To hear the call prompts us to look skyward, to run to the nearest clearing where we might glimpse the v-shaped flock as it cuts a geometric line through the air. It’s our own signal to make ready for the spectacle of fall and the onset of winter.
The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge along the Great River Road between Stoddard and Prairie du Chien offers spectacular views of the fall migration of waterfowl. In addition to Canada geese are mallards, tundra swans, wood ducks, canvasbacks, and diving ducks such as redheads, buffleheads, and ruddy ducks.
According to Refuge staff, pool 8 near Stoddard and Genoa is a “fantastic spot to view diving ducks, puddle ducks, Canada geese and coots.” In a mammoth restoration project directed by the U.S. Corp of Engineers, islands are currently under construction in Pool 8 to foster the growth of aquatic plants that migrating birds depend upon for food and cover.
Lake Winneshiek, a wide expanse of the Mississippi near Ferryville, plays host to “nearly half a million canvasback ducks and other waterfowl.” According to the Audubon Society, 50% of the continental population of canvasbacks uses the Mississippi Flyway as their migration route. Several waysides and overlooks along the corridor are available of viewing. And don’t forget the year-round presence of eagles that also winter in the area, soaring overhead and strafing for fish.
For viewing forest birds such as red-shouldered hawk, Acadian flycatcher, wood thrush, cerulean warbler, and Kentucky warbler, the Kickapoo River Wildlife Area near Wauzeka combines great bird viewing along with the tranquil settings of the Kickapoo Valley. Husher Park between Wauzeka and Steuben sits high atop the bluff as a perfect perch for observing hawks hovering over the valley.
Further up river near LaFarge, the Kickapoo Valley Reserve has been recognized as an “Important Bird Area” (IBA) by the National Audubon Society. Check out the “Birds of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve,” which lists an impressive number of species, including some that migrate here from more northern reaches.
Whether touring the Mississippi Flyway or the Kickapoo Valley, Driftless Wisconsin provides the ideal setting to experience the sights and sounds of fall’s arrival.
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