Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club
Waukesha, WI

The Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club was founded to increase knowledge and appreciation of birds through education, research, preservation and conservation, and to provide public awareness of birds and their role in the environment - all of which remains our goal and purpose to this day.



UPCOMING EVENTS


All club events are open to the public. If you can't join in person, our meetings can be attended via Zoom. If you are not a member but would like to join via Zoom, please email BFGoss@gmail.com and we will share the meeting link with you. Meetings begin at 6:45, with the presentation starting at 7:00 and a brief business meeting to follow.

Stay connected with the club by visiting the Goss Bird Club Facebook Page for news about the club and area birds, or by joining our Facebook Discussion Group, where you can share your own sightings, stories, or ask questions of local birding experts.

Goss Bird Club
2024 BIRDS SEEN LIST
2025 BIRDS SEEN LIST

Unless otherwise noted, events are held Retzer Nature Center, S14 W28167 Madison Street, Waukesha
(Retzer Nature Center is located about 4 miles west of Waukesha, near the end of Madison Street)


*Team Goss Hawks*

CLICK HERE for the webpage for our team page for the Great Wisconsin Birdathon. Our team - The Goss Hawks - will be birding in Waukesha County parks this Spring to find as many birds as we can, while also contributing data to the county conservation program.

If you can make a donation, half will go to the Bird Protection Fund, to protect critical habitat for threatened birds in Wisconsin. The other half of donations to our team will come back to our club, so we can use them for local conservation initiatives. This year, we will be helping to fund planting of bird friendly habitat in the county parks to provide more native plants for birds to eat from and nest in. So every dolar donated does good locally and throughout Wisconsin.

Sunday
April 13, 2025
6:45 PM

Program: Science Illustration and Ornithology
Presenter: Rebecca Jabs, Science Illustrator

Join Wisconsin illustrator Rebecca Jabs to learn how interpretive artwork enhances our study of birds. From early field guide illustrations to today's digital infographics, the focus of scientific illustration has shifted to reflect new technologies and needs. Rebecca will share examples of work from various illustrators as well as some of her own work.

Rebecca Jabs is an artist, educator, and birder from Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She specializes in science illustration, with a focus on the natural history of the Great Lakes region.

All club events are open to the public. If you can't join in person, our meetings can be attended via Zoom. If you are not a member but would like to join via Zoom, please email BFGoss@gmail.com and we will share the meeting link with you.

Saturday
May 10, 2025
All Day

Waukesha May Bird Count

In place of our normal Sunday meeting, the Goss Bird Club will conduct the annual Waukesha May Count. The count is conducted as a 24 hour event, from midnight to midnight, finding as many species as possible. ...although most folks do most of their birding during the day on Saturday. The 15 mile diameter count circle is divided into eight sections, each with a section leader who manages the coverage for their assigned area. While similar to the Christmas Bird Count, the May Count focuses the basic species list, rather than counting individual birds.

Following the day of birding, participants and others who wish to join will meet at Spring City Restaurant at 5:00 PM for our Count Compilation Dinner. We take this opportunity to tally our birds seen for the day, and to enjoy a dinner with our fellow birders.

Bird counts are an excellent opportunity to build on our birding skills and get to know our fellow birders. If you would like to participate in the count and do not have an assigned section, email Jasonn Weber (jasonnweber@gmail.com).

CLICK HERE
For Printable
Version

2025 Spring Field Trip Schedule
Our full spring field trip schedule is availble. Nearly weekly field trips provide an excellent variety of opportunities to get out with the club and see some birds. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Click on the link to the left for a printable version with more details.

April 4 to June 13 Friday Bird Walks – 7:00AM – Retzer Nature Center: Meet in the parking lot for a 2- to 2½ hour hike around the property. We hope to see many different birds as they migrate through or return home. We have seen 50+ species on a single hike in the past. Bring binoculars.

April
Saturday April 5 – 8AM – Pewaukee Lake Area
Saturday April 12 – 7PM – Wild Woodcock Walk
Saturday April 19 – 8AM – Fox River Sanctuary / E.B. Shurts
Saturday April 26 – 7AM – The Nature Conservancy’s Lulu Lake Preserve
Tuesday April 29 – 7PM – Chimney Swifts at the Okauchee Old Norris School site

May
Saturday May 3 – 8AM – Monches Woods & Crow How
Saturday May 10 – Ben Goss Spring Bird Count
Tuesday May 13 – 8AM – Fox River Sanctuary / E.B. Shurts
Thursday May 15 – Oconomowoc Spring Bird Count
Sunday May 18 – 7:30PM – Whip-poor-will Walk Piper Rd. horse trails
Saturday May 24 – 7AM – Vernon Marsh Benson Road, Frog Alley
Saturday May 31 –7AM – Beaver Dam Lake and Adjacent Property

June
Saturday June 7 – 8AM – Horicon Marsh
Saturday June 14 – 7AM – Fox River Park South: Hwy I & H