Who are our incredible volunteers? With nearly 1000 Atlasers, it’s no surprise that once you get past the binoculars our volunteers 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 are helping the Atlas achieve such tremendous success as we work our way through our second year.
This month, meet Jack Swelstad of Brown County!
Name:
Jack Swelstad
Age:
70
Hometown:
Green Bay
Number of years birdwatching:
I have been actively birding for about 25 years.
Other citizen science experience:
I am an avid ebirder and have submitted almost 5000 checklists. For the past 8 years I have been a volunteer helping the WDNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with Kirtland’s Warbler surveys in northern Marinette County.
Favorite bird:
For the Atlas I’m partial to the Scarlet Tanager and the Winter Wren, both species that I’m sponsoring for the project. The WBBA II is so important to the birders of the state, and when I saw that the Scarlet Tanager, the key species, needed sponsoring, I stepped forward. I am also sponsoring the Winter Wren after the names of two of my granddaughters: Emily Winter Swelstad and Wren Ruthann Swelstad.
Motivation to Atlas:
I got involved in WBBA I in 1995, after being urged by Jan Hansen, a local birding expert here in Brown County. Over the next 5 years I completed 7 priority blocks, plus doing surveys at my house in Brown County and my cabin in Pembine, Marinette County. The Atlas expanded my knowledge of birding behavior enormously. My then teenage son, Jason, also became an Atlaser, and he still talks about the interesting things he did and saw during that time. It was a given that when WBBA II rolled around, I would participate.
Jack Swelstad recently sponsored the Scarlet Tanager, the WBBA II mascot, through the Atlas Sponsor-a-Species program. Photo by Joel Trick.
Primary atlasing location:
In 2015, I started priority blocks in Brown and Oconto Counties and four Priority Blocks in Marinette County.
Most interesting or memorable Atlas find:
Last year a highlight was finding several Common Nighthawk nests among the pine barrens.
Most rewarding part of atlasing:
What I find the most fun about atlasing is getting out into areas I never knew existed and birding. Wisconsin has some real landscape gems. Plus, atlasing focuses on bird behavior giving a more complete knowledge of birds.
Advice for someone interested in atlasing:
If anyone is interested in birds, the Atlas project is a wonderful way to expand your knowledge and skills. It is fun to do with friends, it advances the states natural database, and when the Atlas comes out, you get the satisfaction of looking up your block and saying “that’s my bird”!