This year, over 700 volunteer Atlasers documented an extraordinary array of birds breeding in Wisconsin, including eight species that weren’t found 15 years ago. In 2015 alone, Atlasers documented the location and breeding activity of more than 1.7 million birds.
Who are these incredible volunteers? It turns out that once you get past the binoculars, our hundreds of Atlasers are as varied as the bird species they observe. This series turns the spotlight on a few of the many dedicated men and women who have helped the Atlas achieve such tremendous success during its first season.
Name:
Don Nelson
Hometown:
I grew up in Galva, a small town in west-central Illinois.
Bird Watching Experience:
I was in college when I began to bird with any level of seriousness. Robbins, Zim and Brunn’s “Birds of North America” (1966) was my first field guide.
Past Citizen Science Experience:
I’ve been interested in the natural sciences since childhood, when my father first took me into the woods. During my teaching career, I taught science and environmental science to students ranging in age from primary school to graduate school. I am now retired but continue my interest in environmental education as a tour guide at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. As a volunteer, I’ve maintained nature trails, monitored streams, tracked wolves, and counted bats and cranes.
Favorite Bird:
I am keen on raptors of any size or stripe, and seeing them always gets my heart beating faster. While I like all raptors, however, I’m in love with red-tailed hawks. Red-tails may be common, but to me, they are never ordinary. Is it an accident that Sibley put a soaring red-tail on the cover of his “Guide to Birds”? I don’t think so!
Motivation to Atlas:
A friend showed me the “Atlas of Breeding Birds of Wisconsin,”
and introduced me to the atlasing process. It seemed to be such an interesting and important project that I was well primed to participate in WBBA II.
Primary Atlasing Location:
I worked as primary Atlaser in the Kendall West CE block, located near my home in southeastern Monroe County.
Favorite Bird:
I am keen on raptors of any size or stripe, and seeing them always gets my heart beating faster. While I like all raptors, however, I’m in love with red-tailed hawks. Red-tails may be common, but to me, they are never ordinary. Is it an accident that Sibley put a soaring red-tail on the cover of his “Guide to Birds”? I don’t think so!
Motivation to Atlas:
A friend showed me the “Atlas of Breeding Birds of Wisconsin,” and introduced me to the atlasing process. It seemed to be such an interesting and important project that I was well primed to participate in WBBA II.
Primary Atlasing Location:
I worked as primary Atlaser in the Kendall West CE block, located near my home in southeastern Monroe County.
Most Interesting Atlas Find:
I did a lot of work along the Elroy-Sparta State Trail and decided it must be the American Redstart capital of Wisconsin. The shrubs and small trees bordering the trail seemed overrun with these flitty and fiesty little guys (and gals).
Most Rewarding Part of Atlasing:
I learned more bird songs and calls and that helped me a lot when working in the leafy woods during June and July. I have always been a “Look, that’s a —-” kind of birder. See it, ID it, and move on. Atlasing forced me to slow down and observe the birds, their behaviors and their habitats.
Advice to Someone Interested in Atlasing:
“What have you got to lose?”