I'm quite sad to see this species disappear from some of the locations where I could routinely find them during the late 1970s and 80s. During this time I could always hear them singing their downward spiraling song from the small wetland just down the road from where I live. I can still hear them from the Cedarburg Bog, just around the corner from my place, but I liked it when they were closer.
I could always count on hearing them during the Honey Creek Birdathon in the wetland along the entrance into WSO's Cox Nature Center in Sauk County. They are now absent from this wetland. For the past couple of surveys of the Paris BBS route, I've been able to hear one singing from the Karcher Wildlife Area near the Racine-Kenosha County line. For some reason, I always think of the Veery as being a bird of the North Woods, and they are, but their summer range extends throughout Wisconsin and into northern IL, IN, and OH, south through the Appalachians.
Wisconsin BBS data show a long-term (1966-2002) decline of 2.3% per year. The annual decline for the US is 1.3%. This is a species that we must pay attention to from a conservation perspective and better understand its habitat needs and the threats to its well being. I want my grandchildren to be able to hear one in the Cedarburg Bog when it is their time to enjoy this beautiful song.
