Fall Visitor Center Hours
Weekdays from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Weekends 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
As October nears, the Grantsburg area is certainly experiencing fall weather! Many days are cool in the morning and have had highs in the 60s and low 70s. We have also had several days of MUCH needed rain, after our second summer in drought conditions. Flowages that have been dry are now starting to have a bit of standing water in them.
Fall migration is in full swing, with many species on our list this week! We have migrating warblers, shorebirds, hawks, waterfowl, and some of our early Sandhill Cranes as well.
Dikes 4 & 5, and Refuge Extension Flowages are great places to look for shorebirds. The Rest Area and the trail behind the Visitor Center are great places to find warblers. and waterfowl can be found all over the place, but a couple of viewing hotspots are the north end of Phantom Lake, North Fork Flowage, and Dike 1.
Sandhill Crane viewing season is in its early stages. Numbers of cranes will continue to build throughout October, with our peak numbers typically being present the last week of the month.
Trumpeter Swans are also plentiful on the properties this time of year, with numbers close to 100 in some areas!
Species highlights from this week include: American Golden-plover, American Pipit, Bay-breasted Warbler, Black-bellied Plover, Lapland Longspur, Merlin, and Stilt Sandpiper.
PLEASE NOTE: There are now several hunting seasons open, including waterfowl and black bear. Please stay aware while out on the properties in the coming months (especially while hiking).
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
| Beaver | Muskrat | River Otter |
| Grey Squirrel | Red Fox | White-tailed Deer |
| Grey Wolf | Red Squirrel |
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
| American Bittern | Eastern Towhee | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| American Coot | Eastern Wood-pewee | Red-breasted Nuthatch |
| American Crow | Field Sparrow | Red-headed Woodpecker |
| American Golden-plover | Gray Catbird | Red-tailed hawk |
| American Goldfinch | Great Blue Heron | Red-winged Blackbird |
| American Kestrel | Great Egret | Ring-billed Gull |
| American Pipit | Greater Yellowlegs | Ring-necked Duck |
| American Robin | Green-winged Teal | Ring-necked Pheasant |
| Bald Eagle | Hairy Woodpecker | Rock Pigeon |
| Barred Owl | Hooded Merganser | Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | Horned Lark | Ruffed Grouse |
| Belted Kingfisher | Killdeer | Rusty Blackbird |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Lapland Longspur | Sandhill Crane |
| Black-bellied Plover | Least Sandpiper | Savannah Sparrow |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Lesser Yellowlegs | Sedge Wren |
| Blue Jay | Lincoln’s Sparrow | Semipalmated Plover |
| Blue-headed Vireo | Magnolia Warbler | Semipalmated Sandpiper |
| Blue-winged Teal | Mallard | Solitary Sandpiper |
| Canada Goose | Merlin | Song Sparrow |
| Cedar Waxwing | Mourning Dove | Sora |
| Chipping Sparrow | Nashville Warbler | Stilt Sandpiper |
| Common Grackle | Northern Cardinal | Swamp Sparrow |
| Common Loon | Northern Flicker | Tennessee Warbler |
| Common Raven | Northern Harrier | Trumpeter Swan |
| Common Yellowthroat | Northern Pintail | Turkey Vulture |
| Cooper’s Hawk | Osprey | White-breasted Nuthatch |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Palm Warbler | White-throated Sparrow |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Pectoral Sandpiper | Wild Turkey |
| Downy Woodpecker | Pied-billed Grebe | Wilson’s Snipe |
| Eastern Bluebird | Pileated Woodpecker | Wood Duck |
| Eastern Phoebe | Pine Warbler | Yellow-rumped Warbler |