Fall Visitor Center Hours
Weekdays from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Weekends 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
We are finally into September, and signs of fall are in the air! After the hot and dry summer, temperatures are finally cooling down to highs in the 70’s, and a few days in the 60’s. The area is still experiencing extremely dry conditions, and visitors will likely notice this while driving around the properties. Many flowages have little to no water in them at this time.
Fall migration has started, with new species being sighted each week.
Some warblers have come through already, and many are still in the area. There are also a variety of different shorebirds hanging out in the mudflats, including Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, and more. Dikes 1, 4, & 5, and Refuge Extension Flowages are great places to look for shorebirds.
Sandhill Crane viewing season isn’t quite upon us yet, but many of our local birds are beginning to group together in preparation for migration season. We will start to see more migrants coming in at the end of this month, and then heavily throughout October.
Trumpeter Swans are also plentiful on the properties this time of year, with numbers close to 100 in some areas!
Other highlights from this week include: Great Egret (large numbers!), American Black Duck, Baird’s Sandpiper, Northern Shoveler, Palm Warbler and Semipalmated Sandpiper.
PLEASE NOTE: There are now several hunting seasons open, including waterfowl and black bear (with dogs). Please stay aware while out on the properties in the coming months (especially while hiking).
Mammals seen in the area within the last week:
| 13-Lined Ground Squirrel | Grey Wolf | Red Squirrel |
| Beaver | Muskrat | River Otter |
| Black Bear | Raccoon | White-tailed Deer & fawns |
| Grey Squirrel | Red Fox |
Bird sightings within the last week on Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area:
| American Kestrel | Gray Catbird | Red-headed Woodpecker |
| American Robin | Great Blue Heron | Red-tailed Hawk |
| Baird’s Sandpiper | Great Egret | Red-winged Blackbird |
| Bald Eagle | Greater Yellowlegs | Ring-necked Duck |
| Baltimore Oriole | Green Heron | Ring-necked Pheasant |
| Bank Swallow | Green-winged Teal | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| Barn Swallow | Hairy Woodpecker | Ruffed Grouse |
| Belted Kingfisher | Hooded Merganser | Sandhill Crane |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Killdeer | Savannah Sparrow |
| Blue Jay | Least Flycatcher | Sedge Wren |
| Blue-winged Teal | Least Sandpiper | Semipalmated Plover |
| Brown Thrasher | Lincoln’s Sparrow | Semipalmated Sandpiper |
| Canada Goose | Mallard | Song Sparrow |
| Cedar Waxwing | Marsh Wren | Swamp Sparrow |
| Chipping Sparrow | Mourning Dove | Tree Swallow |
| Common Grackle | Northern Flicker | Trumpeter Swan |
| Common Loon | Northern Harrier | Turkey Vulture |
| Common Nighthawk | Northern Shoveler | White-throated Sparrow |
| Common Raven | Olive-sided Flycatcher | Wild Turkey |
| Common Yellowthroat | Osprey | Wilson’s Snipe |
| Downy Woodpecker | Palm Warbler | Wood Duck |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Did you see something that is not on our list (on the back of this page)? Feel free to give us a call to report it!