NRF’s Great Wisconsin
BIRDATHON REPORT 2026
The Birdathon’s 15th anniversary and a record fundraising total for critical conservation projects
ROBERT HAASE
2026 Bird of the Year: the trumpeter swan
$ 132,700+
raised for Wisconsin's birds!
HIGHLIGHTS
Discover team stats, species found, the projects being funded this year, and more highlights from our 2026 Birdathon in this report.
“A very enjoyable and educational challenge, and fun!” —2026 Birdathon participant
660+
birders across Wisconsin
83
incredible teams
$ 284
$132,736
bird species spotted
raised for bird conservation
PHOTO COURTESY OF GATHERING WATERS
The Great Wisconsin Birdathon continues to raise critical funds for Wisconsin’s birds. We raised $132,736 for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin's Bird Protection Fund—a new Birdathon record! We’re grateful for all our birders, donors, and sponsors who joined together to protect and conserve our native bird populations.
BIRDING FOR A CAUSE Over the past 14 years, the Great Wisconsin Birdathon has soared to new heights, raising more than $1.2 million for NRF's Bird Protection Fund! These funds help fuel Wisconsin's highest-priority bird conservation projects. Birdathon participants flock together to protect birds throughout their life cycle in Wisconsin and along their migratory flyways. A huge round of applause to our 83 teams across 41 Wisconsin counties who made this year a success! More than 660 participants joined the fun, proving the Birdathon continues to take flight and inspire more people to discover the joy of birds and conservation. Teams choose how, when, and where to bird. This year, participants watched backyard feeders, birded by boat, and even stayed awake for a full 24 hours—talk about early birds and night owls! We were thrilled to welcome 26 first-time teams and 15 classroom teams, alongside many returning birdathoners. From families and coworkers to classrooms, youth groups, nonprofits, and bird clubs, our birding community keeps growing—and that's something to crow about.
PHOTO BY SUDEEP SAMANTA
Our teams represented 41 counties this year!
Top Fundraisers 1. Cutright's Old Coots $29,236 2. Lake Superior eBirders $13,840 3. River Raptors $12,070 4. Finch Gang $8,614 5. The Motmot Crew $7,435
Most Species Seen 1. Lost Our Warblers 227 species 2. Good Godwits 197 species 3. Grantsburg High School Gulls Just Want to Have Fun! 182 species 3. The Motmot Crew 180 species 4. Lake Superior eBirders 173 species
Classroom and Educational Teams AFHS Birders, Adams-Friendship High School in Adams County Edison Eagles, Edison Middle School in Brown County FEC Songbird Squad, Forest Exploration Center in Milwaukee County GLC Chickadees, Glacial Lakes Conservancy in Sheboygan County Gulls Just Want to Have Fun! - Grantsburg ‘25, Grantsburg High School in Burnett County LU BLU Jays, Lawrence University in Outagamie County Montello Bird Counters, Montello School District in Marquette County Mr. Dargatz's Nature Kindergarten, Woodside Elementary School in Waukesha County Owen Park Owls, Owen Conservation Park in Dane County Sandhill Craniums (WI Association for Environmental Education), in Milwaukee County SMNS 3rd Grade Birders, Sugar Maple Nature School in Ozaukee County Team RGCI, Redgranite Correctional Institution in Waushara County The Motmot Crew (Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project), in Richland County UWSP TWS Student Chapter, UW-Stevens Point in Portage County West High Whip-poor-wills, Madison West High School in Dane County
SEE A BIRD, SAVE A BIRD Together, our birders spotted a record 284 bird species! That included 37 species considered Special Concern, 10 species considered Threatened, and 11 species considered Endangered in Wisconsin. 7 teams spotted our Bird of the Year, the trumpeter swan! With 2026 being the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin’s 40 th anniversary year, we chose the trumpeter swan as a nod to the reintroduction and restoration of Wisconsin’s trumpeter swan populations— a flagship project for the foundation. A big chirp of thanks to local artist Brooke Weiland for creating our 2026 t-shirt design (left)!
