple, Beers-Bascom Professor Emeritus of Conservation in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be speaking on the topic of free-ranging and feral domestic cats, along with the demonstrable harm they do to native wildlife in his program entitled, “Why All the Fuss Over Free-ranging Cats and Wildlife?”. Controversy has arisen about what to about the many problems free-ranging cats create, often pitting those who care about the welfare of both wildlife and cats against those who advocate for maintaining free-ranging cat populations. Professor Temple, who has done pioneering research on cats and wildlife, will review the controversy, show where common ground exists and suggest solutions. For 32 years Stan Temple held the academic position once occupied by Aldo Leopold, and during that time he won every teaching award for which he was eligible. He is currently a Senior Fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation and has received special recognitions for his contributions to ecology and conservation from the Society for Conservation Biology, The Wildlife Society, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, the American Ornithologists' Union, the Explorer's Club, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. He has been President of the Society for Conservation Biology and Chairman of the Board of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin.

• 10:45 AM | “Aerial Predators" with Rebekah Weiss

  • At 10:45 AM, come and see LIVE birds of prey as Rebekah Weiss, CET, CWR and founder of Aves Wildlife Alliance will provide the audience with interesting facts about RAPTORS in her program entitled, “Aerial Predators”. Raptors are a highly specialized group of birds that are beautiful to watch and play a critical role in helping maintain their environments. Learn how raptors work for us and what makes them different from your usual backyard birds. Enjoy an opportunity to see some of our Wisconsin raptors up close and in living color. As the Aves staff wildlife rehabilitator, Rebekah Weiss holds a WDNR Advanced Wildlife Rehabilitation license, a USFWS Wildlife Rehabilitation License and is an Internationally Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology, Animal Physiology, and Captive Wildlife Management. She is a naturalist and an avid observer of the natural world. Aves Wildlife Alliance is a non-profit organization committed to conserving and restoring native wildlife through community outreach and wildlife rehabilitation. Their licensed and certified wildlife rehabilitator along with a dedicated team of volunteers, provide medical care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife with the goal of returning them to the wild.

• 11:45 AM | Conclusion with Tom Schultz

  • At 11:45 AM Tom Schultz, local bird expert and professional wildlife artist, will say a few parting words about his favorite subject (BIRDS) as he wraps up the morning session of the Bird Festival.

• Lunch Break

  • Participants are encouraged to have lunch Downtown in one of the nearby restaurants and then head to Caestecker Library by 1:30 pm to catch the FINAL ACT of the day.

• 1:30 pm | Presentation at Caestecker Public Library: "Purple Martins" with Dick Nikolai

  • Bird enthusiasts of Wisconsin have a long history with the purple martin, a species that has become reliant on humans for nesting throughout the country. For hundreds of years, purple martin supporters have constructed nest boxes to house these charming birds each summer. In recent decades, purple martin populations have been in decline for reasons that are not yet fully understood. DNR Wildlife Biologist Dick Nikolai spends much of his time traveling throughout the state banding purple martins on behalf of the Wisconsin Purple Martin Association and has been involved in purple martin conservation for over thirty years, banding over 20,000 martins to date. Learn about the latest conservation methods, purple martin behavior, and how you can get involved.

Green Lake Bird Festival events are FREE OF CHARGE, with no pre-registration required. This festival is a celebration of the birds that live all around us, and fulfill one of the requirements necessary for Green Lake to be officially recognized as a Wisconsin Bird City. If you have any questions about this event, call Tom Schultz at 920-960-1796.