Grace Milanowski held a presentation about her class, Introduction to Birdwatching, on April 14. Milanowski is a graduated Environmental Science major who got into birdwatching through her major and stayed with it as a hobby.

Milanowski told the class that birdwatching is extremely important, because it can provide vital information about the environment. She said that as people watch birds, they are also watching the trees, bugs and predators. While observers are becoming more well-rounded in the birding community, they are also learning more about the surrounding environment.

Milanowski began her birdwatching, or birding career, through a grassland research job through UW-Madison. Since then, she has also done work as a consultant with solar facilities in Nevada as well as a consultant in other areas of alternative energy sources. These alternative energy plants provide the electricity that we need in our day-to-day lives, but they are harmful to the habitats of the native birds. 

Part of Milanowski’s presentation included reasons as to why a person should start birdwatching. It provides accessibility to people from all demographics, and provides them with travel opportunities. Milanowski described birding books as well as people who travel all over the world to see native birds. Birding also provides important information about the environment and birds’ habitats. The behavior of birds is indicative of changes in the climate and weather patterns.

Birdsong also tells birders about what is happening in the area. For example, birds sing, but they also have warning calls. Depending on what sounds they are making, a birder can deduce that there might be a predator in the area or that a storm is coming. 

Milanowski also provided insight about binocular focusing and scopes depending on the type of birdwatching. She also brought in three different field guides, and highlighted the pros and cons of each one. There were also examples of apps and websites to help identify and track birds.

Ethics were also a topic of Milanowski’s presentation. It is important to make sure that birders are respectful of the environment, as stated by the American Birding Association. Humans should work to minimize the destruction of the environment and natural habitats of the birds they are observing.

At the end of the class, Milanowski announced that the April 21 Thursday class will be out in the field where the birders will be meeting on the Platteville Arboretum trail. They will be identifying birds in the field, and supporting the Arboretum’s work to make the trail 100 percent native to bring in more of the bird population.