“I really liked taking photos of the birds, and just connecting with nature as a whole. When you take a walk in the woods, a lot of the time you don't slow down and listen and take everything in, and the Birdathon made me notice so much more than I usually do!” —2026 Birdathon participant
Magnolia warbler by Ryan Brady of team Lake Superior eBirders
Scarlet tanager by Mike Wanger of team Cutright’s Old Coots Great horned owl by Ellen Neal of team BIPOC Flock
Rare or Notable Birds Seen Nelson’s sparrow Yellow-throated warbler Yellow rail
Northern bobwhite Western tanager Loggerhead shrike
Ruff Caspian tern ...and many more
- 2024 Birdathon participant
“One of my favorite birding events of the year” —2026 Birdathon participant
MAKING LOCAL BIRD CONSERVATION PROJECTS POSSIBLE Nonprofit organizations, classrooms, Bird Cities, and bird clubs that participate in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon can keep 50% of the funds they raise for their own flock, while the rest supports NRF's Bird Protection Fund projects. This year, 27 organizational teams are putting $20,887 back into local bird conservation and outreach programs across our state.
What are they doing? Creating birdfriendly windows, building nest boxes, funding bird banding projects, reaching children and adults with educational materials, planting native species, restoring habitat, and much more to help birds thrive!
$ 20K+
to local organizations
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHEASANTS FOREVER WISCONSIN
Organizatioal Teams
Aldo Leopold Nature Center - Team Owl or Nothing Baraboo Range Preservation Assoc. - Team Baraboo Rangers BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin - Team BIPOC Flock Chippewa County Land Conservancy - Team Chirp Chasers Circle Sanctuary - Team Circle Sanctuary Beltlane Birders Edison Environmental Club - Team Edison Eagles Elm Grove Bird City - Team Birders of the Grove Feminist Bird Club - Madison Chapter - Team Yes We Pelican! Forest Exploration Center - Team FEC Songbird Squad Friends of Havenwoods State Forest - Team Friends of Havenwoods Thrashers Friends of McFarland Parks - Team McFarland Bird Festival Friends of Owen Conservation Park - Team Owen Park Owls Gathering Waters - Team Gathering Warblers Glacial Lakes Conservancy - Team GLC Chickadees Holy Wisdom Monastery - Team Wrens of Wisdom Prairie Ice Age Trail Alliance - Team Yellow Blazed Sapsuckers Madison FUN Friends of Urban Nature - Team Madison FUN Pewees Marbleseed - Team Marbleseed North Lakeland Discovery Center - Team Up North Hammerheads Pheasants Forever - Team Funky Pheasants Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project Team Motmot Crew Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance - Team Reckless Wrens, The Flockadelics Tropical Wings - Team Lower Chippewa Titmouseketeers, Team Golden-winged Warblers Van der Brohe Arboretum & Bird Sanctuary Team Van der Brohe Arboretum & Bird Sanctuary Wausau Bird Club - Team Wausau Bird Nerds
The Great Wisconsin Birdathon participants raise funds for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin's Bird Protection Fund, which funds Wisconsin's highest priority bird conservation needs, selected by an advisory committee of bird experts. Advancing Bird Conservation for Grassland Birds using Wisconsin's Important Bird Area (IBA) System — Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership Audubon Conservation Ranching — Audubon Great Lakes Birds Across the Curriculum: Classrooms in Action — FIELD Edventures Building an Inclusive Bird Conservation Partnership for Milwaukee — Lake Michigan Bird Observatory Bird Collision Corps and Lights Out Wisconsin — Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance Bus to Nature Program — BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin Chimney Swift Monitoring and Occupancy During the Breeding Season in Green Bay — University of Green Bay Creating Benefits for Birds and People Through an Inclusive Bird Conservation Partnership in Milwaukee — Lake Michigan Bird Observatory Eagle Nest Camera — Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Managing Historical Grasslands at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant Important Bird Area (IBA) — Badger History Group MOTUS Bird Detection Tower — Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Neotropical Flyways Project - Restoring and protecting strategic stopover and nonbreeding sites in northwest Columbia — SELVA Investigación para la Conservación en el Neotropico Road to Recovery Evening Grosbeak Project — DNR-Natural Heritage Conservation Save our Songbirds Together, Statewide — SOS Save Our Songbirds Supporting the Next Generation of Women Leaders for Migratory Bird Conservation in Costa Rica — Finca Cántaros Environmental Association Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas II Book Publication — Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership (WBCP) Digital Resource Hub Development — Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Wisconsin Night Guardians for Songbirds — Urban Ecology Center
THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 BIRDATHON SPONSORS
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHEASANTS FOREVER WISCONSIN
ANNOUNCING THIS YEAR'S BIRD PROTECTION FUND PROJECTS