Featured Photo by Gary Meyer
Weather has been variable in the Grantsburg area over the past week, with temperatures varying from some days in the high 80’s to some days with highs in the high 60’s. We have also had rain and storms on and off the past week. The 10-day forecast looks to be relatively consistent, with many days looking like they will be in the low to mid 70’s with no significant rain or storms.
Now is the time of the year where we are within our fall migration. Keep a lookout for a variety of ducks, some remaining songbirds and shorebirds, geese, and watch for some of our local birds to begin flocking up (ducks, Sandhill cranes, etc.). We will expect to see more of this behavior as we move through the rest of September and into October.
Sandhill Crane viewing season is coming up quickly! We are seeing groups of cranes hanging around together in some of our flowages and in local fields that are nearby, and numbers are beginning to build slightly. This migration is still in its earliest stages, however, and we won’t be seeing our peak numbers of cranes until late in October.
Grettum Flowage and Phantom Lake have both been quite active recently, with Grettum still holding many American White Pelicans, Trumpeter Swans, and Double-crested Cormorants. Another highlight this week was our first sighting of Northern Shovelers in the area, spotted on Phantom Lake over the weekend.
This is also the time of year where there are hunting seasons open. Here are the seasons that are open in September:
Large Game
Black Bear September 3- October 7
Deer (Archery & Crossbow) September 13- January 4
Migratory Birds
Goose September 1- December 16
Rails, Snipe September 1- November 9
Mourning Dove September 1- November 29
Youth Waterfowl September 20-21
Woodcock September 20- November 3
Waterfowl/Coot September 27- November 25
Other Game Birds
Turkey September 13- January 4
Ruffed Grouse September 13- January 4
Small Game
Cottontail Rabbit/ Squirrels September 13-February 28
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
| Beaver | Muskrat | Red Squirrel |
| Black Bear | Porcupine | Striped Skunk |
| Grey Squirrel | Raccoon | White-tailed Deer |
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
| American Coot | Downy Woodpecker | Ring-necked Duck |
| American Crow | Eastern Bluebird | Ring-necked Pheasant |
| American Goldfinch | Eastern Whip-poor-will | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| American Kestrel | Eastern Wood-pewee | Ruffed Grouse |
| American Robin | Golden Crowned Kinglet | Sandhill Crane |
| American White Pelican | Great Blue Heron | Savannah Sparrow |
| American Woodcock | Great Egret | Sharp-shinned Hawk |
| Bald Eagle | Green Heron | Sharp-tailed Grouse |
| Barred Owl | Hairy Woodpecker | Sora |
| Belted Kingfisher | House Finch | Swamp Sparrow |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Mallard | Trumpeter Swan |
| Blue Jay | Mourning Dove | Turkey Vulture |
| Blue-winged Teal | Northern Flicker | White-breasted Nuthatch |
| Canada Goose | Northern Harrier | White-throated Sparrow |
| Cedar Waxwing | Northern Shoveler | Wild Turkey |
| Chipping Sparrow | Palm Warbler | Wood Duck |
| Common Loon | Pied-billed Grebe | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
| Common Nighthawk | Pileated Woodpecker | Yellow-rumped Warbler |
| Common Raven | Red-bellied Woodpecker | Yellow-throated Vireo |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Red-breasted Nuthatch | |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Ring-billed Gull |