St Croix Valley Bird Club

About Us

The St. Croix Valley Bird Club of Wisconsin brings together birders who wish to enhance and share their knowledge and enjoyment of birds, while supporting habitat conservation. 

Members hone their birding skills with the support and camaraderie of other enthusiasts. 

Join us at our next meeting or event and consider becoming a member.

NEW: A Bird Friendly Coffee link next to the HOME link in the menu bar above.

TWO EVENTS, SAME DAY!

1) Please join us this coming Saturday for our monthly bird hike!

When: Saturday, Sept 12th, 8:00-10AM
Where:  CNC-WI campus, Visitor Center location. Meet in the parking lot.
Address: 279 South Cove Rd, Hudson, WI. Click HERE for the map.

Forecast: Partly cloudy, temps 60s, light NW breeze - perfect early fall morning for a hike! 

CNC & SCVBC members are free. For others, a donation of $5.00 is appreciated. 

Remember to bring your binoculars! Hope to see you there!
2) Tropical Wings has its Autumn Migration Celebration, same place, with bird hikes beginning at 7 AM (versus our 8 AM). Here's the poster for all the details. 

Alyssa DeRubeis, a birder extraordinaire, world traveler, bird bander, and an expert on Sparrow ID! We will again meet in North Hall Auditorium, AKA Room #222, located on the 2nd floor. Attached is a campus map. North Hall is building 17. Parking lots A and Q are free on weekends, but parking lot "Pay 1," which is in the same general area as Q lot, is pay by space at the rate of $1 per hour. There is also usually plenty of free parking on the side streets on the weekends as long as people obey the signs - some sides of the streets are for residential permit holders only.

The benefit of planting natives in your landscape, read HERE for a summary of the success in Doug Tallamy's yard. 

If you're unfamiliar with his name, he's the author of several important books about planting natives in our backyards. See below for a partial list. Every one of them is a gem.

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
Introduces the foundational idea that many insects and wildlife depend entirely on the native plants with which they evolved. Non-native & ornamental plants often fail to support the same web of life (insects → birds → etc.). It blends science, field observations, and practical gardening advice. You’ll take away a clearer understanding of why native plants are ecologically essential; tools for identifying & planting natives; inspiration for small-scale changes (even in suburban yards) that have outsized effects.

Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
Builds on Bringing Nature Home, scaling up. Tallamy argues that because so much land is privately owned (lawns, home gardens, etc.), homeowners collectively have the power to become conservation actors. He proposes the idea of a “Homegrown National Park”: a network of native‐plant habitat patches across private lands. Topics include connectivity, non-native plant issues, yard-scale habitat, and cultural shifts in how we understand landscaping. You’ll take away motivation to think beyond individual plants and toward networks, policy, and culture; practical tips on what makes habitat patches effective; examples of transformations that ordinary people have made.

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
Focuses in depth on oak trees, their ecology, importance to insects (especially caterpillars), birds, mammals, etc. Tallamy shows how a single oak can support hundreds of species and explores why supporting keystone trees like oaks can multiply the benefits across your property and beyond You’ll take away A deeper appreciation for native keystone trees; helps inform planting/design decisions (which trees to favor, how to support them); encourages long-term thinking: trees are slow, but their payoff is enormous.

How Can I Help?: Saving Nature with Your Yard
Tallamy’s most recent work. It’s a question-and-answer style book addressing many of the concrete, common concerns people have: what to plant, what to remove, how to manage invasives, how to reduce lawn without sacrificing beauty, etc. It serves as a practical guide for next steps in ecological landscaping, bridging the gap between “I believe this is important” and “Here’s exactly what I can do.” You’ll take away practical tools and confidence to take the next step in making your landscape a functional ecosystem, no matter your starting point.