Spring 2024 Field Trip Schedule


When birding, we will do our best to abide by the American Birding Asociation's Code of Birding Ethics.
Click Here to review the Code of Birding Ethics.

Click here for a printable version of our 2024 field trip schedule

    Choose from more than 20 events or attend all of them!

  • All events are open to Goss Club members, friends, and the public.
  • All trips are scheduled for Saturday unless otherwise noted. Note meeting time and location. Weekly email reminders will include directions to the meeting place.
  • All events are subject to change due to reasons beyond our control such as weather, water levels, access, etc., and depending on when birds show up or leave a location. If you wonder whether something will cause the field trip to be canceled, confirm status before going by contacting the leader (see contact information in the weekly email).
  • Bring binoculars and scopes as appropriate.
  • Many areas have no restrooms.

Every Friday in Spring
April 5 - June 14
7:00 AM

FRIDAY BIRD WALKS

Meet in the parking lot of Retzer Nature Center for a 2 to 2 1⁄2 hour hike around the property. We hope to see many different birds as they migrate through or return home. We have seen 50+ species on a single hike in the past. Bring binoculars. There is NO FEE for attending. NO reservations are needed.

Saturday, March 9
7:00 AM

Phantom Lake, Mukwonago

Nick Mimier will lead us on our quest to spot and ID as many early migrants and waterfowl as are possible. Meet at Phantom Glen Park in Mukwonago, at the west end of Andrews Street, just off of Main Street. Viewing will also occur on Lake Street and then it will be determined if the trip will continue to Little Muskego Lake.

Saturday, March 16
7:00 AM

Paradise Valley and School Section Lake

Joe Ruiz will be our leader here. Meet in the parking area located at the end of Kincaid Lane, two miles west of Dousman. We will gather at the viewing platform and briefly scope for waterfowl, raptors, and early migrants before slow-walking 0.7 mile or so on level terrain out into the wetlands along old farm lanes. This is a fun and exciting location that can have many surprises.

Saturday, March 23
8:00 AM

Pewaukee Area Lakes

Meet Tim Hahn at Brewers Two Coffee Shop on Wisconsin Ave in Pewaukee, directly across the street from Pewaukee Lake. We will check out various spots on Pewaukee Lake and then move to other lakes and ponds, looking for ducks, geese, grebes, and loons. If time allows, we will also check Nagawicka, Nemahbin, and Genesee Lakes, and perhaps more.

Saturday, March 30
7:00 AM

Vernon Marsh – Figure 8 Dikes, Frog Alley Area

Meet Mike Ellery in the parking lot at the end of Frog Alley Rd., east of Hy 83. If time permits, we might also visit the Benson Ave. section of Vernon Marsh. We will be hiking a fair way for this one on uneven ground – and keep in mind, there are no bathrooms in the area. This is the largest marsh in Waukesha County and a migratory hotspot with a vast variety of waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and much more.

Saturday, April 6
7:00 PM (EVENING)

Wild Woodcock Walk – Scuppernong Prairie, Hwy N/Wilton Rd.

Mark your calendar for this EVENING event at Scuppernong Prairie. Meet Spence Stehno at the Hunter’s Parking Lot along Hwy N just south of Wilton Rd. This area is in the town of Eagle, close to Paradise Springs. Wilson’s Snipe, American Bittern, and various owls are possible, and of course, the dancing American Woodcock. This low-key field trip is a fun and entertaining event not to be missed.

Saturday, April 13
8:00 AM

Where the Ducks Are

Led by Tim Hahn. With the unique weather and migration patterns affecting waterfowl this spring, Tim will select an area that week to investigate where it appears there is strong bird action. You’ll be notified where to meet leading up to that day.

Saturday, April 20
8:00 AM

Fox River Sanctuary (E.B. Shurts building)

Meet at the city of Waukesha’s E.B. Shurts building at 810 College Avenue for this urban migrant gem of an area. From moment to moment the brushy river’s edge houses surprises of migration with flying insectivores as well as warblers arriving in good numbers. Restrooms should be open.

