Weather has been back to winter the past week in the Grantsburg Area, but signs of spring are in the air! The ten-day forecast looks like most days into the mid-40’s, but a couple of days that may hit the mid-50’s. It won’t be long before we start to see open water, many migrating birds coming back, and temperatures staying warmer.
We are starting to see more wildlife activity on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, and Amsterdam Sloughs this past week or so. Trumpeter Swans have started returning to the area to stake out nesting and breeding territories on our (still ice-covered) flowages. Sharp-tailed Grouse have started to move into lekking areas on the warm, calm days. And we have even seen our first sightings of groups of Mallards showing up into crop fields in the area.
Although we are seeing signs of spring, we are seeing a number of our winter birds hanging around the area, including a large number of Rough-legged Hawks and Snow Buntings.
Highlights this past week include Golden Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Mallard, Northern Harrier, Northern Shrike, Red Crossbill, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Trumpeter Swan.
Roads in Crex Meadows, Fish Lake and Amsterdam Sloughs have been holding up quite well considering the warmer temperatures and rain that have currently been hitting us. However, once the frost goes out, we may see some roads being difficult to travel due to wet conditions. It is a good idea to check in with staff at the Visitor Center prior to your trip, just to be sure you can access viewing areas!
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
| American Tree Sparrow | Great Horned Owl | Red-tailed Hawk |
| Bald Eagle | Hairy Woodpecker | Ring-necked Pheasant |
| Barred Owl | Horned Lark | Rock Pigeon |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Mallard | Rough-legged Hawk |
| Blue Jay | Mourning Dove | Ruffed Grouse |
| Brown Creeper | Northern Cardinal | Sharp-tailed Grouse |
| Canada Goose | Northern Flicker | Snow Bunting |
| Common Raven | Northern Harrier | Trumpeter Swan |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Northern Shrike | White-breasted Nuthatch |
| Downy Woodpecker | Pileated Woodpecker | Wild Turkey |
| European Starling | Red Crossbill | |
| Golden Eagle | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
| Coyote (tracks) | Grey Squirrel (tracks) | Fox (tracks) |
| Fisher (tracks) | Grey Wolf (tracks) | White-tailed Deer |