Featured Image by Heather Shaw
Weather has still been hot in the Grantsburg area with high’s in the 80’s, but with some cooler mornings in the 40’s and 50’s. The 10-day forecast looks like weather will continue to be hot, but there are also many days with rain forecasted. Water levels continue to be extremely low in the area due to the drought. We are hoping that the rain in the forecast for the next few days helps! Fortunately, low water levels also mean mudflats, which provide exceptional shorebird viewing! Head to North Fork Flowage, Refuge Extension Flowage, many other locations to look for groups of migrating shorebirds.
Signs of fall are popping up by the day, with leaves beginning to change, some birds gathering into groups, and even some migrants beginning to come through. Our first hunting seasons have now opened, with several more to open in the coming weeks (see full list of current and upcoming seasons below).
Highlights this week include: American Redstart, Baird’s Sandpiper, Cedar Waxwing, Common Nighthawk, Merlin, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Red Crossbill, Semipalmated Plover, and Short-billed Dowitcher.
Bird sightings within the last week at Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Redstart
American Robin
American White Pelican
Baird’s Sandpiper
Bald Eagle
Barn Swallow
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Blue-winged Teal
Bobolink
Canada Goose
Cedar Waxwing
Clay-colored Sparrow
Common Loon
Common Nighthawk
Common Raven
Common Yellowthroat
Cooper’s Hawk
Double-crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Eastern Wood-pewee
Gray Catbird
Great Blue Heron
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Egret
Greater Yellowlegs
Green Heron
Hairy Woodpecker
Horned Lark
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Least Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Mallard
Marsh Wren
Merlin
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Osprey
Pied-billed Grebe
Pileated Woodpecker
Pine Warbler
Red Crossbill
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruffed Grouse
Sandhill Crane
Savannah Sparrow
Sedge Wren
Semipalmated Plover
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Short-billed Dowitcher
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Sora
Spotted Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tree Swallow
Trumpeter Swan
Turkey Vulture
Vesper Sparrow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Wild Turkey
Wilson’s Snipe
Wood Duck
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
Beaver
Black Bear
Grey Squirrel
Muskrat
Red Fox
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):
| Early Teal | September 1-9 |
| Early Goose | September 1-15 |
| Black Bear (with the aid of bait) | September 9-15 |
| 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 (with the aid of bait and dogs) | September 16-October 6 |
| Regular Goose | September 16- December 16 |
| Regular Waterfowl | September 26- November 24 |
| Black Bear (with the aid of dogs) | October 7-13 |