- Trails are open 24/7 at no charge. Enjoy a Winnie-the-Pooh themed TRAIL TALES Storybook Walk.
What’s Happening: Hikes and Surveys
This week at Crossroads, we wrap up the final school field trips of the academic year. But learning doesn’t stop then. Our Events Calendar is full of opportunities, including wildflower walks, an evening bat hike, and the first of three bird surveys.
Bird surveys? What’s that all about?
No, we’re not distributing tiny questionnaires to chickadees or going around with clipboards, asking warblers how they feel about habitat restoration. Instead, we are conducting what scientists call a bio inventory—a systematic survey of the species living in a specific area. And this month’s efforts are a bit different from what we were doing earlier this spring.
Last month, we were focused on documenting migratory birds—counting the species and individuals stopping over in our preserves on their journey north.
This month, we’re shifting our attention to the birds and bats that are here to stay, at least for the summer. These species breed locally. All wildlife needs access to food and safe spaces to raise their young. Some species are generalists and can thrive in a variety of environments, but others have very specific habitat needs. Specialized creatures rely on native plants and very particular conditions—and when those conditions disappear, these species can vanish locally as well.
We are very fond of birds and bats [who isn’t?], but our interest in them goes beyond affection—they’re excellent indicators of ecosystem health because they can fly. If an area doesn’t meet their needs, they can fly elsewhere.
Another advantage? Birds are (generally) colorful, active during the day, and relatively easy to identify. And thanks to technology, we can also recognize them by sound. Apps like Merlin help birders match calls and songs to species using sonograms—visual representations of sound that show pitch, duration, and volume. Similar software exists for bats and frogs, enabling us to listen in on the biodiversity of an area even after dark.
In Wisconsin, all our native bats eat insects. Birds, on the other hand, have a wide range of dietary and nesting preferences. Some require dense shrub layers, others open fields, still others mature forest canopy. And here is the exciting part: if we restore a habitat effectively—bringing back the native plants and structure that these species need—they’ll return. The appearance of certain “indicator species” is a strong sign that restoration is working.
That’s why we’re conducting bird and bat inventories at both the Ida Bay Preserve and our Big Creek Preserve. At Ida Bay, we collected a baseline last year and this year we are measuring the impact of our four-year restoration project. Over time, we’ll be able to track changes and measure the impact of our restoration work. At Big Creek, where habitat improvement efforts have been underway for several years, we are beginning to evaluate how our ecosystems are changing.
But we’re realistic. We don’t expect instant results. Trees take time to grow, wildflowers need time to establish and spread, and climate variability poses new challenges. But with careful observation and ongoing data collection, we can build more resilient, biodiverse landscapes—not just at Crossroads, but by serving as a model for land managers and property owners throughout the region.
So, whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a student, or a budding citizen scientist, we invite you to join our hikes and surveys this week. It will be more than just a fun day outdoors—it’s your chance to be part of the science shaping a sustainable future.
– by Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist
For more information, please check out our Crossroads calendar or stop by the Collins Learning Center and pick up a printed calendar. Our trails are open all day every day, free of charge, thanks to donors like you!
Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is located at 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay. Crossroads is a 501(c)3 organization committed to inspiring stewardship of the environment through education, research, and outdoor experiences. We welcome your support.
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