Gains on the ground for Wisconsin birds; SOS volunteers help home bird conservation take off

Thousands of Wisconsinites took immediate action in the past year to help save songbirds after getting information and starter supplies from SOS Save Our Songbirds volunteers, the group’s coordinator reports.

“We crunched the numbers from the past year and are happy to report thousands of people added bird habitat, treated problem windows to keep birds safe, and choose to buy bird-friendly certified coffee after talking with our volunteers and getting some basic supplies,” says SOS Coordinator Lisa Gaumnitz.

“Much more needs to be done, but as fall migration begins in earnest for songbirds, it’s good to take a minute to celebrate and appreciate work done over the past year by so many to help birds. Thanks to our volunteers and generous business partners, we’re helping people save songbirds one yard, one window and one cup of coffee at a time.”

Read the 2024-25 Summary of Activities. Enjoy a reflection written by Leigh Langford, a Monona resident inspired by information and supplies she received this year SOS to triple her work to benefit birds.

SOS Save Our Songbirds launched in 2023 as a volunteer-based campaign responding to a 2019 landmark study showing 30% of North American birds had vanished since 1970. Through providing information and some starter supplies, the group helps people add native plants good for birds, fix their worst problem window for birds, and protect birds’ winter habitats by drinking coffee from farms certified as meeting the gold standard for protecting bird habitat in coffee-growing regions where many Wisconsin songbirds spend winters.

2024-25 gains at a glance

SOS received $10,000 in Bird Protection Fund money from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin in August 2024 as part of a larger award shared with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. The funds SOS received, along with donations, contributed to these and other gains for the reporting period August 2024 to July 2025:

🐦7,300 people learned from in-person presentations and/or conversations at SOS booths on how to save songbirds at home

🌳 3,000 people got a Beyond the Birdfeeder native plant guide highlighting best Wisconsin native species to plant for birds

🐦 12,000 website visitors learned how to help birds at home

🌻930 native plants good for birds donated by Johnson’s Nursery of Menomonee Falls or by SOS went to new homes in Wisconsin

🐛852 native plants sold in an online fundraiser resulted in 141 families adding native plants around home

🐝250 window treatment kits provided at reduced rates helped homeowners treat windows to prevent bird collisions

2,000 bird-friendly coffee sample packs or coffee given away along with information on how to order more

🪺 2,000 Bird-friendly certified chocolate samples given away along with information on how to order more.