Another great update from Dan Jackson, La Crosse, WI. I will add that I saw my first hummer this morning!

The floodgates opened over the weekend when the winds changed to come from the south and bird migration really increased. Many new species were reported in the area including Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Grey Catbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Shorebirds, Vireos, and about 10 species of Warblers. The next couple of weeks should be wild!!

Steve Houdek reported a huge flock of shorebirds north of Winona:

For the traveler- hundreds of shorebirds (maybe 500+) present at Whitewater Wildlife Management Area about 15 miles north of Winona and 2-3 miles west on MN Hwy 74… This included both Yellowlegs, Pectoral, Least and other Sandpipers…area is drawn down and burned…lots of excellent mud flat

I also had a nice diversity of shorebirds at a pond on the north side of Hwy 162 between Stoddard and Chaseburg (opposite Wing Hollow Road). This included both Yellowlegs, Pectoral, Least & Spotted Sandpipers, Wilson’s Phalarope and Snipe, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Killdeer. There are lots of mudflats at Goose Island and many shorebirds were seen there too!!

This is a great time to get out and enjoy the birds!

Dan Jackson, President
Coulee Region Audubon Society
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Seeing lots of American White Pelicans all this week on the river between Stoddard and La Crosse, WI. No doubt,they are abundant up and down river as well. Look for large groups of “snowballs” clustered near shallow water. Let us what you are seeing!

My observation this year is that the spring migration of Tundra Swans represented a truly significant population moving north up the river. Viewing from the Wisconsin side of the river, swans were visible in great numbers against the Minnesota bluffs. I didn’t get over to Brownsville this year, but the viewing must have been excellent. In the first many years, the swans moved through in small clusters, often barely noticeable. No longer!!

Click here to visit the Decorah Eagle Cam! Mom and Dad are back on the nest!

Sure enough, two or three nice days after record low temps, we see two Sandhills making their way north over the river! Check that date… the cranes have been returning right about March 12 for well over 15 years. Didn’t expect to see them this year, given the late bitter cold.

Press Release:

On January 17th, volunteers from the National Eagle Center spread out across the blufflands of southeast Minnesota, western Wisconsin and eastern Iowa during the 11th annual Wintering Golden Eagle Survey. They were seeking golden eagles that winter in the hills and valleys of the region.

Golden Eagle in Flight

More than 180 observers drove rural roads, outfitted with binoculars and spotting scopes to survey the area for golden eagles. Preliminary results reveal that they observed 136 golden eagles, the most ever recorded for the survey. Though this number has increased over the years, it is likely that the increase is a result of more observers covering a larger area, and more experience on the part of the observers in picking out these hard to spot golden eagles.

Observers also recorded other birds, especially raptors, seen during the survey. Saturday’s survey recorded more than 500 red-tailed hawks and 1,734 bald eagles.

‘That’s an amazing number of bald eagles for survey areas that are away from the Mississippi River” says Golden Eagle Project coordinator and National Eagle Center Education Director, Scott Mehus. Typically in winter, large numbers of bald eagles can be found along the river, congregating near open water to find fish. The National Eagle Center conducts weekly wintering bald eagle counts along the Mississippi River, which are available at nationaleaglecenter.org.

This winter with warmer temperatures, more open water and little snow cover, bald eagles are more dispersed, with few large congregations in any one location. Large numbers seen in the blufflands confirm that the population of bald eagles is still healthy, and many are finding food away from the river. By comparison, the 2014 survey counted just 878 bald eagles in the same areas.

With the Tundra Swans now streaming in to the Upper Mississippi, it’s time to plan some  field trips! The La Crosse Audubon Club suggests the following:

Mississippi River Waterfowl Viewing – November 16, 2014.
We will meet at noon on the street behind the Kwik Trip at the stop lights in La Crescent. We will head south and checkout the mudflats below the entrance to the Wildcat Landing in Brownsville and we will also stop at the refuge overlooks just south of there. This is not the date of the US Fish & Wildlife Service viewing event so it won’t be as crowded. This is a great opportunity to see thousands of Ducks, Geese and Swans.

Lake Michigan Lakefront Birding. (January 10, 2015?)
We will join the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO) field trip along the shore of Lake Michigan. The trip will probably be held on Saturday, January 10th 8:00 AM and goes as far north as Sheboygan. This trip is a great chance to see waterfowl including Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks as well as other specialties including Snowy Owls and rare gulls. We will carpool from La Crosse. Details will be announced via e-mail in December.

Northwoods Birding, February ?
We would spend a long day checking out the north woods in WI. We would leave before dawn and return after dark with visits to several locations in the Clam Lake and Gordon areas in search of boreal birds.

For more details, including membership information, visit the Coulee Region Audubun Club Website www.couleeaudubon.org