A BIG thanks to the dozen hard working volunteers (Walter, Josh, Gerhard, Theresa, Gene, Chris, Brian, Elvira, Tom, Sarah & Tim) who helped cull our woods Saturday in our Oak Opening party! Appreciate The Glacial Prairie Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts along with Natural Whitewater for helping promote the event. We made a big dent in opening up the canopy and preserving the large white/burr oaks and the shagbark hickory trees and helped spread some Jack-in-the-Pulpit seeds thanks to Chris and Brian.

Thanks to Liesl for the nice close-up of the bee below from the Conservancy!  Here's an update on what's been going on this summer:
1.  The second blind we hoped to have installed facing east is not done.  Conditions were too wet the entire summer for us to create a raised path to the installation site.  Hopefully this winter.
2.  Thanks to neighbor Rich for blazing a connector trail for the Inner Peace loop that goes from the original blind to the parking lot, making it possible to do the full loop without having to walk along Findlay Road.
3.  Dr. Compas and his student Ashley from UW-Whitewater have used drones to map some Phrag patches on the conservancy. I've hired Chris Mann to handle invasives (after I fell off my roof Memorial Day weekend and was laid up a bit), so the place looked a little more civilized this summer and Chris's team will work on the phrags this fall.
4.  Thanks to The Prairie Enthusiasts, we hope to partner with UW-Whitewater's Ecology program to educate students on the history and benefits of prairie burns, using the Conservancy as a training ground next spring.
5.  I didn't get many interesting pictures this summer.  Lost or had nicked two trail cams. Bummer.   Did see bald eagles nearly every visit in the north end of the woods hanging out high in the hickory and white oaks.

While the colors of fall with a preponderance of browns and greens intermingled with purple asters make the prairie seem subdued, there's a peace to promenading around. Butterflies and bees are easier to spot with less flowers in their prime and fall migrants, in particular some diverse species of sparrows, can be a draw for birders.  Enjoy!

Spring trail cam shots on the dozen wood duck boxes show far more merganser activity than that of wood ducks.  Interesting...

There's a new parking lot at the ABC - address is 1636 Findlay Road (a quarter mile south of the original sign).

World Wetland Day started on February 2, 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.    I use it as an opportunity to reflect on progress and setbacks at the conservancy over the past year through an annual newsletter.

This year, with the wickedly cold weather, I'm publishing it a few days early.   Check it out under the "About ABC" tab with the pdf link to "2018 Newsletter".

Stay warm!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays...the opportunity to show appreciation is something often overlooked in our busy lives.   On our Facebook site through November, I've been giving credit to those individuals and groups who have made the ABC a special place and without whom, it would be difficult to keep up a private conservancy.

This includes....
*   Sarah & Tim for the bench, for providing seed & for chainsaw work in the woods
*  Rich & Brenda for being the adopted "caretakers" of the conservancy, for making bluebird boxes, for hauling stuff and for letting Donny mow the trails.
*   Liesl for bluebird box monitoring
*   Bruce for the osprey nests and coordinating his UW-W classes in doing research
*   WE Energies for hanging the osprey nests
*   The Prairie Enthusiasts (among them Zach and Walter) for their chainsaw and girdling work
*   Cody and his Whitewater High School classes for building blinds and helping with signage
*  Gretchen & Mark and other NRCS and State staff for their assistance in securing funding for burns and other invasive management.
*   Byron for mowing the drumlin 
*  Aaron for eBirding the property so regularly during peak seasons (and for all eBirders who log their findings)
*   Brother Mike and wife Kathy for helping with field trips, events and in offering advice
*   The many professors and students at UW-Whitewater and UW-Madison who have used the property for research and in offering advice on our plants, hydrology, birds, herps, fens, etc.

If I have left off some people, my apologies.  My thanks to all!