Episodes

  • Chirp Chat: All about Wisconsin’s state bird, the American Robin

    Chirp Chat: All about Wisconsin’s state bird, the American Robin
    Jun 19 2025
    The American Robin is one of the most common birds in North America. You’ve probably seen one in your backyard or been woken up by one before sunrise. But did you know this iconic bird is also Wisconsin’s state bird?
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    14 mins
  • Chirp Chat: Exploring what birds can teach us about ourselves through art

    Chirp Chat: Exploring what birds can teach us about ourselves through art
    May 29 2025
    Artist-in-Residence Hattie Grimm is the creator of the Charles Allis Art Museum’s new art exhibit called “BIRD BODY”. The exhibit features 20 wooden paintings and sculptures that she says explore “our bodies' intuitive wisdom.”
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    15 mins
  • Chirp Chat: The dazzling colors of warbler season in Wisconsin

    Chirp Chat: The dazzling colors of warbler season in Wisconsin
    Apr 25 2025
    Warblers are small songbirds that are among the most celebrated by birders for their flashy colors and sweet songs. But most warblers only spend a few weeks in Milwaukee.
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    15 mins
  • Chirp Chat: How do birds build nests in Wisconsin? With twigs, mud, spiderweb and more

    Chirp Chat: How do birds build nests in Wisconsin? With twigs, mud, spiderweb and more
    Mar 27 2025
    Spring is in the air — which means nest-making season is upon us! For this month’s Chirp Chat, Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Holly Walz, a park naturalist with the Wehr Nature Center, about the role nests play and the different types of nests that birds in Wisconsin make.
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    18 mins
  • Chirp Chat: How to meet other birders in Wisconsin

    Chirp Chat: How to meet other birders in Wisconsin
    Feb 27 2025
    Joining a local birding club or meeting other people at birding events can bring you a sense of belonging and teach you things you didn’t know. No matter how experienced you are.
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    21 mins
  • Chirp Chat: How to help birds survive Wisconsin’s winter

    Chirp Chat: How to help birds survive Wisconsin’s winter
    Jan 23 2025
    For this month’s Chirp Chat, Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Toby Seegert, the Regional Conservation Specialist for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. He says winter is a great time to keep backyard bird feeders stocked so you can help birds stay nourished through the season.
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    14 mins
  • Chirp Chat: How to participate in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count in Wisconsin

    Chirp Chat: How to participate in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count in Wisconsin
    Dec 4 2024
    Celebrate birds this holiday season through the National Audubon Society’s 125th annual Christmas Bird Count. For this episode of Chirp Chat, Milwaukee area Christmas Bird Count organizer, Zoe Finney, explains the history of the bird census, how to participate and how the data helps protect birds.
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    15 mins
  • Chirp Chat: It’s owl season in Southeast Wisconsin. Here’s how to spot them

    Chirp Chat: It’s owl season in Southeast Wisconsin. Here’s how to spot them
    Oct 29 2024
    You can go on an owl prowl to spot some of these nocturnal predators. Owl prowls are nighttime hikes in the woods where you listen for the calls of owls to help you get a glimpse of them.
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    14 mins