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Bird & Nature Adventures

Turville Point Bird & Nature Outing with Chuck Henrikson

Discover nature by foot, paddle or pedal or pontoon in a Bird & Nature Adventure!

Bird & Nature Adventures are 90-minute, easy-paced, walking tours and periodically offered as a pedal -- biking adventure or a paddle. Most meeting locations and times are the same each month, but can occasionally change, as does the topics each month. Be sure to check the individual calendar event under “Upcoming Events” to confirm the meeting location and other details.

Day of the Month Time Location (Click link for additional park information.)
1st Saturday 2:30 - 4pm Tenney Park Beach
1330 Sherman Ave.
Exact meeting location may vary. See event listing.
1st Sunday 1:30 - 3pm Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park, North
6098 N. Sherman Ave.
Meet at the end of the gravel road, near the restroom building.
2nd Saturday 2:30 - 4pm Owen Conservation Park
6021 Old Sauk Rd.
2nd Sunday 1:30 - 3pm Turville Point Conservation Park
1202 Olin-Turville Ct.
Meet at the Turville Point parking lot, entrance at E. Olin Ave. stoplight.
3rd Saturday 10 - 11:30am Starkweather Creek Area
Meeting location varies; see event listing.
3rd Sunday 1:30 - 3pm Warner Park
2930 N. Sherman Ave.
4th Saturday 10 - 11:30am Edna Taylor Conservation Park
Meet at Aldo Leopold Nature Center, 330 Femrite Dr.

Bird & Nature Adventures happen year-round, in rain, snow or shine. Events are always family-friendly and free to attend. No registration is required. Participants are asked to dress appropriately for the weather and the outing. Binoculars and cameras are welcome. Pets are not allowed.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Paul Noeldner (608) 698-0104. See Madison Friends of Urban Nature for additional locations, including Pheasant Branch Conservancy and UW Lakeshore Preserve, adventure topics and educational tools. See Madison Parks Foundation to help support the Friends of Urban Nature.

Upcoming Events

  • Saturday, April 6, 2024
    2:30 - 4pm

    Bird & Nature Adventures | Tenney Park

    Migration Magic Walk ~ Join Naturalist Paul Noeldner to look for and learn about migrating Spring birds and their travel stories. Tenney Park provides a popular 'rest stop' for birds heading north. We will take a walk to look and listen for Robins chirping in trees, Cardinals singing territorial songs, and Canada Geese resting on the water and honking in V 's overhead. How far did they go … Read more

  • Sunday, April 7, 2024
    1:30 - 3pm

    Bird & Nature Adventures | Cherokee Marsh, North

    Be a Forager-Steward ~ Join Naturalist Kathlean Wolf for a free family friendly nature hike to look for the amazing variety of natural sources of food, micronutirents, medicine and other uses. Learn about their importance to wildlife and to people over history, how to do responsible human foraging where permitted, and ways to grow your own! Please note that no foraging is permitted in … Read more

  • Saturday, April 13, 2024
    2:30 - 4pm

    Bird & Nature Adventures | Owen

    Pasture to Prairie Walk ~ Join Naturalist Eva Roos and retired Conservation Manager Si Widstrand to enjoy seeing the restored prairies and learn about their human and ecological history. Can you still see stone fence rows and other signs of old farm fields? Nature is healing this area as native prairie plants again take root and bloom tall and beautiful.Explore Owen Conservation Park on … Read more

  • Sunday, April 14, 2024
    1:30 - 3pm

    Bird & Nature Adventures | Turville Point

    Looking for Ephemerals ~ Join Naturalist Alex Singer or take a walk on your own to look for Spring Ephemerals at Turville Point. Trilliums and other beautiful early wildflowers take advantage of available sunlight before trees and bushes fully leaf out and provide important sources of nectar for bees before other plants bloom. Try using the Seek app to take a photo and help identify what you … Read more

  • Saturday, April 20, 2024
    10 - 11:30am

    Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area

    Help Creek Cleanup ~ Help beautify the incredible natural Starkweather Creek Corridor winding through the middle of the east side of Madison from Lake Monona to MATC and East Town! Join Friends of Starkweather Creek to help with cleanups by canoe and on land. Some canoes, vests and paddles will be provided or bring your own if you have them and meet to join walking cleanups with groups along … Read more

  • Sunday, April 21, 2024
    1:30 - 3pm

    Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park

    Find Spring Ephemerals ~ Join Naturalist Alex Singer for a free family friendly walk on easy paths at Warner Park to enjoy the return of Spring! Ephemerals are flowers that bloom in woodlands while trees are still bare and sunlight reaches the ground. Warner Woods is reportedly the oldest uncut woods in Madison and it still harbors a variety of beautiful native wildflowers. Can you find the … Read more

  • Saturday, April 27, 2024
    10 - 11:30am

    Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor

    Do You Hear a Frog? ~ Join Naturalist Doug Davis for a guided walk to look and listen for new life in Spring! Do you hear a frog? Did you see a Robin? Are the Sandhill Cranes calling? Bring binoculars or a camera if you have one.Join a naturalist for an easy family-friendly walk from Aldo Leopold Nature Center into beautiful Edna Taylor Conservation Park and enjoy a bit of nature education … Read more

  • Sunday, April 28, 2024
    12 - 4pm

    Bird & Nature Festival 2024

    The 2024 Bird & Nature Festival is a free, family-friendly event celebrating Madison Bird City, Arbor Day and Earth Day. See live birds by Open Door Bird Sanctuary and visit nature displays throughout the day. Plan 30-45 minutes for your visit anytime between 12 and 4 pm, during this ongoing event.All ages welcomeFree admissionRestrooms available inside the shelterFree parkingSee, Do, … Read more