The fall season is in full swing here in the Grantsburg Area! Temperatures have been cool, with some days in the 30’s, but mostly highs in the 40’s and 50’s. We have had a couple of nights dropping into the 20’s, causing flowages to temporarily freeze. They will not stay frozen now, as we will be getting temperatures in the high 60’s over the weekend!
We are nearing our peak for Sandhill Crane viewing, with many thousands of birds already in the area. Our best viewing location so far is on Fish Lake Wildlife Area, on Grettum Dike Road! Try heading there in the morning around 7-9 a.m., or in the evening around 5-7 p.m. to see the largest groups flying around (last estimate was around 7,000 birds)!
Bird highlights this week: American Black Duck, Gadwall, Lapland Longspur, Merlin, Redhead, Sandhill Cranes, Snow Bunting, and Western Meadowlark.
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
Beaver
Black Bear
Grey Squirrel
Muskrat
Red Fox
Red Squirrel
White-tailed Deer
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and the surrounding area!
American Black Duck
American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American Wigeon
American Woodcock
Bald Eagle
Belted Kingfisher
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Blue-winged Teal
Brown Creeper
Canada Goose
Common Raven
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Fox Sparrow
Gadwall
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Great Blue Heron
Greater Yellowlegs
Green-winged Teal
Hairy Woodpecker
Hermit Thrush
Horned Lark
House Finch
Lapland Longspur
Lesser Scaup
Mallard
Merlin
Northern Harrier
Northern Pintail
Northern Shrike
Pied-billed Grebe
Purple Finch
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Redhead
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Rough-legged Hawk
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruffed Grouse
Sandhill Crane
Savannah Sparrow
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Snow Bunting
Song Sparrow
Trumpeter Swan
Western Meadowlark**
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Wilson’s Snipe
Wood Duck
Yellow-rumped Warbler