Summer Visitor Center Hours
Weekdays from 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Weekends 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Spring is here, but cooler temperatures are still in the air. Visitors should expect a cool and wet weekend with forecasted rain showers. Despite the cooler temperatures, birds continue to return to the area. More and more insects are appearing, and trees have begun to bud.
Continue to proceed with caution when driving around the wildlife areas as roads may be wet and muddy. It may not hurt to give us a call if you are planning a trip just to see what road conditions are like.
Within the past few days, we have been seeing several different species showing up in the area, including Barn Swallows, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Brown Thrashers, Clay-colored Sparrows, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers, and so many more!
Sharp-tailed Grouse are participating in their mating displays at this time, which is a sight you won’t want to miss! Get to the property before daylight, and head up to the north end of the refuge to see if you can find any dancing birds.
Mammals are still roaming around as usual. Highlights this week include: porcupines!
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
13-Lined Ground Squirrel
Beaver
Black Bear
Coyote
Fisher
Grey Squirrel
Grey Wolf (tracks)
Mink
Muskrat
Porcupine
Raccoon
Red Fox
Red Squirrel
River Otter
Short-tailed Weasel
Striped Skunk
White-tailed Deer
Did you see something that is not on our list? Feel free to give us a call to report it!
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
| American Bittern |
| American Coot |
| American Crow |
| American Goldfinch |
| American Kestrel |
| American Robin |
| American Tree Sparrow |
| American White Pelican |
| American Wigeon |
| Bald Eagle |
| Barn Swallow |
| Barred Owl |
| Belted Kingfisher |
| Black-capped Chickadee |
| Blue Jay |
| Blue-winged Teal |
| Bonaparte’s Gull |
| Broad-winged Hawk |
| Brown Thrasher |
| Brown-headed Cowbird |
| Bufflehead |
| Cackling Goose |
| Canada Goose |
| Canvasback |
| Chipping Sparrow |
| Clay-colored Sparrow |
| Common Goldeneye |
| Common Grackle |
| Common Loon |
| Common Merganser |
| Common Raven |
| Cooper’s Hawk |
| Dark-eyed Junco |
| Double-crested Cormorant |
| Downy Woodpecker |
| Eastern Bluebird |
| Eastern Meadowlark |
| Eastern Phoebe |
| Eastern Towhee |
| European Starling |
| Field Sparrow |
| Fox Sparrow |
| Gadwall |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet |
| Great Blue Heron |
| Greater Scaup |
| Greater Yellowlegs |
| Green-winged Teal |
| Hairy Woodpecker |
| Hermit Thrush |
| Herring Gull |
| Hooded Merganser |
| Horned Grebe |
| Horned Lark |
| Killdeer |
| Lesser Scaup |
| Lesser Yellowlegs |
| Mallard |
| Merlin |
| Mourning Dove |
| Northern Cardinal |
| Northern Flicker |
| Northern Harrier |
| Northern Pintail |
| Northern Shoveler |
| Osprey |
| Palm Warbler |
| Peregrine Falcon |
| Pied-billed Grebe |
| Pileated Woodpecker |
| Pine Warbler |
| Purple Finch |
| Purple Martin |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| Red-breasted Merganser |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch |
| Redhead |
| Red-necked Grebe |
| Red-tailed Hawk |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
| Ring-billed Gull |
| Ring-necked Duck |
| Ring-necked Pheasant |
| Rock Pigeon |
| Rough-legged Hawk |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
| Ruddy Duck |
| Ruffed Grouse |
| Rusty Blackbird |
| Sandhill Crane |
| Savannah Sparrow |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse |
| Snow Bunting |
| Solitary Sandpiper |
| Song Sparrow |
| Spotted Sandpiper |
| Swamp Sparrow |
| Tree Swallow |
| Trumpeter Swan |
| Turkey Vulture |
| Vesper Sparrow |
| White-breasted Nuthatch |
| White-throated Sparrow |
| Wild Turkey Wilson’s Snipe |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler |