PESHTIGO — For someone who’s traveled to South America, Central America and Europe to see birds, it’s surprising to hear Joan Campbell, a long-time member of the Pond Road Birders, say that this area is also a boon for the feathered friends.
“Every time I go on a walk, I learn something new,” Campbell said.
Join the Pond Road Birders for their 11th annual Birdfest from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday at the observation deck on Winnegar Pond at the Peshtigo Harbor State Wildlife Area on Pond Road in Peshtigo.
The goal is to count every bird — seen or heard — and keep a species tally. Totals have ranged from 68 to 97 different birds in the last 10 years.
Members will give guided walks on the road as they count the birds. Binoculars and field guides will be on hand for newcomers.
May is one of the best months to see birds as the neotropical migrants come through on their way north and return to nest in the area, Campbell said.
She said they’re much louder here than when you see them in more southern areas.
“They don’t sing because they’re not breeding,” Campbell said.
She said that when they arrive in Marinette, they start to sing as they get closer to their breeding grounds in Canada.
The Pond Road area is special to her.
“I found Pond Road the fall we moved here, and I’ve been birding there ever since,” Campbell said.
She moved to Marinette in 1981.
“We have one of the best birding areas on the bay of Green Bay,” Campbell said.
Campbell said Pond Road, in particular, has “everything in a small area” that birds need: an upland forest, marshes, ponds, wetlands and the bay.
After dissolving its formal chapter, the Chappee Rapids Audubon Society, the group renamed its club to the Pond Road Birders. Now, it functions as a social group that meets twice weekly to go birding — a crowd of about 25 members.
The group meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 a.m. in May and September. On Tuesdays in May, they meet on Pond Road. On Thursdays, they meet at Red Arrow Park, 318 East Bay Shore St., Marinette. Campbell said as the weather improves throughout the month, they will move up the meeting times to 7:30 a.m.
She said that seeing a lot of birds or just a little can depend on the weather.
“If it’s too windy, the birds lay low,” Campbell said. “If it’s warm with a little south wind, it’s ideal.”
Spectators can hope to see wood warblers, orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks, flycatchers, ducks, geese, pelicans and terns at the event on Saturday.
The event is held in conjunction with Marinette’s Bird City Wisconsin accreditation and will also celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, which is observed worldwide in places as far away as South America, Mongolia, Africa and Indonesia.
This year’s conservation theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds,” and focuses on the importance of insects as essential food sources for migratory birds.
The bugs provide energy not only during mating season but also during their travels — they can significantly affect the timing, duration and success of migration, according to the World Migratory Bird Day website.
To find the Pond Road deck:
Take Shore Drive south at University Avenue, which becomes County Trunk BB.Follow that for approximately 6-7 miles and take a left onto Pond Road at the small binoculars sign.Drive approximately 1/2 mile through the gravel road to the deck.People can also program Pond Drive into their GPS.
At 87, Campbell has led bird walks in the area for about 25 years, but she said she’s been birding for almost 60 years, starting in 1966 with her mother. The group brings members together for more than just birding.
“We’ve got all kinds of people from all walks of life,” Campbell said. “Everybody cares about each other.”
After all this time, she said there’s still so much to learn.
“The more you know, the less you know.”
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