Saturday, April 27
8:00 AM

"Crow How" at Monches Woods

John Winze and Tim Hahn will lead us. Topography in the Monches Hills is quite hilly and can present a difficult hike for some folks, but we will be guided by John Winze, whose family owns property in the hills, lending us a “back door” entrance with fewer hills to climb! Monches Woods is a unique area containing both the Oconomowoc and Little Oconomowoc Rivers. Regular breeders include Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-winged Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, and Red-shouldered Hawk, so this is a bird hike you don’t want to miss! Parking space may be limited, so carpooling is suggested.

Tuesday, April 30
7:00 PM (Evening)

Chimney Swifts roosting at the Okauchee Old Norris School site

Watch the gathering of these flying insectivores with hundreds of birds going into the 100-year-old chimney to roost for the night during their spring migration. The building is next to the Okauchee US Post Office on Wisconsin Ave. No restrooms. Led by Spence Stehno.

Saturday, May 4
7:00 AM

The Nature Conservancy’s Lulu Lake Preserve

The preserve is located on Nature Road in Eagle. Parking is limited, so carpooling is suggested. Parking on the road is not allowed; however, if the lot is full there is a small parking lot on the west side of Nature Rd just a short distance south of the Lulu Lake entrance. Expected birds include nesting Osprey, Purple Martins, and the many migrants that pass through, including cuckoos. This area has beautiful vistas, and a great diversity of 212 birds have been seen/heard at this hotspot. The preserve paths are not always mowed, so be prepared for possibly wet grass. Mariette Nowak will lead this trip.

Saturday, May11
ALL DAY EVENT

Goss Bird Club Spring Count

Jasonn Weber is the coordinator of this annual event covering a 15-mile-diameter circle divided into many sections with leaders for each. This a great way for less-experienced birders to go out and learn from the veterans and share in our common joy of birding. This event technically starts at midnight for those birders who seek owls, and it goes until 11:59 that night – but come for whatever part you want. Most birders begin in the morning and bird until they have covered the area or run out of steam. Dinner at Spring City Restaurant, Waukesha.

If you would like to participate in the count, email Jasonn Weber (jasonnweber@gmail.com).

Tuesday, May 14
8:00 AM

Fox River Sanctuary (E.B. Shurts building)

Meet at the city of Waukesha’s E.B. Shurts building at 810 College Avenue for this urban migrant gem of an area. From moment to moment the brushy river’s edge houses surprises of migration with flying insectivores as well as warblers arriving in good numbers. Restrooms should be open.

Thursday, May 16
ALL DAY EVENT

Oconomowoc Spring Bird Count

Paula Stich will organize this event. Contact her if interested in participating. (paulabirder@gmail.com)

May 17-19

WSO Convention in Two Rivers, WI

No club events this weekend, but we encourage anyone who is interested to attend the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Convention being held in Two Rivers (Manitowoc County).
For details visit: wsobirds.org

Sunday, May 19
7:30 PM (EVENING)

Whip-poor-will Walk

Meet at 7:30 PM on Piper Rd. 1.3 miles east of Hwy 67 where the Horse Trail crosses. Anne Moretti will lead us in our quest to find Henslow’s and Grasshopper Sparrows and other crepuscular species. The chance to hear the Eastern Whip-poor-will is a special treat! In 2020 Anne and the group heard 3 and possibly 5 of them so don’t miss this one folks.

Saturday, May 25
8:00 AM

Kanow Park & Rock River in Jefferson County

Meet at Kanow Park on Rock River Road just north of Hwy 16 (west of Oconomowoc but east of Ixonia). This is a river bottom area that is often flooded, providing habitat for Prothonotary Warblers as well as numerous other warblers, vireos, and migrants. Led by Tim Hahn.

Sunday, June 2
7:00 AM

Beaver Dam Lake and Adjacent Property

Kyle Drake, a retired DNR worker and club member, will share the Beaver Dam Lake and then a large patch of mixed habitat area north of Hwy CI west of Hwy Z. It’s exciting to see what varied species lurk in this area of hardwoods, wetlands, and evergreens.

Saturday, June 8

Horicon Marsh

More details to come on the when and where for this trip. Carpooling will be available.

Saturday, June 15

Where the Birds Are

More details to come on the when and where for this event.

Friday 3PM - Saturday 3PM
June 21-22

Bio Blitz sponsored by Milwaukee Public Museum

24-hour scientific survey of the Mequon Nature Preserve property at 8200 W. Mequon Rd. With our focus on birds, we’ll work along with researchers from many other biological disciplines. Attend individually or as a group.