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Meet Me at the Corner
A former newspaper reporter who has lived in Franklin for nearly 40 years, Marjorie is active in several Franklin and Hales Corners organizations.
Wehr Nature Center: It's For the Birds!
By Marjorie Pagel
Thursday, Jan 3 2008, 10:44 AM
“It’s for the birds!” To many people that expression is a put-down, but if you’re a naturalist like Bev Bryant, of the Wehr Nature Center, any place where birds gather is a place for her.
In 2006 she and her family moved to Scherrei Drive in Franklin, about two miles from Wehr. “Our house is located in a fantastic neighborhood for birds,” she wrote in the current issue of Wehr Words, a quarterly newsletter. “Being bird friendly was a criterion for us when we were house hunting . . .so we looked at any potential home from a bird’s viewpoint. Are there a variety of habitats? Mature trees? A source of water? How many yards are ‘diversity dead zones’ or worse, poison zones? Scherrei Drive got high marks on all these factors.”
Bryant told about the oak woods conservancy in her neighborhood, the natural spring and wet wood. “People say I’m lucky to live in such a place, but I insist I’m just picky. I wouldn’t live anywhere a bird wouldn’t find fit to live. In my opinion if more people choose to be so picky we might start seeing developers that include preservations and restoration of natural areas as a part of every subdivision.”
Like most birders, Bryant keeps a record of birds she sights in her yard and neighborhood. Among those she lists are Black-capped Chickadees, Cardinals, Goldfinches, House Finches, both White-Breasted and Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Orioles, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Warblers, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers -- Red-Bellied, Downy and Hairy. She and her husband have identified the hoot of the Great Horned Owl and the song of the Wood Thrush.
The Wehr Nature Center, located south of College Avenue in Whitnall Park, is 220 acres of Wisconsin at its best – its “natural” best. Following our recent snowfall, it is a photographer’s paradise. Indigenous birds like it too, so that means year round, bird watchers flock to Wehr. One excellent spot for birding is on the new Warbler Bridge, which received the Design of Excellence award two months ago from the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association (WPRA).
On February 2nd, when some people will be watching for the groundhog to surface, those who prefer to look upward will gather at Wehr for the second annual “Bird Fest: a Day Dedicated to the Birds.” From 9 to 10 a.m. there will be a program, “Getting to Know the Warblers,” followed by “Live Birds of Prey” (10:30 to 11:30 a.m.) The rest of the day will be open house at the Nature Center; there will be experts and exhibits on all aspects of birding. The last week in January there will be two more opportunities to learn about birds: the “Owl Prowl” (for adults) from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, January 25th.
Quoting from the newsletter Wehr Words: “Join a naturalist for an evening out with the owls. We will walk the woodlands of Wehr listening and looking for the Eastern Screech Owl and the great-Horned Owl. Come discover the habits and adaptations of our nocturnal neighbors an be treated to a guest appearance by Tufts, the Owl. Come prepared and dressed to spend an hour outside.”
Participants are required to pre-register; the fee for Milwaukee Country residents is $7 ($9 for out of county residents, $5 for Friends of Wehr.)The other educational event, on Saturday, January 26th, is presented by the International Crane Foundation especially for teachers who want to use the ICF curriculum, “Cranes in the Classroom.” The fee for this all-day program (8:30 – 4 p.m.) is $25. For registration information, call (414) 425-8550.
Children’s programs offered in January include “Little Wonders” for 2 and 3 year olds (Jan. 7 and 21); “Naturenauts” for children ages 4 to 6 (Jan. 13 and 14); and “Nature Wizard” for children ages 7 to 9 (January 20.) The Naturenauts will learn about foxes; the Nature Wizards will learn about animals’ tracks. [Note: The “Earthroots” program for children recently received a Silver Star Program Award in November from the WPRA.]
While photographers aim their lenses at wildlife on or near the earth, those with telescopes meet at Wehr Nature center to gaze upward. In January members of the Camera Club will meet on Saturday mornings, Jan. 12 and 19 while the Wehr Astronomical Society meets on Tues. Jan. 8, at 7 p.m.; Dotty’s Crafters meet on Wednesday, Jan. 9, and on Saturday, Jan. 12, a program called “Wild Ones” will feature natural landscaper Michael Yanny telling stories about his favorite plants.
If the Wehr Nature Center sounds like a place where you’d like to be more involved, January is the right month. Experienced volunteers will meet Jan. 7 to plan activities for 2008; new volunteers will receive orientation on Jan. 8. Those wishing to become Volunteer Naturalists will learn the basics on Jan. 14; on Jan. 28 a class for Volunteer Naturalists will focus on “The Five Kingdoms of Life.”
To learn more about the various programs offered by the Wehr Nature Center, including volunteer activities, call (414) 425-8550 or stop any day 8 to 4:30 p.m. (9701 W. College). Admission is free, though a parking fee is requested ($3 a day or $18 for a season pass.)
For more information, check these links:
http://www.county.milwaukee.gov/router.asp?docid=10375;
http://www.county.milwaukee.gov/SpecialEventsatWehrN10347.htm; and www.friendsofwehr.org
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