On Saturday, May 15th, the Coulee Region Audubon Society will host a birding field trip to Wyalusing State Park. We will meet in the parking lot by the gate house at 6:30 AM and will bird until around noon. This is a very special birding location. Local specialties include: Cerulean, Yellow-Throated, Kentucky, and Prothonotary Warblers, Cuckoos, Henslow's Sparrow, Acadian Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, and many others. There is a strong probability that late migrants will still be coming through which means that we can and will seem many other species of sparrows, thrushes, warblers and other great birds.

For those interested in carpooling, please e-mail Dan Jackson at DanJackson@LBWhite.com.

 

Fred Lesher will lead two “Lansing Loop” field trips. March 13 is the Tristate trip with the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology and Coulee Region Audubon Society. Meet at 9 AM at the La Crescent Kwik Trip at the stoplight in La Crescent. March 27 is the same trip with Wisconsin Society of Ornithology, with the same meeting place and time. These trips take 5-6 hours with a stop for lunch in Lansing, Iowa.

Early waterfowl migrants are expected, plus end of winter/early migrant Bald Eagles, often in numbers over 100. Early Eastern Bluebirds are possible, as well as the first Eastern Phoebes. Tundra Swans are possible, but their spring migration is often hard to see. They are in a big hurry on their 2500+/- miles migration from Chesapeake Bay to extreme NW Canada and are here and gone within 2-3 days.

 

Meet at 9AM at the LaCrescent, MINNESOTA, Kwik Trip across the downtown LaCrosse, Mississippi River Cass Street Bridge. If you take this downtown Cass St. Bridge into Minnesota from LaCrosse, you will see the Kwik Trip in LaCrescent at the only stoplight in LaCrescent. An alternate route is to take west bound I90 which passes between LaCrosse/Onalaska, WI across the Mississippi River into Minnesota and exit I90 IMMEDIATELY after you cross the main channel of the River. (Look for Lock & Dam 7 on your right as you cross the main channel of the Mississippi R.) Follow Hwy 35/61 south two miles from this exit to the LaCrescent Kwik Trip at the only stoplight in LaCrescent.

Migrant waterfowl congregate on Pool 8 of the Mississippi R., and are viewable from either side of the River. Our trip may include a 10 mile sortie into Iowa for up close backwater waterfowl & Bald Eagle viewing, depending on weather conditions.

At Lansing, we will stop for lunch if members of the group are interested.

We will travel on Hwy 35 in Wisconsin north back to LaCrosse, viewing areas in both states not readily visible from the west side of the River.

Total "Loop" miles about 70.

This trip features portions of the Upper Mississippi River Fish & Wildlife Refuge which reaches from near Keokuk, Iowa north to Alma, WI.

Fred Lesher
Trip Leader
1-608-783-1149

 

On Sunday, May 17th, the Coulee Region Audubon Society will host a birding field trip to Wyalusing State Park. We will meet in the parking lot by the gate house at 6:30 AM and will bird until around noon. This is a very special birding location. Local specialties include: Cerulean, Yellow-Throated, Kentucky, and Prothonotary Warblers, Cuckoos, Henslow's Sparrow, Acadian Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, and many others. There is a strong probability that late migrants will still be coming through which means that we can and will seem many other species of sparrows, thrushes, warblers and other great birds. For those interested in carpooling, please e-mail Dan Jackson at DanJackson@LBWhite.com.

 

Meet at the LaCrescent, MN Kwik Trip, located at the junction of Hwys 16, 61, & 35 in LaCrescent, MN at 9AM. This tour of the Mississippi River Pool 8 & bottomland hardwood forests between LaCrescent/LaCrosse and Lansing, Iowa will view many waterfowl, Bald Eagles & possibly their nests. South in Minnesota on Hwy 26 to Lansing, Iowa, cross into Wisconsin, north on Hwy 35/61 back to LaCrosse/LaCrescent.

Lunch on your own in Lansing, Iowa or bring your own.

Return to LaCrosse/LaCrescent about 3PM or leave as you wish. About a 75 mile round trip. We will visit Poole Slough bordering the MN/IA state line at New Albin, IA.

Fred Lesher, LaCrosse, WI.

