Join the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters for a special evening learning about migratory birds and stargazing at Newport State Park in Door County. Amanda Tokuyama, GIS & Field Data Manager with the Urban Ecology Center will help unravel the mystery of bird migration. She will answer such questions as: Why do birds migrate? How do they find their way? What can people do to help migratory bird populations in Wisconsin? Why do songbirds migrate at night? And…do birds really use the stars to migrate?

Newport State Park is an internationally recognized Dark Sky Park, an honor given to land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights. After Amanda Tokuyama’s talk on bird migration, Dr. Robert Mathieu, Albert E. Whitford Professor at UW-Madison, will guide attendees through a tour of the night sky (weather permitting) and share stories about the constellations. As we observe the Milky Way and other features of the night sky, we will listen for migrating songbirds and imagine what it is like to navigate long distances using the stars to fly your way south.

This event is part of a series put on by the Academy called Wisconsin “Birds and Beyond.” This is an exciting series set in Wisconsin’s diverse landscapes, taking place from September 2024 to March 2025. This immersive journey delves deep into the intricate world of birds and their connections to broader scientific topics, including water quality, conservation, climate change, and astronomy, as well as the arts and letters. This series will take place in five events in different regions of the state, with all events being live streamed to a virtual audience. In-person attendees will have the opportunity to go birding with the featured speakers in Wisconsin’s beautiful and birdy natural areas. The series will culminate in March 2025 with a keynote presentation by esteemed naturalist Christian Cooper in Madison.