The Science of Hackmatack: Articles & Bird Counts
The Big Sit 2022: Annual Birdwatching Event
Sunday, October 9, 2022
7 AM – 5 PM
Lost Valley Visitor Center
(back patio & marsh overlook)
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL
Novice through Expert Birders are Welcome! Join our experienced birders to share spotting scopes, watch, learn, and tally the birds as they are identified.
31 Bird Species Spotted at Turner Tract for WMBD 2022
On Saturday, May 14, Friends of Hackmatack NWR celebrated World Migratory Bird Day with bird walks and displays at the Turner Tract in Genoa City, WI. Our birding experts, Randy Schietzelt and Steve Byers, followed the Traveling Protocol for bird...
The NATURE of Hackmatack NWR
What can you find on the Refuge? This list is a sampling of the many native species found in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Have you spotted something? Send us a note, or share a photo and we will post it on our social media. Come back...
Reptiles & Amphibians
Reptiles and amphibians (also known as “herps”) are a secretive group of species that inhabit the prairies, wetlands, and oak woodlands of the bi-state region. Many wildlife biologists consider them to be excellent barometers of ecological health...
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2021
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL List of birds counted during The Big Sit 2021: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) X Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) X Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) X Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) X Chimney Swift (Chaetura...
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2020
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL List of birds counted during The Big Sit 2020: American Black Duck Anas rubripes American Coot Fulica americana American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos American Goldfinch Spinus tristis American Kestrel Falco sparverius...
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2019
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL American Black Duck Anas rubripes American Coot Fulica americana American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos American Goldfinch Spinus tristis American Kestrel Falco sparverius American Robin Turdus migratorius American Wigeon...
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2018
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL 1. American Coot Fulica americana 2. American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos 3. American Goldfinch Spinus tristis 4. American Kestrel Falco sparverius 5. American Robin Turdus migratorius 6. American Wigeon Anas americana 7....
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2017
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL 2017 American Black Duck Anas rubripes American Coot Fulica americana American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos American Goldfinch Spinus tristis American Kestrel Falco sparverius American Robin Turdus migratorius American...
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2016
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL 2016 American Black Duck Anas rubripes American Coot Fulica americana American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos American Goldfinch Spinus tristis American Kestrel Falco sparverius American Pipit Anthus rubescens American Robin...
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2015
The Big Sit 2015: Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL American Black Duck Anas rubripes American Coot Fulica americana American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos American Goldfinch Spinus tristis American Kestrel Falco sparverius American Robin Turdus migratorius...
Bird Count: The Big Sit 2014
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL American Black Duck Anas rubripes American Coot Fulica americana American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos American Goldfinch Spinus tristis American Kestrel Falco sparverius American Robin Turdus...
Fish & Mussels
Besides physical measurements such as water testing for chemicals or clarity, biologists often use inventories of “indicator species” to determine the ecological health of an aquatic ecosystem. Two groups of living organisms, fish and freshwater...
Butterflies in the Bi-State Region
Closely associated with the native prairies, wetlands, and oak communities of the bi-state region are an easily recognized group of species called Lepidoptera or, as most of us know them, butterflies and moths. Biologists studying the quality of...
Common Birds of the Bi-State Region
The bi-state region contains some of the most diverse opportunities for birding anywhere in the upper Midwest. The warm summer months provide a chance to observe resident breeding birds, while spring and autumn funnel dozens of new species though...
Natural Communities of the Bi-State Region
The bi-state area of southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois is not the first choice of most people when they think about where to find rare natural communities or endangered species poised on the very precipice of survival. But in fact,...
Landscape of Hackmatack
The landscape of the bi-state region was shaped millions of years ago by the movement of glaciers across the region. Click on the links below to learn more about the geological landscape that comprises the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife...
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