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