Middleton Wildlife photographer Kevin Munson’s presentation at a meeting of The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton was entitled “A Walk Through Wonderland - Wildlife in the Middleton Hills Wetlands Conservancy.” It was an eye opener, revealing the beauty of the creatures sharing the Walk-Through city with us. As the name of his talk suggests, most of the 50+ slides Munson showed were taken in the Middleton Hills Wetland Conservancy, although a few were photographed in Pheasant Branch Conservancy. The latter is the largest of Middleton’s conservancies.

Munson has been clicking a shutter for more than five decades, starting with his dad’s old WWII Era Leica, when he was in grade school. Munson’s academic background includes a bachelor’s in Field Biology and Chemistry and a Masters in Aeronautics, and holds a license as a commercial pilot. Could it be a bit of bird envy? For those interested in grabbing their camera and setting forth in search of the perfect animal or bird pictures, Munson suggests times of low light are best, i.e. before sunrise, after sunset or on cloudy days. Of course, toting a DSLR with a long lens like Munson’s, with multiple shutter speeds, or one of the newer mirrorless cameras, with similar lenses and shutter speeds, will increase the likelihood of success.
Munson explained the difference between a conservancy and a park. He told us, conservancies are made for plants and animals, while parks are made for people. Middleton, it would seem, has made a distinct effort at protecting conservancy lands. The City of Middleton is now in the process of creating a new five-year plan for its conservancies. The new plan, when completed will speak to the management of numerous conservancies and over 820 acres of conservancy lands. The new plan will replace “Conservancy Lands Plan 2018-2023,” which is the current guiding document.
As far as species in Middleton Hills Wetlands Conservancy, Munson said over 200 bird species have been counted. While showing spectacular bird pictures, he photographed over the years, Munson spoke of seeing bear, raccoons, deer, muskrats, coyotes and the 150 different species which have been observed. in Middleton’s conservancies.
A couple days after the Munson presentation, one of our members sent a note, which read: “Kevin Munson’s photographs were spectacular and the information he shared about each only added to the enjoyment.” Those groups wishing to enjoy the same Munson program can reach him at munson15@charter.net.