Summer Visitor Center Hours
Weekdays from 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Weekends 10:00 am-4:00 pm
The Grantsburg area is experiencing another dry summer. The area did get a couple inches of rain over the 4th of July weekend, but not much more than that. Water levels are low in many flowages due to the lack of precipitation. There have been a few wildfires recently, one of them on Crex property (on Main Dike Road, south of the Refuge).
Bird highlights over the past week include American White Pelican, Cedar Waxwing, Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, Short-billed Dowitcher, Solitary Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, and Wilson’s Phalarope.
To see many of the shorebirds on the list for this week, head to Main Dike Road, and take close look anywhere you can see mudflats!
One great activity to participate in this time of the year is searching for a wide variety of flowers in bloom. A few great places to find pollinators and wildflowers are the area around the intersection of Main Dike Road and James Road, all the way along James Road on the west side of the road, and on Abel Road.
During this time of year, brood-rearing season is still in full swing, with young wildlife to see everywhere. Try looking for Trumpeter swan cygnets, duck broods, and Canada goose goslings on Phantom Lake, Upper North Fork Flowage, Reisinger Lake, and several other locations. You can also find Sandhill crane families this time of the year. Colts are still very small, so when you see a pair of cranes together you should keep your eyes peeled!
Because this is “baby animal season”, the WI DNR would like to remind you to always keep wildlife wild. “Wild animals are valued by many, and it’s important to observe them at a respectful distance to keep them wild and allow for their life in the wild to continue. During the warmer months of spring and summer, the frequency of human-wildlife encounters increases, especially those involving young wild animals. While most of these encounters are harmless, there are times when well-intentioned people interfere in wildlife situations because they incorrectly assume a young animal is orphaned.”
REMEMBER: A young wild animal’s best chance for survival is with its mother!
For more information, visit the WI DNR website!
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
| 13-Lined Ground Squirrel | Grey Wolf | Red Squirrel |
| Beaver | Muskrat | River Otter |
| Black Bear & cubs | Raccoon | White-tailed Deer & fawns |
| Grey Squirrel | Red Fox | Woodchuck |
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
| Alder Flycatcher | Downy Woodpecker | Purple Finch |
| American Bittern | Eastern Bluebird | Purple Martin |
| American Coot | Eastern Kingbird | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| American Crow | Eastern Meadowlark | Red-breasted Nuthatch |
| American Goldfinch | Eastern Phoebe | Red-eyed Vireo |
| American Kestrel | Eastern Towhee | Red-headed Woodpecker |
| American Redstart | Eastern Whip-poor-will | Red-tailed Hawk |
| American Robin | Eastern Wood-pewee | Red-winged Blackbird |
| American White Pelican | European Starling | Ring-necked Duck |
| Bald Eagle | Field Sparrow | Ring-necked Pheasant |
| Baltimore Oriole | Golden-winged Warbler | Rock Pigeon |
| Bank Swallow | Grasshopper Sparrow | Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
| Barn Swallow | Gray Catbird | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| Barred Owl | Great Blue Heron | Ruffed Grouse |
| Belted Kingfisher | Great Crested Flycatcher | Sandhill Crane |
| Black Tern | Greater Yellowlegs | Savannah Sparrow |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Green Heron | Scarlet Tanager |
| Black-billed Cuckoo | Green-winged Teal | Sedge Wren |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Hairy Woodpecker | Short-billed Dowitcher |
| Blue Jay | Hooded Merganser | Solitary Sandpiper |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | House Sparrow | Song Sparrow |
| Blue-winged Teal | House Wren | Sora |
| Bobolink | Indigo Bunting | Spotted Sandpiper |
| Brewer’s Blackbird | Killdeer | Swamp Sparrow |
| Broad-winged Hawk | Lark Sparrow | Tree Swallow |
| Brown Thrasher | Least Flycatcher | Trumpeter Swan |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Least Sandpiper | Turkey Vulture |
| Canada Goose | Lesser Yellowlegs | Upland Sandpiper |
| Cedar Waxwing | Mallard | Veery |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | Marsh Wren | Vesper Sparrow |
| Chimney Swift | Mourning Dove | Virginia Rail |
| Chipping Sparrow | Northern Cardinal | Warbling Vireo |
| Clay-colored Sparrow | Northern Flicker | White-breasted Nuthatch |
| Cliff Swallow | Northern Harrier | Wild Turkey |
| Common Grackle | Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Wilson’s Phalarope |
| Common Loon | Osprey | Wilson’s Snipe |
| Common Nighthawk | Ovenbird | Wood Duck |
| Common Raven | Pectoral Sandpiper | Yellow Warbler |
| Common Yellowthroat | Pied-billed Grebe | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
| Dickcissel | Pileated Woodpecker | Yellow-headed Blackbird |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Pine Warbler | Yellow-throated Vireo |
Did you see something that is not on our list (on the back of this page)? Feel free to give us a call to report it!