Next Stop Horicon Marsh - This is for the Birds

For all of you bird watchers there is a place in Wisconsin, USA you may be interested in. At this time of the year Horicon Marsh is the place to be.

Horicon Marsh can be found south-west of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. This place is a stopping ground for Canada geese who are flying the seasonal trip south. During the fall you can find up to "100,000 or even 200,000 Canada geese."

Take a good look through all those goose feathers for you will find other birds as well, up to another 280 species of birds. In the spring time there are birds that fly as far north as the sub-Artic and Artic from deep within South America. Horicon Marsh is a stop over for them. My source does not give the exact birds who make this trip.

DNR naturalist and and wildlife educator Bill Volkert says, "If you want to see orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, purple martins or even tree swallows, your're too late. They've already gone. If you're looking for swans, you're too early."

As of this web log (blog) you have a couple weeks still until the Canada geese are at their peak numbers. The wigeon ( a duck) is at it's peak numbers, along with other ducks. You can see Peregrine falcons "coming through" and "sandhill crane numbers are building up."

The numbers for these following birds are thinning out at this time: great blue heron, egrets and pelicans. There has been an unseasonal warm fall so some species are behind in their migration.

Bill Volkert suggests that the best viewing area can be found on the "northeast corner of the marsh just off State 49."

In closing, this marsh has to been found to be of great importance and has now been "designated as Wisconsin's first "Important Bird Area" (IBA), as part of an international conservation intiative."

You can find more information outside of www.GodCreatedThat.com at :
Wisconsin Society for Ornithology - www.uwgb.edu/birds/wso
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area - www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/reclands/horicon/



Steven Dickinson
editor of GodCreatedThat.com

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***Information from The Post-Crescent, October 19, 2004, Section B1 www.postcrescent.com