Featured Image By: Jeremy Kuecker
Weather has been cooler the past few days, but the extended forecast looks like warmer weather is on the way! With some days having a south wind over the past week, migration is in full swing in the Grantsburg area, with new species being spotted daily. Our bird list for the past week reached 167 species!
Some waterfowl species are still hanging around the area, but many will be starting to nest at this time. Songbirds are moving through the area at this time, with numerous warbler species sighted over the weekend.
Grettum Flowage is currently drawn down to mudflats, making it perfect for shorebird viewing. Species like Wilson’s Phalarope, Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, and more sighted at this location.
Springtime also means mating season for birds, and there have been several species participating in mating displays observed this week. The most visible displays are put on by Sharp-tailed Grouse and Wild Turkeys.
Most roads in Crex Meadows, Fish Lake and Amsterdam Sloughs have been holding up quite well but can be wet and muddy after significant rainfall. It is a good idea to check in with Visitor Center staff before making a trip to the area to learn the most current information.
In the springtime, the Wisconsin DNR conducts several prescribed burns on State Wildlife Areas. While you are visiting Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, and Amsterdam Sloughs, you may notice smoke in the air. These fires are likely controlled by DNR fire staff monitoring them the entire time until they are confirmed to be out. However, springtime is also wildfire season in our area, so it’s important to be aware of your surroundings.
Bird sightings within the last week at Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
American Bittern
American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Pipit
American Redstart
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
American Wigeon
American Woodcock
Baird’s Sandpiper
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Black Tern
Black-and-white Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blue Jay
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Warbler
Bobolink
Bonaparte’s Gull
Brewer’s Blackbird
Broad-winged Hawk
Brown Creeper
Brown Thrasher
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Cape May Warbler
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Cliff Swallow
Common Grackle
Common Loon
Common Merganser
Common Raven
Common Yellowthroat
Cooper’s Hawk
Dark-eyed Junco
Double-crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Dunlin
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Warbling Vireo
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Eastern Wood-pewee
Eurasian Wigeon
European Starling
Field Sparrow
Forster’s Tern
Fox Sparrow
Gadwall
Golden-winged Warbler
Gray Catbird
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Great Blue Heron
Great Horned Owl
Greater Yellowlegs
Green Heron
Green-winged Teal
Hairy Woodpecker
Harris’s Sparrow
Hermit Thrush
Hooded Merganser
Horned Grebe
House Finch
Killdeer
Lark Sparrow
Least Flycatcher
Least Sandpiper
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitcher
Louisiana Waterthrush
Magnolia Warbler
Mallard
Marsh Wren
Merlin
Mourning Dove
Nashville Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Northern House Wren
Northern Parula
Northern Pintail
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Northern Waterthrush
Northern Yellow Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Osprey
Ovenbird
Palm Warbler
Pectoral Sandpiper
Peregrine Falcon
Pied-billed Grebe
Pileated Woodpecker
Pine Siskin
Pine Warbler
Purple Finch
Purple Martin
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-eyed Vireo
Redhead
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-necked Grebe
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruffed Grouse
Sandhill Crane
Savannah Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Sedge Wren
Semipalmated Plover
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Sora
Spotted Sandpiper
Swainson’s Thrush
Swamp Sparrow
Tennessee Warbler
Tree Swallow
Trumpeter Swan
Turkey Vulture
Veery
Vesper Sparrow
Virginia Rail
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Wilson’s Phalarope
Wilson’s Snipe
Wilson’s Warbler
Wood Duck
Wood Thrush
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Vireo
Mammals seen in the area within the last week: