American White Pelicans in flights above Nine Springs! Photo by Jeff Galligan.

Join us as we bird the Lewis Nine Springs E-way, looking for early migrating shorebirds as well as summer inhabitants along the series of retention ponds by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District.

What to Expect

We plan to walk around 2.5 miles. Trails around the retention ponds are unpaved, wide, and flat, with a variety of possible trail surfaces including asphalt, hard-packed soil, crushed gravel, and mowed grass. Trails can occasionally have potholes and be muddy after a rain.

There is accessible parking on site, along with an all-gender bathroom.

More accessibility information can be found on the Birdability Map for Nine Springs.

Directions and Transportation

We will meet at the parking lot at 1949 Moorland Road!

Biking via the Capital City State Bike Trail is an option. There is a bike rack at the parking lot where people can lock up their bikes before exploring the trails.

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Species List - 34 species seen

4 Canada Geese

1 Wood Duck

4 Mallards

4 Wild Turkeys

1 Chimney Swift

1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

2 Sandhill Cranes

3 Killdeers

4 Ring-billed Gulls

1 Green Heron

4 Turkey Vultures

1 Osprey

1 Red-tailed Hawk

1 Belted Kingfisher

1 Northern Flicker

1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

1 Eastern Phoebe

2 Eastern Kingbirds

3 Warbling Vireos

2 Black-capped Chickadees

16 Tree Swallows

4 Northern Rough-winged Swallows

4 Barn Swallows

1 Sedge Wren

2 Marsh Wrens

1 Gray Catbird

1 American Robin

2 House Finches

4 American Goldfinches

2 Song Sparrows

1 Swamp Sparrow

4 Red-winged Blackbirds

1 Common Yellowthroat

1 Northern Cardinal