Grasshopper

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Identifying grasshoppers can be pretty tricky, but the dark stripe by this one's eye makes us think it's a member of the "spur-throated" grasshopper family. Spur-throated grasshoppers are common across North America. 

Photo: Grasshopper by Rachel Kromrey/USFWS. 

#Animals #Insects #Grasshopper #nature #wildlife #USFWS 

Song Sparrow

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Song sparrows are returning to the marshlands and other open areas! Compared to other little brown birds, eastern song sparrows have a dark spot on their upper chest and a dark "mustache" line beside their beaks. 

Photo: Song sparrow by Jim Hudgins/USFWS. 

#animals #birds #sparrow #wildlife #nature 




041817

***** 

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

#Wednesday

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Great blue herons are returning to the refuge now that the ice has melted and food is more available. These large, grayish-blue birds fly with crooked necks and long trailing legs. Sandhill cranes are also large and have trailing legs, but fly with long necks extended.

Photo: Great blue heron by USFWS.  

#animals #birds #heron #GreatBlueHeron #wildlife #nature 

#Minnesota #MN #spring #USFWS 




040517 

American robin

#Tuesday

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Robins have returned, marking the unofficial end of winter! They can’t be missed with their soft red-orange breast and black head. You’ll likely see them digging for earthworms, and don’t forget to listen for their lovely evening song – truly a sound of summer!

Photo: American robin by Mara Koenig/USFWS. 

#animals #birds #nature #wildlife #USFWS 




040417 

Preening Sandhill Crane

#Thursday

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Sandhill cranes preen their feathers with mud to better blend in with their surroundings. Look close to see the mud on this crane's beak and neck feathers! The red tint to the mud comes from iron in the soil and also from plant compounds (tannins) found in some water. 

Photo: Sandhill Crane Preening courtesy of Bob Schneider. 




033017 

Well-camouflaged Sandhill Cranes

#Wednesday


From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Though their red facial patches set them apart from our spring landscape, it's amazing how well these sandhill cranes blend in with the prairie grasses behind them! The reddish-brown on their feathers comes from preening their feathers with muddy soil.

Photo: Sandhill cranes courtesy of Bob Schneider. 




032917 

Nesting Canada Geese

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Canada geese will begin nesting soon and can often been seen nesting on top of muskrat huts where they can be close to the water and keep a wary eye out for predators. 

Photo: Goose eggs by #USFWS. 




032817 

Killdeer

I used to see a lot of these birds around the animal waste lagoons that I used to inspect.


From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

To know the name of this bird, you just have to listen for it's call! Killdeer are known for announcing themselves with a loud "kill-deer, kill-deer" cry as they fly. Listen for their return around the refuge this week!

Photo: Killdeer by Kevin Lowry/USFWS.




032117

Around 115 Sandhill Cranes

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Serene in the softening evening light, around 115 sandhill cranes settled in by a slough last night near New Albion, Iowa. Groups of cranes are sometimes referred to as a "dance," a "swoop," or a "sedge."

Sandhill cranes by William Reiter-Marolf/USFWS. 




#StPatricksDay

Happy St Patrick's Day! 

Returning Red-winged Blackbird

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:


#USFWS #animal #bird #springtime

Red-winged black birds are beginning to return! Males come back first to establish their territories in the wetlands. The loud trilling calls you hear in the spring are their mating calls; "pick me, pick me!"

Photo: Red-winged blackbird by Dave Menke/USFWS. 




030717

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Wild Turkey Tracks

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

#USFWS

Wild turkey tracks were spotted around the Visitor Center near Onalaska, Wisc! Can you see the claw marks in the snow? Turkeys have a claw at the end of each toe that helps them scratch for seeds and nuts under the snow. 

Photo: Turkey tracks by Katie Julian/USFWS.




030117 

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Greater White-fronted Geese

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Greater White-fronted geese are making their way from the Gulf of Mexico to the tundra. Hundreds of these "speckled bellies" are seen and heard feeding in the nearby fields and various locations along the Mississippi River, near Fulton, IL.
Photo: Greater White-fronted Geese by Stan Bousson.




022517

Restoration activities continue at Wabasha Prairie

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Restoration activities continue at Wabasha Prairie. Good progress has been made the last couple weeks toward the goal of restoring the area to sand prairie.




022417 

Common Goldeneye

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

#Bird

As the ice begins to melt in the backwaters of the Mississippi River, fall migratory birds are beginning to return to the refuge! Mallard ducks, Canada geese, ring-necked ducks, common goldeneye, and common merganser have been spotted near Onalaska, Wisc. Some birds will stay, while others will continue farther north to their nesting grounds in upper Wisconsin and Canada. 

Photo: Common goldeneye by Stan Bousson/USFWS 




022117

Opossum

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

#USFWS #marsupials

Opossums are the only marsupials native to United States. Like kangaroos, when their babies are born, they climb into a special pouch to continue to grow. Opossums are active during the winter, relying on their dens to stay warm at night. 

Photo: Opossum by USFWS.




020217 

American Kestrel

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

American kestrels are colorful birds known for the dark “sideburns and mustache” markings beneath their eyes. About the size of a blue jay, they can be seen perched on telephone wires and trees near open spaces. These fierce hunters see ultraviolet light, allowing them to spot urine trails of voles or other prey.

Photo: "American kestrel (Falco sparverius)" courtesy of Keenan Adams/USFWS.http://bit.ly/2jgNYVj

013117 

Golden Eagle |

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

These majestic birds have been spotted on the Refuge in the Wabasha area. They are distinguished by buff or golden plumage on the nape of their necks and under their tails. Mammals and birds are Golden Eagles’ primary food which they hunt mostly from the air, and often in spectacular dives called stoops.

Photo courtesy of Tom Koerner/USFWS.http://bit.ly/2itAkMF




011717

The Distinctive Pileated Woodpecker

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

Pileated woodpeckers are the largest woodpecker in North America and are known for the large, rectangular holes they leave behind in the dead trees they scavenge from. Their preferred source of food is carpenter ants. In winter, when the leaves have fallen from the trees, their bright red caps make them easy to spot in the forest.

#USFWS #Bird 




12-27-16

^^^^^ 

Closer Look at Tree Sparrow

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

We saw tree sparrows again yesterday morning at the Visitor Center near Onalaska, Wisc. Here's a closer look at their maroon-ish colored caps and eye bars!

Photo by Katie Julian/USFWS.

#USFWS #Bird 




12-16-16

Tree Sparrow | 12-14-16

From Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge:

A flurry of wings greeted us as a flock of tree sparrows moved through the prairie around the Visitor Center near Onalaska, Wisconsin this week. While many animals move further south for the winter, for some birds the Refuge is their winter habitat! Tree sparrows love to eat grass seed and can often be spotted resting on the tops of goldenrod plants. Look for tree sparrows' rusty-red caps, dark spot on their chests, and bi-colored beaks to find them in the tall grasses. 

Photo: "Tree sparrow" by Katie Julian/USFWS.

#USFWS #Bird