 

Fred Lesher will lead a hawk watch to Genoa Old Settler’s Park on Saturday, October 4, 2008. The park provides excellent viewing of Pool 8 of the Mississippi River from 150 feet above the river. Time will be 9 a.m. to at least 12 noon. Object will be watching migrant raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Osprey, Harriers, American . Kestrels and Bald Eagles. These birds of prey and many other birds of prey species follow the Mississippi River enroute to the Texas Gulf, Central and South America to winter. Some songbirds should also be present along the bluff viewing site, and rafts of migrant waterfowl will be visible on Pool 8 of the Mississippi River.

If birders don’t know where Genoa Old Settler’s Park is, meet at the entrance road to Goose Island off Hwy. 35 south of La Crosse at 8:30 AM and Fred will lead from there.

If the park entrance road is closed to vehicles for the season, we will walk up the 1/4 mile entrance road, birding up and down. There is a pit toilet and drinking water in the park if it is open. Bring a sandwich and beverage if you wish.

 

The trip to Necedah to watch the Whooping Crane flight training will be held on Sunday, August 17, 2008. We will leave from La Crosse at 4:00 am to get to the Necedah Refuge headquarters at 5:30 AM. We should be back in La Crosse by 2:00 pm. The exact itinerary will be sent later to people who sign up.

At this point, I have 9 people signed up for that date so there is no point of suggesting a different date unless the interest is high enough to warrant 2 trips. There is a maximum of 20 allowed for a single day with 14 being optimum in terms of room in the blind. Participants will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis (based on when I receive an e-mail or phone call). If I get more than 14 people and less than 20, we will still take a single trip. If we get more than 20, I will try to schedule a second trip since 14 is optimum for the blind.

Thanks,

Dan Jackson, President
Coulee Region Audubon Society
(608) 483-2271

The synopsis of the day's itinerary is the following:

The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge offers free tours for the public and organizations to witness the training of whooping crane chicks as they learn to fly behind ultralight aircraft in the months of August and September. The group would need to meet Dan Peterson at the Refuge Office parking lot at 5:30am to board a 14-passenger van (14 people fit comfortably in the blind, but it can squeeze a total of 20). The group will arrive at the blind at 7 am. Watching from within the blind will last from 20 to 40 minutes and will be followed with a visit with the ultralight pilots at the Necedah airport. A behind the scenes tour of the Refuge will take place after the airport visit and that tour will last about two hours. Groups often go to the Little Crane Cafe or other Village establishment for Brunch. The tour is free, but doesn't include brunch.

 

Just a reminder that the Coulee Region Audubon Society will be doing its semi-annual Highway Clean-up on Saturday April 26.

This effort is led by Mark Webster and his wife and it would be great to get as many people out there to help out as we possibly can. (Many hands make light work). CRAS has signed up to clean a two mile stretch of I-90 starting at the Minnesota Rest stop below the Dresbach dam

If you can help out, plan to meet at the rest area by 9:00 am. Then Minnesota DOT will provide safety vests and plastic bags. This effort takes about 2 hours to complete.

 

Tuesdays, April 29 and May 6 and 13 in the La Crosse River Marsh, Meet at the RABBIT Trail parking lot in Myrick Park just east of the old zoo. Leaders Bobbie Wilson and Dan Jackson

Thursdays, May 1, 8 and 15 in Hixon Forest. Meet at the Hixon Forest trail parking lot just east off of Hwy. 16 on Bluff Pass Road. Leaders Bobbie and Pat Wilson

Start your day by checking out the spring migration. Bird walks start at 6:30 a.m. and last until about 8 a.m. You’re welcome to leave early or stay later. Bring binoculars and a bird guide if you have them.

 

On Saturday, May 17th, Fred Lesher and Dan Jackson will lead a birding field trip to Wyalusing state park. We will meet at 6:30 am at the entrance to the park and will bird until 11:00 – noon depending on the weather and bird activity.

Wyalusing State Park is one of the birding gems of Southwestern Wisconsin. Park specialties include Cerulean, Kentucky, Yellow-Throated, Prothonotary and possibly Worm-eating Warblers, Acadian Flycatcher, Henslow’s Sparrow, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Winter Wren in addition to many normal spring migrants.

If you are interested in car pooling to the park, call or e-mail Dan Jackson (483-2271 or DanJackson@LBWhite.com).