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Birds Articles

Discover the Park – Wildlife

Plovers Welcome: Volunteers prepare nesting locations

Plovers Welcome: Volunteers prepare nesting locations

May 12, 2026 | , ,

The seemingly endless sand beaches of Long Island may look, to us, like the perfect place for a summer picnic or barefoot stroll. But to piping plovers, those same beaches are something much more important.Long Island is the most important habitat in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and, until 2019, the only successful nesting spots in the park for this federal, tribal, and state endangered species. Along with the Michigan Island sandspit, its beaches were designated as “critical habitat” for the species in 2001 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and until 2019, Long Island was the...

Autumnal swan song at Little Sand Bay

Autumnal swan song at Little Sand Bay

Oct 22, 2025 |

Even if you're the only human exploring a section of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, that doesn't mean you're alone. Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore board member Neil Howk proves the point during a recent visit to Little Sand Bay.I went to Little Sand Bay yesterday (October 21st) to enjoy the fall colors before an approaching weather system could strip many of the remaining leaves from the trees. Though the colors were still nearly at their peak, the overcast sky, brisk temperature, and a stiff northwest breeze kept most visitors away. Mine was the only car in the...

Love Our Lakeshore: Where unpredictable, incredible memories are made

Love Our Lakeshore: Where unpredictable, incredible memories are made

Mar 11, 2025 | ,

During this challenging time of change for our nation and for our national parks, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore wants to shine a bright light – a lighthouse beacon if you will – on this very special place and on the people dedicated to protecting the national lakeshore for future generations. That's the goal of our series entitled “Love our Lakeshore." (You can tell us why you Love Our Lakeshore by filling out our simple form at this link.) In this report a paddler from southern Wisconsin shares an unpredictable, once in a lifetime event that's now a lasting memory.We met...

Raspberry Island birds of yesterday and today

Raspberry Island birds of yesterday and today

Sep 23, 2024 | , ,

When you visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Friends board member Neil Howk is your guide, you're in for a treat. As a retired park ranger specializing in telling the stories of the islands, Neil has a special way of immersing park visitors in the rich history and natural beauty in the park. This summer, Neil volunteered at the Raspberry Island light, where he paid special attention to the bird populations - many of which have been on the island for more than a century. I spent nine days in early August on Raspberry Island as a volunteer-in-park leading tours of the historic...

Bird’s-eye view: What 50 years of research reveals about waterbirds in the Apostle Islands

Bird’s-eye view: What 50 years of research reveals about waterbirds in the Apostle Islands

Jun 26, 2024 | , ,

2024 is a milestone year for the waterbirds of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and for the scientists who study them. It is also a time for concern as some waterbird populations are now significantly smaller than they’ve been over the past half century. Others are simply gone. The Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay have served as nesting areas for herring gulls, ring-billed gulls, common terns, black terns, cormorants and great blue herons. These birds are colonial, meaning that they typically nest in colonies or groups. As rugged and remote as most of the islands are, Wisconsin...

A spring fling to hear the birds sing at Little Sand Bay

A spring fling to hear the birds sing at Little Sand Bay

Jun 17, 2024 |

There's always something to see, hear and experience at Little Sand Bay in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Friends board member Neil Howk takes us along on a recent nature walk.I went to Little Sand Bay to do some birdwatching on this fine June morning. I donned my bug shirt and walked around the parking lot, out to the end of the road, into the woods, through the Hokenson Fishery, along the beach, past the marina, around the visitor center and TWILITE exhibit, past the Town of Russell boat launch, through the dunes, across the outlet from the lagoon, and back along the beach to the...

Marigolds, lighthouse keepers and perseverance – the rest of the story

Marigolds, lighthouse keepers and perseverance – the rest of the story

Jul 6, 2023 |

Several weeks ago, Friends of the Apostle Islands ran a story featurng the Edgar Guest poem connecting lighthouses, the age of automation and the end of an era for caretaker families who brought life, meaning, human touch, and memories to the stoic buildings that dot our shores.The poem ends with the line, “And will ever that automatic thing plant marigolds in early spring?” And the story noted my tradition of planting marigolds on my deck each spring, as homage to those families.Well, I have a new family to introduce to you. Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? From under the canopy...

Past, present, and future of piping plovers in the Apostle Islands

Past, present, and future of piping plovers in the Apostle Islands

Apr 1, 2021 | , , , , , , ,

Piping plovers were first documented nesting on Long Island in the Apostle Islands in 1974, and one to two pairs continued to nest on Long Island through 1983. Then, after an absence of 15 years that coincided with a regional collapse of the population, a rebound started in 1998, but with no more than one pair recorded nesting in the Apostle Islands most years until 2006. Coinciding with a regional resurgence of the population, breeding numbers in the Apostles began to increase. From 2006 to 2020, three to six pairs of piping plovers have nested in the Apostle Islands, with pairs fanning out...

A singing wilderness: Songbirds of the Apostle Islands

A singing wilderness: Songbirds of the Apostle Islands

Apr 1, 2021 | , , , , , , ,

People have been describing bird populations in the Apostle Islands since at least the early 1940s. The first real count of breeding birds occurred in 1977, then the National Park Service began formal monitoring in 1990. There have been slight changes in monitoring methods since that time, but the top three most abundant species have stayed fairly consistent. The most current analyses show the national lakeshore maintains high species diversity and a greater number of increasing species than decreasing ones. These are all good signs, but monitoring helps us keep an ear out for troubling...

Where in the park is Neil? The week 16 answer is Eagle Island

Where in the park is Neil? The week 16 answer is Eagle Island

Aug 6, 2020 | , , , , , , , ,

As part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, we’re going on a virtual tour with Neil Howk, a man who has spent decades exploring the islands and teaching people about what makes them special. He knows the islands like the back of his hand. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is considered an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society because of the outstanding habitat it provides for migratory and resident bird species. You can check out the different speciesfound on the islands here. At the sixteenth stop on our digital tour, Neil...

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