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| Sandhill cranes in flight over Fox River National Wildlife Refuge. USFWS. |
They range from majestic bald eagles to tiny warblers, from sleek raptors to gawky-looking cranes, from migrating Canada geese to beach-loving seagulls. A hike is an excellent way to get up close to many of them. Ten great day trails to watch birds include:
Bluff Trail: Bald eagles soaring 40 stories above two majestic rivers await day hikers at Wyalusing State Park. The 2.4-miles round trip trail offers great vistas of the confluence for the Mississippi and Wisconsin river valleys, an ideal home for the bald eagles. They have plenty of fish – their favorite food – to catch or scavenge, have deep valleys perfect for roosting to protect against the winter wind and cold, and have lifting breezes from the bluffs upon which to fly over the open waters searching for food. During the March migration more than 200 bald eagles roost in the Prairie du Chien area. Spring and summer mark good times to see bald eagles, which are easy to spot even at a distance; mature bald eagles have a wingspan of up to 7-feet-7-inches, a full foot longer than the height of the average NBA player.
Buena Vista Grasslands Trail: The trail heads through a grasslands sporting the largest population of greater prairie chickens in Wisconsin. About a half-mile of old ATV-made paths run through the Buena Vista Grasslands Wildlife Area southwest of Plover. Blue vervain, bromegrass, daisy fleabane, goldenrod, hoary alyssum, switchgrass, timothy, wheatgrass and yarrow all grow there, a perfect environment for the greater prairie chicken. The threatened bird really isn’t a chicken at all but one of four grouse species native to Wisconsin. Once widespread across the southern part of the state, today the greater prairie chicken can be found in only six central counties.
Great Sauk State Trail: Day hikers can see the largest concentration of bald eagles in Wisconsin on a segment of this trail. Each winter, more than 50 eagles nest along this section of the Wisconsin River from below the Prairie du Sac Hydroelectric Dam to just past Sauk City. As snow covers nearby fields and waterways freeze over, the dam keeps a wide swath of riverway open, attracting eagles searching for a meal of fish. Bluffs deliver thermals to make flying easier and woodlands provide good cover. Start at VFW Memorial Park in Prairie du Sac and walk north on the trail to Dam Heights Road for a 2-mile round trip and more eagle sightings than you’ve probably had before. Note that sometimes the trail closes to protect the eagles; if that happens, walk along the river in VFW Memorial Park to see the raptor.
Harrington Beach: While most go to a beach for sunbathing and swimming, that’s only part of the attraction here. It’s also the perfect spot to watch thousands of hawks and flacons as they migrate each spring and fall. Located east of the tiny city of Belgium on Lake Michigan, the beach runs for about a mile. More than 250 bird species have been sighted in the state park, and the spring and fall migrations dramatically raises the offshore waterfowl population. Red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s Hawk and even the Swainson’s Hawk as well as kestrels and the rare Gyrfalcon have been spotted flying over the beach. The annual hawk migration during the first week in October will include a number of young. Hawks flight is more common in west or northwest wind vectors, especially after a cold front has passed through the area.
Honey Creek Trail: Ground zero for warblers in Wisconsin is the Baraboo Hills. A massive tract of connected forest where native plants thrive, it’s the perfect environment for 31 species of warblers. Among the best trails to see those warblers – as well as a variety of other birds and some great scenery include rock escarpments – is the Honey Creek State Natural Area south of North Freedom. The narrow, primitive trail parallels the stream’s north branch. Honey Creek boasts more than 180 bird species with about 1 out of 6 them warblers. The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology owns the southern half of the wildlife area and maintains a nature center just outside it.
Horicon Habitat Hike: Day hikers can see tens of thousands of Canada geese stopping over on their migration during a spring or an autumn walk on this 1.1-mile loop through the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area. The loop heads through grasslands, woods and past wetlands, and while a number of birds can be see on those different habitats, the highlight is the geese. In spring, they begin arriving in mid-February and then in autumn during September, staying about 4-8 weeks each time. The trail partially parallels the Rock River immediately north of Horicon off of North Palmatory Street. Other common birds spotted in the marsh include egrets, herons, marsh wrens, pied-billed grebe, and a variety of ducks.
International Crane Foundation Trail: Wisconsin boasts the only place in the world where all 15 of the world’s crane species reside. The trail at the foundation’s center outside of Baraboo underwent a $10 million renovation in 2019 (with a grand opening in spring 2020) to place the often endangered species in enclosures more like their native habitats. Among those in captivity here is the whooping crane, of which fewer than a thousand exist. While essentially a zoo, the foundation’s center performs several important functions aimed at keeping cranes flourishing in the wild, including breeding and conservation awareness. The trail past the various enclosures runs about 2 miles; admission is charged to walk it.
Seagull Bar Trail: Day hikers can see gulls galore as walking a mile-long sand bar on Green Bay. There’s no formal trail at Seagull Bar State Natural Area in Marinette, but a hike along the shoreline comes to 2.2-miles round trip. A number of migrating shorebirds stop over there each spring and fall while diving ducks congregate during severe weather. The most common bird you’ll see, though, is the gull, which despite the natural area’s name really isn’t a “seagull” at all but several different species from the same bird family, which is closely related to terns. Locally, ring-billed gulls hang around in summer while the larger herring gull spends the winter.
Tiffany Bottoms State Wildlife Area: The broad floodplains along the Chippewa River as it flows into the Mississippi River makes it more easily to traverse by boat than foot. Still, three primitive trails in the wildlife area give some access to this 13,000-acre wildlife area, one of state’s largest continuous bottomland hardwood forests. Because of the protected space’s vastness, it's a particularly great birding area. About 185 bird species have been identified in the bottoms. among the most common are cuckoos, lark sparrows, the endangered red-shouldered hawks, ruffed grouse, spotted sandpipers, vireos, warblers, and wood ducks. Among the many rare species found here are bald eagles, great egrets, Harris’s sparrow, Kentucky warbler, and the yellow-crowned night heron. The hills and bluffs surrounding the river bottoms are the best place in Wisconsin to find overwintering golden eagles.
YCC Trail – Day hikers can view sandhill cranes and other migrating waterfowl from an observation platform on this trail at Crex Meadow Wildlife Area north of Grantsburg. Autumn marks the best time to hike the 0.75-mile loop that passes a refuge smack dab in the middle of the wildlife area. While thousands of ducks and geese inhabit the refuge, the 10,000 or so sandhill cranes are the most spectacular of the arrivals. They can grow up to four feet tall with wingspans of up to seven feet wide. Migration seasons vary from year to year, but sandhill cranes generally can be spotted from April through mid-May on their way north and mid-September through October on their way south. Be sure to bring binoculars.
