Featured Image by Gary A Peterson
Fall weather has arrived in the Grantsburg area! Most days this week have had high’s in the 60’s and low 70’s, and with cooler mornings in the 40’s and 50’s. The 10-day forecast looks like temperatures will continue to be cooler, and there are many days with rain in the forecast. Water levels continue to be extremely low in the area due to the on-going drought, so we are hoping the forecasted precipitation actually falls! Fortunately, low water levels also mean mudflats, which provide a great stopping place for migrating shorebirds, and in these areas we can have exceptional viewing! Head to North Fork Flowage, Refuge Extension Flowage, Phantom Lake, and many other locations to look for groups of migrating shorebirds.
Signs of fall are popping up by the day, with leaves changing, birds gathering into groups, and more migrants coming through by the day. Currently we are seeing mostly shorebirds and songbirds migrating through the area. Sandhill cranes are grouping up, but we won’t see a noticeable influx of migrants until early October. Additionally, many hunting seasons have now opened, with a couple more to open in the coming weeks (see full list of current and upcoming seasons below).
Bird highlights this week include American Golden-Plover, American Pipit, Baird’s Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon.
Bird sightings within the last week at Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
American Bittern
American Coot
American Crow
American Golden-Plover
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Pipit
American Redstart
American Robin
Baird’s Sandpiper
Bald Eagle
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Black-bellied Plover
Black-capped Chickadee
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blue Jay
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-winged Teal
Bobolink
Broad-winged Hawk
Brown Creeper
Canada Goose
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Cliff Swallow
Common Grackle
Common Loon
Common Raven
Common Yellowthroat
Double-crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Gray Catbird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Great Horned Owl
Greater Yellowlegs
Green Heron
Green-winged Teal
Hairy Woodpecker
Hooded Merganser
Killdeer
Least Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Mallard
Marsh Wren
Merlin
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Osprey
Ovenbird
Palm Warbler
Pectoral Sandpiper
Peregrine Falcon
Pied-billed Grebe
Pileated Woodpecker
Pine Warbler
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Sandhill Crane
Savannah Sparrow
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tennessee Warbler
Tree Swallow
Trumpeter Swan
Turkey Vulture
Vesper Sparrow
Virgina Rail
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Wilson’s Snipe
Wood Duck
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Vireo
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
Beaver
Black Bear
Grey Squirrel
Muskrat
Red Squirrel
Striped Skunk
White-tailed Deer
13-lined Ground Squirrel
Current and Upcoming Hunting Seasons (for a full list of WI hunting seasons, please visit the WI DNR website):
| Archery Deer | September 12-January 3 |
| Fall Turkey | September 12-January 3 |
| Ruffed Grouse | September 12-January 3 |
| Youth Waterfowl | September 19-20 |
| Black Bear | September 16-October 6 (with the aid of bait and dogs) |
| Regular Goose | September 16-December 16 |
| Regular Waterfowl | September 26-November 24 |
| Black Bear | October 7-13 (with the aid of dogs) |