One of Ashland Fishery Resources Office's Coastal and Inland Wetland Walk tour groups lead by Ted Koehler (pictured) participates in the "Ducks on a Stick" presentation before the field portion of the program. - FWS photo

The Chequamegon Bay Birding and Nature Festival was held May 18^th through the 20^th, 2007.  The three-day event hosted by the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center in Ashland, Wisconsin, consisted of birding and nature programs on the south shore of Lake Superior. 

Spring migration of many types of birds was in full swing during the festivities and the hundreds of participants and staff observed 178 individual bird species during the festival.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge played a major role in organizing the event, and the Ashland Fishery Resources Office (FRO) helped with leading birding and nature excursions. 

Ted Koehler from the Ashland FRO organized and led three tours called the Coastal and Inland Wetland Walk.  The program focused on migratory waterfowl and began with a “Ducks on a Stick” presentation, where participants could literally handle and identify taxidermy mounted ducks on a stick.  The Ducks on a Stick were provided by Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge and were a big hit at the festival and two presentations given at Ashland Primary School. 

After a short time indoors, the majority of the program explored Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge’s inland and coastal wetlands.  Many species of waterfowl and other wetland associated birds were observed including wood ducks, American black ducks, redheads, scaup, canvasbacks, common terns and bald eagles. 

Participants also learned about the area’s wetlands, their importance in the life cycles of fish and wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s role in protecting and restoring wetland related habitat and trust species.

The Chequamegon Bay region is among the top birding destinations in the Midwest, with an amazing variety of high-quality habitats ranging from pine barrens and upland forests to coastal wetlands. 

More than 300 species of birds call the area home permanently or during their migrations.  Extraordinary natural beauty and abundant public land make Wisconsin’s south shore of Lake Superior an ideal location for bird-watching and other wildlife viewing.