Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area
Wildlife Update: October 3, 2022
Summer Visitor Center Hours
Weekdays from 9:00 am- 5:30 pm
Weekends 10:00 am- 4:00 pm
The fall season is in full swing here in the Grantsburg Area! Temperatures have finally cooled down to what we normally have this time of year, with most days in the mid 60’s. We have also had our first couple of frosts within the past week. Some flowages are a bit low on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, and Amsterdam Sloughs, but we are hoping for more rain, so they come up a bit more for the rest of the fall hunting seasons. However, visitors may want to take advantage of the lower water levels for shorebird viewing while there are still some species hanging around! Try driving past Dikes 4 & 5 to look for yellowlegs, and a few more. Shorebirds aren’t the only migrants moving through the area right now! We have also been seeing many different waterfowl species, and more and more Sandhill Cranes show up each day. Sandhill crane migration won’t peak until mid to late October, but there are still plenty to be seen within the next couple of weeks before the peak! Our best viewing location so far is on Fish Lake Wildlife Area, on Grettum Dike Road! Try heading there in the morning as the sun rises, or in the evening as the sun sets to see the largest groups flying around! Bird highlights: American Pipit, Great Egret, Horned Lark, Lapland Longspur, Northern Pintail, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and more!
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 surrounding area!
American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Pipit
American Woodcock
Bald Eagle
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Blue-winged Teal
Canada Goose
Common Raven
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Phoebe
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Greater Yellowlegs
Green-winged Teal
Horned Lark
Killdeer
Lapland Longspur
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Northern Pintail
Palm Warbler
Pied-billed Grebe
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Sandhill Crane
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Song Sparrow
Trumpeter Swan
Turkey Vulture
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Wilson’s Snipe
Wood Duck
Yellow-rumped Warbler