Wildlife Update: September 24, 2020
Weather has been back into the 80's this week in the Grantsburg Area, but fall weather looks like it will return over the weekend and into next week.
We are seeing beautiful fall colors right now in the area! It is a great time to come to Crex to take some pictures or just take a drive to enjoy the changing leaves!
We have been seeing lots of migrating birds coming through the area within the past week, including many small songbirds, shorebirds, some waterfowl, and more. A couple of the bird highlights for this week included: Merlin, Northern Shoveler, Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Bonaparte's Gull, Red-necked Phalarope, Great Horned Owl, and more.
Sandhill cranes are beginning to congregate a bit more, but we won’t see a significant increase in numbers for at least the next couple of weeks. We generally see our peak numbers of cranes sometime around the last week in October and into the first week in November.
If you decide to take a drive or a hike on Crex Meadows, be aware that we are now getting into our fall hunting seasons. Here is the last of species and dates to be aware of:
-Black Bear Hunting with bait only: September 9-October 13
-Black Bear Hunting with bait and dogs: September 16-October 6
-Black Bear Hunting with dogs only: October 7-13
-Regular Goose Season: September 16- December 16
-Wild Ducks: September 26- November 24
-Woodcock: September 19- November 2
-Mourning Dove: September 1- November 29
-Wild Turkey: Zones 1-5: September 12- January 3; Zones 6-7: September 12- November 20
-Ruffed Grouse: September 12- January 3
-Archery and Crossbow: September 12- January 3
-Disabled Deer Hunt: October 3-11
-Youth Deer Hunt: October 10-11
Birds spotted in Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and Grantsburg Area within the last week:
American Bittern
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Redstart
American Robin
Bald Eagle
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Black Tern
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Blue-winged Teal
Broad-winged Hawk
Brown Thrasher
Canada Goose
Cedar Waxwing
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Cliff Swallow
Common Grackle
Common Loon
Common Merganser
Common Nighthawk
Common Raven
Common Yellowthroat
Double-crested Cormorant
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Eastern Wood-pewee
Field Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Great Horned Owl
Hairy Woodpecker
Hooded Merganser
House Wren
Killdeer
Least Flycatcher
Lesser Yellowlegs
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard
Merlin
Mourning Dove
Nashville Warbler
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Osprey
Palm Warbler
Pied-billed Grebe
Purple Finch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-necked Duck
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sandhill Crane
Savannah Sparrow
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Short-billed Dowitcher
Song Sparrow
Sora
Swamp Sparrow
Tree Swallow
Trumpeter Swan
Turkey Vulture
Vesper Sparrow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Wild Turkey
Wilson's Snipe
Wood Duck
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Mammals Spotted:
Beaver
Black Bear
Eastern Chipmunk
Grey Squirrel
Muskrat
Raccoon
Red Fox
Red Squirrel
River Otter
White-tailed Deer
Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel
**See something out on our properties that isn’t on the list? Feel free to send us a report or stop in and tell us the story! We are always happy to hear observations from our visitors!