Summer Visitor Center Hours
Weekdays from 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Weekends 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Summer has officially arrived in the Grantsburg Area! Although, it felt like summer much earlier than this with the hot and dry conditions that we’ve been experiencing starting in May. The area could benefit from some rain soon!
Because migration has now come to a close and nesting/brood-rearing season has arrived, wildlife sightings have decreased to their normal summer levels. This time of the year is wonderful for viewing baby animals of all kinds, butterflies, and other interesting insects, and also for finding a vast array of beautiful wildflowers in bloom.
Check out Phantom Lake to see a number of different waterfowl broods, including Trumpeter swans, Canada geese, Mallards, Blue-winged teal, Wood ducks, and more. There are also swan families on several other flowages, including Refuge Extension, Reisinger Lake, Upper North Fork, and more.
There have also been many sightings of Sandhill crane colts in Crex Meadows. These are incredibly difficult to view at this point in the season, but if you see a pair of Sandhills moving slowly through the thick sedge marshes, be sure to take a closer look- there may be young with them!
Bird highlights over the past week include Black-billed Cuckoo, Bobolink, Canvasback, Dickcissel, Grasshopper, Indigo Bunting, Least Bittern, Mourning Warbler, Northern Shoveler, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-necked Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Scarlet Tanager, and Upland Sandpiper.
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 Abel Road.
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 | Striped Skunk |
| Grey Squirrel | Red Fox | White-tailed Deer |
| Woodchuck |
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
| American Bittern | Eastern Kingbird | Pine Warbler |
| American Coot | Eastern Meadowlark | Purple Finch |
| American Crow | Eastern Phoebe | Purple Martin |
| American Goldfinch | Eastern Towhee | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| American Kestrel | Eastern Whip-poor-will | Red-eyed Vireo |
| American Redstart | Eastern Wood-pewee | Red-headed Woodpecker |
| American Robin | European Starling | Red-necked Grebe |
| American White Pelican | Field Sparrow | Red-tailed Hawk |
| American Woodcock | Gadwall | Red-winged Blackbird |
| Bald Eagle | Golden-winged Warbler | Ring-necked Duck |
| Baltimore Oriole | Grasshopper Sparrow | Ring-necked Pheasant |
| Barn Swallow | Gray Catbird | Rock Pigeon |
| Barred Owl | Great Blue Heron | Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
| Belted Kingfisher | Great Crested Flycatcher | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| Black Tern | Great Horned Owl | Ruddy Duck |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Green Heron | Ruffed Grouse |
| Black-billed Cuckoo | Green-winged Teal | Sandhill Crane |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Hairy Woodpecker | Scarlet Tanager |
| Blue Jay | Hooded Merganser | Sedge Wren |
| Blue-winged Teal | House Finch | Sharp-tailed Grouse |
| Bobolink | House Sparrow | Song Sparrow |
| Brown Thrasher | House Wren | Sora |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Indigo Bunting | Spotted Sandpiper |
| Canada Goose | Killdeer | Swamp Sparrow |
| Canvasback | Lark Sparrow | Tree Swallow |
| Cedar Waxwing | Least Bittern | Trumpeter Swan |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | Least Flycatcher | Turkey Vulture |
| Chipping Sparrow | Mallard | Upland Sandpiper |
| Clay-colored Sparrow | Marsh Wren | Veery |
| Cliff Swallow | Mourning Dove | Vesper Sparrow |
| Common Grackle | Mourning Warbler | Virginia Rail |
| Common Loon | Northern Cardinal | Warbling Vireo |
| Common Raven | Northern Flicker | White-breasted Nuthatch |
| Common Yellowthroat | Northern Harrier | Wild Turkey |
| Cooper’s Hawk | Northern Shoveler | Wilson’s Snipe |
| Dickcissel | Osprey | Wood Duck |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Ovenbird | Yellow Warbler |
| Downy Woodpecker | Pied-billed Grebe | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
| Eastern Bluebird | Pileated Woodpecker | Yellow-headed Blackbird |
| 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!