Fall Visitor Center Hours
Weekdays from 9:00 am-5:30 pm
Weekends 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Featured photo by Carol Knabe.
The fall migration season is in full swing in the Grantsburg Area! This week has been extremely active, with thousands of Sandhill Cranes arriving, songbirds still coming through, a few interesting shorebirds stopping by, and waterfowl everywhere! Weather has definitely cooled off within this past week. We are still expected to have some days in the 70’s, but also many with highs in the 50’s. Mornings have been cold the past couple of days, with most mornings into the 20’s!
Fall migration season means that it is “Sandhill Crane Viewing Season” at Crex Meadows! The numbers will continue to build throughout the entire month of October, and we typically reach our peak numbers late in October or even early into November. Main Dike Road has been the best place to view cranes in the morning and evening so far this year!
Trumpeter Swans are plentiful on the properties this time of year, many have been hanging out on Main Dike Road during the day.
Highlights from this week include American Black Duck, American Golden-Plover, American Pipit, Canvasback, Lapland Longspur, Long-billed Dowitcher, Merlin, Northern Shoveler, Northern Shrike, and of course, the Sandhill Cranes!
PLEASE NOTE: There are now several hunting seasons open or opening soon. Please stay aware while out on the properties in the coming months (especially while hiking). For a full list of hunting season dates, please visit the WI DNR website: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/dates
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
Beaver | Grey Squirrel | Red Fox |
Black Bear | Grey Wolf | Red Squirrel |
White-tailed Deer |
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
American Black Duck | Great Blue Heron | Pine Siskin |
American Coot | Great Egret | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
American Crow | Great Horned Owl | Red-headed Woodpecker |
American Golden-plover | Greater Yellowlegs | Red-tailed Hawk |
American Goldfinch | Green-winged Teal | Red-winged Blackbird |
American Pipit | Hairy Woodpecker | Ring-billed Gull |
American Robin | Harris’s Sparrow | Ring-necked Duck |
American Tree Sparrow | Hooded Merganser | Ring-necked Pheasant |
American Woodcock | Horned Lark | Rock Pigeon |
Bald Eagle | House Sparrow | Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
Barred Owl | Killdeer | Ruffed Grouse |
Belted Kingfisher | Lapland Longspur | Sandhill Crane |
Black-capped Chickadee | Lincoln’s Sparrow | Savannah Sparrow |
Blue Jay | Long-billed Dowitcher | Sharp-shinned Hawk |
Blue-winged Teal | Mallard | Sharp-tailed Grouse |
Canada Goose | Merlin | Snow Bunting |
Canvasback | Mourning Dove | Song Sparrow |
Common Raven | Northern Flicker | Swamp Sparrow |
Dark-eyed Junco | Northern Harrier | Trumpeter Swan |
Double-crested Cormorant | Northern Pintail | Turkey Vulture |
Downy Woodpecker | Northern Shoveler | White-breasted Nuthatch |
Eastern Bluebird | Northern Shrike | White-crowned Sparrow |
European Starling | Osprey | White-throated Sparrow |
Field Sparrow | Pectoral Sandpiper | Wild Turkey |
Fox Sparrow | Pied-billed Grebe | Wilson’s Snipe |
Golden-crowned Kinglet | Pileated Woodpecker | Wood Duck |
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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!