Wildlife Update: December 1, 2022

Winter has arrived in the Grantsburg area. We received our first large snowfall this week, some places getting up to 8”-9”, Grantsburg getting a bit less than that. Flowages are all iced over at this point, with most of the other lakes following closely behind. Weather was oddly warm up until now, but we are settling back in with normal temperatures for this time of the year. The forecast shows a bit more snow on the way, and temperatures mostly in the teens and 20’s during the day. 

The wildlife clearly know that winter has arrived as well. The bird list is short this week, with many things disappearing with the arrival of the cold and snow. Though the birds have figured it out, it seems that the black bear have been a bit confused with the above average temperatures. Many deer hunters reported seeing bears during the 9-day rifle season this year, when they often are absent from the landscape at that point. They should be settling into dens soon. 

Bird highlights this week include: Great Horned Owl, Northern Shrike, Snow Bunting, and Snowy Owl. 

Mammals seen in the area within the last week:

Beaver

Black Bear

Grey Squirrel

Porcupine

Black Bear

Grey Squirrel

Porcupine

Raccoon

Red Squirrel

Striped Skunk

White-tailed Deer

Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area!

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Wigeon

Bald Eagle

Black-capped Chickadee

Blue Jay

Brown Creeper

Canada Goose

Common Raven

Dark-eyed Junco

Downy Woodpecker

Great Horned Owl

Hairy Woodpecker

Horned Lark

Mourning Dove

Northern Harrier

Northern Shrike

Pileated Woodpecker

Ring-necked Pheasant

Rough-legged Hawk

Ruffed Grouse

Sandhill Crane

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Snow Bunting

Snowy Owl

Trumpeter Swan

Tundra Swan

White-breasted Nuthatch

Wild Turkey

Wood Duck