Bird & Nature Adventures

Discover nature by foot, paddle or pedal or pontoon in a Bird & Nature Adventure!

Bird & Nature Adventures are 90-minute, easy-paced, walking tours and periodically offered as a pedal -- biking adventure or a paddle. Most meeting locations and times are the same each month, but can occasionally change, as does the topics each month. Be sure to check the individual calendar event under “Upcoming Events” to confirm the meeting location and other details.

Bird & Nature Adventures happen year-round, in rain, snow or shine. Events are always family-friendly and free to attend. No registration is required. Participants are asked to dress appropriately for the weather and the outing. Binoculars and cameras are welcome. Pets are not allowed.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Paul Noeldner (608) 698-0104. See Madison Friends of Urban Nature for additional locations, including Pheasant Branch Conservancy and UW Lakeshore Preserve, adventure topics and educational tools. See Madison Parks Foundation to help support the Friends of Urban Nature.

Upcoming Events

• Saturday, December 2, 2023
  2:30 - 4pm

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Tenney Park

  Architecture of Trees with Joanne Riecke ~ Join Master Naturalist JoAnn Riecke for a free family-friendly guided walk to carefully observe the trees at Tenney Park. We will follow easy walking paths along Lake Mendota, the Tenney Park Lagoon and Yahara River. We will learn about and compare deciduous and evergreen trees and look at their various shapes and branching patterns. Weather … Read more

• Sunday, December 3, 2023
  1:30 - 3pm

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Cherokee Marsh, North

  Winter Native Plant Walk with Eva Roos ~ Join Master Naturalist Eva Roos for a free and family friendly guided plant walk. Plant guides tend to show green summer foliage and bright flowers. Fortunately, our native Wisconsin prairie wildflowers boast sturdy tall stalks, distinctive leaves and tough flower seed heads that stand up even in winter, making them relatively easy to find - and a fun … Read more

• Saturday, December 9, 2023
  2:30 - 4pm

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Owen

  Nature as Classroom with Beth Whitaker ~ Join Beth Whitaker for a free family-friendly Guided Walk or take a Self-Guided Nature Hike any day in December to see Owen Park for yourself and places where projects are happening such as the Bluebird Trail boxes around restored prairies where Bumblebee Brigade and Monarch Tagging Research are being done. Take a walk on easy trails in the Woodland … Read more

• Sunday, December 10, 2023
  1:30 - 3pm

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Turville Point

  Magic of Winter with Andria Blattner ~ Join Naturalist Andria Blattner with Friends of Olin Turville on a free guided walk to discover the magic of nature in winter at Turville Point and learn about the plants and animals that call it home. We will follow the winding trails past old oaks to the hilltop restored prairie and majestic pines where Great Horned Owls nest in winter as snow falls … Read more

• Saturday, December 16, 2023
  10 - 11:30am

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area

  Winter Tree ID with Eva Roos ~ Join Master Naturalist Eva Roos for a fun and informal free family friendly guided walk or take a healthy nature hike on your own any day in December. We will follow easy walk and bike paths to Olbrich Gardens and along Starkweather Creek. Enjoy the outdoors and learn about trees when leaves have fallen and you can see the branching structures and bark more … Read more

• Sunday, December 17, 2023
  1:30 - 3pm

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park

  Winter Solstice Walk with Robin Kling and Kathlean Wolf ~ The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and marks the return of longer days. Join Master Naturalists Robin Kling and Kathlean Wolf for a fun free family-friendly walk on easy paths along the Warner Pond Lagoon and Warner Woods to the top of Sled Hill. Enjoy the shortest days of the year outdoors and celebrate the return of … Read more

• Saturday, December 23, 2023
  10 - 11:30am

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor

  Nature's Gifts with Paul Noeldner ~ Join Master Naturalist Paul Noeldner for a free fun family-friendly guided tour of the beautiful nature trails at Aldo Leopold Nature Center and Edna Taylor Conservation Park. What are some favorite things you like to see and do in nature? What are some gifts nature gives back to us? Make a Pine Cone Feeder ornament for the birds and a winter Native … Read more

• Sunday, December 31, 2023
  6:30 - 8pm

  Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor

  New Year's Eve Family Walk with Joanne Riecke ~ Join Master Naturalist and wonderful teacher JoAnn Riecke to explore the winter night and welcome in the New Year! Join in nature activities using your nighttime vision and senses of hearing and smell. Imagine what native animals do during winter nights. Listen for owls! Hear a Native American legend about night and winter. Come prepared to have … Read more