With over 15,000 lakes (including two Great Lakes), several national and state wildlife refuges, and various wetlands, prairies, and forests, Wisconsin has an abundance of natural beauty to offer our feathered friends. In the fall, when many birds head south, the Badger State becomes the Birder State as pros and amateurs alike head out with a pair of binoculars to bear witness. More than 300 species spend at least part of the year here, and Audubon lists nearly 3.2 million acres of Important Bird Areas. If you’re coming to watch, here are a few of the best destinations.
Canadian geese asleep in Horicon Marsh. KBitto/Shutterstock
Horicon Marsh
Once a glacial lake at the end of the last period of the Ice Age, this basin eventually filled with silt and became a 32,000-acre freshwater cattail marsh, the largest in the nation. The Ramsar Convention includes the marsh on its list of Wetlands of International Importance, and the north side of the property is managed as a National Wildlife Refuge while the state of Wisconsin looks after the south. More than 300 species have been recorded here, and during migration the waterfowl flocks are vast—more than 200,000 Canada Geese show up at migration’s peak. Each refuge has its own visitor center, and the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center is a nature lover’s destination in itself. A trail system opens up areas for hiking and some paddling and biking. A fantastic boardwalk passes right over the water while observation decks give sweeping views.
A group of sandhill cranes in the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area in northern Wisconsin. natmac stock/Shutterstock
The Mississippi River Flyway
For auto tours, the historic Great River Road passes along bluffs and small towns on the Mississippi River. But the birds follow the Big Muddy to the Gulf—a perfect water highway for them. The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge stretches 261 miles from Wabasha, Minnesota (home of the National Eagle Center) to Rock Island, Illinois. It includes nearly a quarter of a million acres, and, like Horicon, is a Wetland of International Importance. You can spot abundant eagles, egrets, herons, kingfishers, hawks, and a long list of migratory birds.
A yellow warbler. Michelle Nyss/Shutterstock
You can also find a great assortment of accommodations, from tent and RV camping to guesthouses and even houseboats on the Upper Mississippi. Where the river is dammed near Ferryville, creating a lake called Lake Winneshiek, visitors often count more than half a million canvasback ducks and other waterfowl. Stay and explore the area from a rental houseboat on the Iowa side.
Wyalusing State Park includes a high bluff overlooking the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. The altitude provides great views, but the trail system through the woods and prairies reveals an impressive population of songbirds and, in particular, warblers—including Prothonotary, Cerulean, Yellow-throated, and Kentucky.
A chestnut-sided warbler. Gerald A. DeBoer/Shutterstock
The 6,446-acre Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, located a few miles north of La Crosse (famous for its Oktoberfest), offers prairies and forests to go with its riverside setting. Next door, Perrot State Park has an excellent campground and trail system.
A magnolia warbler. Gerald A. DeBoer/Shutterstock
St. Croix River
A National Scenic Riverway, the St. Croix feeds into the Mississippi River and is as rich as the Great River Road for natural sites.Just east of the St. Croix lies the 30,000-acre Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, one of the top 500 Globally Important Bird Areas in the nation. More than 280 species have been identified here. There are cycling routes and paddling courses, as well as a 24-mile auto tour that winds through the refuge. Along with thousands and thousands of waterfowl, you may see abundant bald eagles and several thousand sandhill cranes.
Black-crowned crane at the International Crane Foundation. Susan Burgard/Shutterstock
Cranes and Congregations
These elegant, long-legged birds start their migration later, often in November. Throughout fall, they gather in massive flocks to feed in empty cornfields, especially along the Wisconsin River corridor. The Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm, the beloved naturalist’s former haunt along the river, is an excellent place to see “crane congregations,” and Leopold’s Foundation offers tours. Visit during the first of the soon-to-be-annual Midwest Crane Fest on Nov. 10 to 12, 2022.
A pair of two wattled cranes at the International Crane Foundation. T-I/Shutterstock
A stop here should also be paired with a visit to the International Crane Foundation outside Baraboo, Wisconsin. All 15 species of cranes in the world are kept here, where the mission to save the rare Whooping Crane took flight. While never a guarantee, chances are good for spotting these brilliant white cranes in the wild at Necedah Wildlife Refuge, an hour northwest of here, and Horicon Marsh.
The northern end of Highway 42 in Door County, Wisc. Jon Jarosh/Door County Visitor Bureau
