Foot
routesCherokee Marsh IBA Project Home
We're looking for volunteers to bird in and around the marsh and submit completed checklists. Below are some defined foot and paddle routes and information about the suggesting protocol.
We've divided the major foot trails and the river into 14 birding routes. The overview maps show the general location of each route, and the individual maps show a recommended route for hiking or paddling.
On the individual route maps, the pink lines are the suggested routes, and the yellow dots are suggested monitoring points spaced approximately every 250 meters.
Foot
routesF1. Mendota Unit. West of HWY 113.
F2. South Unit Flats. Off Wheeler Rd.
F3. South Unit Hills. Off Wheeler Rd.
F4. Fishery Area - River Rd.
F5. North Unit - Main. End of N. Sherman Ave.
F6. North Unit - Hill Hill. Private road, requires owner permission.
F7. Fishery Area - Railroad. Off Buckley Rd., walk along the tracks.
P1. Yahara Heights. East of the Hwy 113 bridge.
P2. Cherokee Park Ditch. Wetlands adjacent to the backyards of Menomonie Ln.
P4. Boathouse Bay. North of Cherokee Lake.
P5. Token Creek South. May require portaging around/over one or more fallen trees.
P6. Token Creek North. May require portaging around/over one or more fallen trees.
These are
the main features of the suggested survey protocol:
You can do a route solo or as a team. At least one person on a team should be an experienced birder who can identify the target species by sight or sound.
For most nesting marshbirds, May 1 through June 15 is the recommended survey period. Ideally a volunteer visits each site at three evenly spaced intervals in that period. Avoid rainy or windy days. Some species, such as sedge wren, tend to arrive later and need a later survey.
Conduct the surveys either in the period from 1/2 hour before sunrise until 3 hours after sunrise OR in the period 3 hours before sunset to 1/2 hour after sunset. As close to dawn and dusk as possible is best.
The IBA program has an official checklist for use by birders. A nesting pair can be indicated by a singing male in breeding season, an active nest, or feeding of juveniles.
Many of our target species are secretive marsh birds. For that reason, we're recommending that volunteers follow much of the new national marsh bird monitoring protocol.
As you travel a route, stop every 250 meters and look and listen for 5-10 minutes. This makes it more likely you'll hear calling birds and less likely you'll count the same birds more than once. You can also count additional birds you see along the way. Ways to select identify points include landmarks, GPS points, and walking/paddle time between points. It's best if you use the same points, within 10-15 meters, on each pass. For upland areas, just walking the route might be as effective as the stop-and-listen protocol. Ultimately, use your own judgment in deciding where and how to monitor.
The national protocol uses recorded calls to prompt responses. We likely won't have the ability to provide recorded calls.
We don't
have any sophisticated sign-up forms. If you're interested, just email or call:
Jan Axelson
608-241-5828
If you're interested in signing up to monitor one or more routes, let us know the route number or route name and we'll get back to you. If you have a second or third choice for a route, mention that as well.
Also let us know if you'd like to participate in a Birding Blitz day to collect data at different locations around the marsh on a single day.
If you know other birders who might be interested in this project, please pass the word.
Also please let us know if:
This project is a work in progress and we welcome feedback!