The observatory's history dates to July 16, 2010, when well-known Wisconsin ornithologist Dr. Noel J Cutright put forth this vision: “My dream and primary objective in life in the near future is to establish a Wisconsin Bird Observatory or a bird observatory with a wider scope, a Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory.” Cutright believed the success of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative pointed toward Wisconsin as an ideal location for a regional bird observatory.
Cutright raised initial funding and worked with Shawn Graf, then executive director of the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and now an American Bird Conservancy vice president, to establish the Observatory in a portion of the old Squires golf clubhouse at OWLT’s Forest Beach Migratory Preserve in northeastern Ozaukee County.
For five years, WGLBBO conducted offshore Lake Michigan waterfowl/waterbird surveys via aircraft. These focused on assessing distribution and abundance of waterfowl/waterbirds to assist long-term planning for offshore wind power.
Cutright embarked on his last great project with a fierce urgency only after he had undergone surgery for what would be diagnosed as Stage 4 colon cancer, which he would battle for four years and succumb to in November 2013. Upon his death, William Mueller was named director and those close to Noel established an Observatory Steering Committee.
Cutright hoped to play a role in the state’s second Breeding Bird Atlas, a goal Mueller more than fulfilled. He wanted to partner with Bird City Wisconsin, and its state director, Dr. Bryan Lenz, took a part-time position as the observatory’s chief scientist.
Under Mueller, the Observatory helped launch and fund the Midwest Migration Network, conducted five years of spring and fall waterbird watches at Harrington Beach State Park, bird banding at Forest Beach, bat surveys and coordination of multiple bird monitoring programs.
By the time he retired in 2019, the Observatory had formally organized as a nonprofit corporation, created a board of directors, established an endowment fund with the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and moved to an office in downtown Port Washington after OWLT abandoned the old clubhouse.
In October 2019, Dr. Jennifer Phillips-Vanderberg took over as director and implemented the Neighborhood Habitat Improvement Project (NHIP), a program designed to address barriers to adopting bird-friendly actions by local residents. In 2024, Bird City Wisconsin became a LMBO program. Bird City Wisconsin awards public recognition to communities across Wisconsin that take part in meaningful bird-friendly actions.
In 2025, LMBO hired Dr. Medhavi Ambardar as the new Chief Scientist. LMBO has experienced tremendous growth since our founding, going from one full-time employee to four full-time and three part-time staff. We have three pillar programs, NHIP, Motus, and Bird City Wisconsin, and are currently working on strategically expanding these programs. LMBO has a significant public presence through community outreach, volunteer engagement, and events, and continues to conduct scientific research.