MEDIA CONTACT: Lisa Marshall, 1-800-236-PLAY/7529
EYES TO THE SKIES: BIRDWATCHERS FIND WISCONSIN PRIME TERRITORY FOR OBSERVING FEATHERED FRIENDS
MADISON, Wis. (Nov. 22, 2002) - Watching our feathered friends is quickly becoming a popular American outdoor pastime. According to a 2000 U.S. Forest Service survey, birdwatching was the fastest-growing leisure activity, with 71 million Americans indicating that they had gone birdwatching, up from 21 million in 1982. The growing popularity of birding is a trend that Wisconsin knows well, illustrated by the state's renowned Horicon Marsh contributing $11 million to local economies in the form of expenses related to goose watching. From the spectacle of thousands of migrating geese at their seasonal staging area to the majesty of bald eagles soaring above their wintering ground, Wisconsin offers many opportunities for birdwatchers. Here are a few locations statewide where birders can enjoy great spring and summer viewing:
Baraboo Hills
In south-central Wisconsin, Devil's Lake State Park and Baxter's Hollow State Natural Area in the Baraboo Hills region offer wonderful birdwatching opportunities. The area's many rugged cliffs and deep gorges are home to relic northern plant communities dating to the last Ice Age that draw bird species rare to southern Wisconsin. Also, expansive tracts of undisturbed forest provide habitats for birds not normally found in the state's more developed southern half. The 4,200-acre Baxter's Hollow, with a large undeveloped watershed and contiguous forest, is an important nesting area for forest birds. In the Baraboo Hills, birders may see turkey vultures, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, hawks and threatened species such as Kentucky, hooded and worm-eating warblers. Bald eagles, osprey, tundra swans, geese and ducks are also among the more than 238 species that have been recorded at Devil's Lake State Park. (Devil's Lake State Park--608/356-8301; Baxter's Hollow--608/251-8140)
Buena Vista Grasslands Wildlife Area
The state's most extensive remaining grassland, the Buena Vista Grasslands Wildlife Area near the central Wisconsin town of Bancroft, is home to the state's largest population of greater prairie chickens. Every April, the males of this threatened bird species perform an elaborate pre-dawn mating ritual that birdwatchers can observe from blinds (available by reservation). Their dance is known as "booming," after the loud booming call that the males make as they jump, flutter and square off against each other to claim their territory and attract females for mating. In warm-weather months, visitors may also spot eastern and western meadowlarks, bobolinks, grassland sparrows and sandhill cranes. (1-877-269-6626)
Spanning 30,000 acres, Crex Meadows is Wisconsin's second-largest state-owned wildlife area and a premier place for wildlife watching. Located just north of Grantsburg in northwestern Wisconsin, it consists mainly of wetlands, flowages and brush-prairie, with some forest and the 79-acre Crex Sand Prairie State Natural Area dedicated to native prairie recovery. More than 270 species of birds have been recorded at Crex Meadows, and half of them nest here. Several endangered and threatened species of birds have found refuge at Crex, including the trumpeter swan, bald eagle, osprey, red-necked grebe, great egret and peregrine falcon. Visitors can also observe cranes and a variety of waterfowl. (715/463-2896)
Horicon Marsh
A perennial favorite for birdwatching, Horicon Marsh in southeastern Wisconsin is the nation's largest cattail marsh, spanning approximately 14 miles long and five miles wide. Often referred to as the "Everglades of the North," Horicon Marsh is a seasonal staging area for the largest population of migrating Canada geese in the world. In addition to viewing an impressive concentration of waterfowl, spring visitors can see nesting white pelicans, herons and egrets. Horicon Marsh is also the largest nesting area east of the Mississippi River for redhead ducks, with more than 3,000 in the area every spring. In all, more than 275 bird species have been sighted at Horicon Marsh. (Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge--920/387-2658; Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area--920/387-7860)
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, covering more than 43,500 acres of wetlands, forest, restored oak savanna and prairie, is a prime place for birdwatching. More than 220 species of birds have been recorded here. In the spring, Necedah is a great location for observing migratory waterfowl and songbirds. Birders may also spot herons, common loons, tundra swans, trumpeter swans, turkey vultures, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys and golden eagles. Birders especially enjoy observing large numbers of red-headed woodpeckers in oak savanna restoration areas as well as numerous species of warblers while visiting the refuge. However, the reintroduction of migratory whooping cranes has stolen the birding show at Necedah. Wildlife biologists, working with ultralight pilots, conducted flight training with a small flock of whooping cranes at Necedah, and in the fall of 2001, the birds made their first migration guided by ultralight aircraft to their wintering ground in Florida. In April and May 2002, five whooping cranes returned to Necedah, completing their first successful migration on their own. Efforts continue to reintroduce additional migratory whooping cranes to Necedah, with a second flock expected to complete its first unguided migration back to Wisconsin in the spring of 2003. (608/565-2551)
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
Spanning 261 miles, the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is the longest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states and covers a large portion of Wisconsin's western border. The river and its wooded islands, forested bottomland, marshes, sloughs, backwater lakes, sandbars, prairie remnants and surrounding bluffs provide abundant habitats. Almost 300 species of birds have been recorded in the refuge. As one of the nation's major bird migration corridors, the Mississippi River is a top spot for viewing waterfowl. Lake Onalaska, a backwater of the Mississippi River located north of La Crosse, serves as a springtime staging area for 75,000 to 100,000 canvasback ducks, about one-third of the population in North America. Among the other species that birders may observe are bald eagles, sandhill cranes, white pelicans, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, turkey vultures, osprey, peregrine falcons, red-shouldered hawks, great egrets and yellow-crowned night herons. (608/783-8403)
Wisconsin Point
Situated on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Superior, Wisconsin Point, at the state's northern tip, serves as a rest stop for songbirds, raptors and shorebirds traveling by the lake during their seasonal migrations. Birders find excellent springtime viewing at Wisconsin Point, including opportunities to observe bald eagles; great black-backed and glaucous gulls; raptors; and a variety of waterfowl. Virtually every duck species in North America has been spotted at Wisconsin Point. In May, visitors may see red-necked and pied-billed grebes, loons and other waterbirds as well as thousands of migrating warblers, including mourning and northern parula warblers. (715/395-7270)
In southwestern Wisconsin, Wyalusing State Park near Bagley is a beautiful and varied area for birding. Located where the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers meet, Wyalusing has bluff-top trails that provide great vistas of the river valley as well as unique viewpoints from which to observe birds. Looking down at the treetops, visitors can spot distinctive forest songbirds, such as the migrating Kentucky warbler and Cerulean warbler, both of which nest at Wyalusing. Viewing is even easier in early to mid-spring, when the budding trees haven't yet acquired their full leaf mass. In addition to the forests and meadows atop the bluffs, the rugged hills, narrow valleys and river bottomlands make for a variety of habitats. Gazing at picturesque panoramas, birders may see hawks and turkey vultures soaring above the bluffs. In the forest, they may spot wild turkeys, pheasant and ruffed grouse, while along the rivers, birders find herons, egrets, ducks and geese. (608/996-2261, www.wiparks.net)
For free Wisconsin travel-planning information, including the Wisconsin Spring Sampler and 2003 Spring/Summer Event & Recreation Guide, travelers can call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's 24-hour, live-operated toll-free number at 1-800-432-TRIP/8747 or visit travelwisconsin.com. Visitors can also obtain guides and information at the 12 Wisconsin Travel Information Centers, which are located in Chicago, Madison and select state-border cities.
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