TRUMPETER SWANS & BALD EAGLES In Alma

A year ago Alma was visited by 6 Trumpeter Swans, 1 adult and 5 cygnets.  The adult had been injured and died with a day of arrival.  The 5 cygnets remained feeding in the open waters below Lock & Dam #4 on the Mississippi River around the Great Alma Fishing Float.  These juveniles were often visited by adults who were staying south of the area where there was a larger population in Buffalo City, WI.

This was a rare sight for Alma ... we enjoy a robust Bald Eagle population and Tundra Swans are a fixture in the fall but no one remembered Trumpeter Swans.

 1-15-2010, 3 Trumpeter Swans

Wednesday brought a return of Trumpeter Swans to Alma,

 2 adults and 2 cygnets.  This year they are a little south of the Lock & Dam

feeding in the open waters of the Mississippi River. 

 One adult and one cygnet are banded.

Today there was a Bald Eagle intently watching the group

 float by on the Mississippi River

as they were feeding ... but no interaction.

Check with the staff at Wings Over Alma

if you come to town and want to view the Trumpeter Swans.

BALD EAGLES, Too Many To Count

December 13th   Today is a special day for Bald Eagles in Alma!  300+ counted along the 2-mile stretch of Mississippi River beside Alma's Main Street.  Their chittering was so loud you could hear it throughout town.

The mist in this photo is from the difference in temperature: 

Air 3 degrees, Water above 32 degrees

15 Bald Eagles In Trees

26 Bald Eagles In Trees

Look closely at these tree pictures, there are lots of eagles.

Not all bald eagles have white heads. 
Juveniles are mottled & more difficult to see in trees.

Photos taken from beside the NAPA Auto Parts Store on Main Street

within 5 minute period, it was 3 degrees and too cold to stay longer. 

Camera:  Olympus SP-800UZ Point & Shoot

BALD EAGLES Surfing The Mississippi

December 12th  The Bald Eagles were out in force today on the Mississippi River in Alma, Wisconsin following yesterday's blizzard and record 26" snowfall. There were well over 200 Bald Eagles counted in the 2-mile stretch along Alma's Main Street.  With the winds from the north they could hover over the water and wait for a fish.

These Bald Eagles took the easy way and floated on a piece of ice down the fast moving Mississippi River. They had trouble standing because of the wind and the swiftness of the water.

Then there were three ...

   

 ...watch the balancing act ...

                                                                                                                                                      

...from one end of the ice float to the other.

Photos taken from beside the NAPA Auto Parts Store on Main Street

Camera:  Olympus SP-800UZ Point & Shoot

Where Are The MUSKRATS?

We experienced an inordinate amount of rain in September in the Buffalo County, Wisconsin area resulting in flooding of the Mississippi River and its backwaters as well as the Buffalo River. Throughout fall we looked for the sign that winter was coming ... the muskrat huts, but there were few to be found. Did the prolonged high water cause the muskrats to seek dry land in other areas? There was lots of discourse on where the muskrats had gone.

The first snow of the season fell on December 3rd and the muskrat puzzle was solved.

If you drive by Rieck's Lake just north of Alma on Wisconsin Hwy 37 you can see white spots where the snow had settled on the roofs of the muskrat huts. You couldn't see them until it snowed because the huts were tucked up behind grasses and high spots out of the way of the high waters of the lake and the unusally swift currents coming down the Buffalo River to the Mississippi. Huts are used for communal living and for food storage.

Take note of the muskrat trails from hut to hut. I love this shot showing the sway in the trail formed by the muskrat scooting from left to right in the 6 inches of snow.

This is a great nature view for kids and a real learning opportunity. For more "kid friendly" info on muskrats visit the DNR Critter Corner.

Field Trip To Buffalo City

We have been experiencing extraordinary numbers of Bald Eagles flying below Lock & Dam #4 on the Mississippi River in Alma, Wisconsin. From the Wings Over Alma Nature & Art Center's viewing deck our daily counts are ranging from 80 to 100. The City of Alma eagle count is between 120 and 160 daily.

Knowing that Alma was not alone in this abundance, I decided to take a field trip and drive to Buffalo City, just a few miles south. Turning right on County Hwy OO off of Wisconsin State Hwy 37, I entered one of my favorite drives for Bald Eagle watching because the road closely parallels the Mississippi River backwaters for about 8 miles.

I was not disappointed. During my drive time of an hour along the river I counted 215 Bald Eagles in the trees, on the ice and flying overhead. If time would have allowed, I could have sat for hours and watched the eagles.

Photo opportunities along this stretch of road require preparation because you are so close to the eagles, many of them are just a few feet away from you. Walking up or driving your car by them causes the eagles to fly away.

You have to have your camera ready, your window down and embrace "drive by" photography. Lots of photos are no good, but you can achieve some real gems with patience and perseverance. I often drive the stretch of road picking the areas where I want to take pictures and then return with camera at the ready.

If you live in the Buffalo County, Wisconsin area or nearby don't miss the opportunity for outstanding Bald Eagle viewing at the Wings Over Alma Nature & Art Center or along the Mississippi River in Buffalo City.

BALD EAGLES Arrived This Week

The local Bald Eagle population has not been down by the Mississippi River for awhile, preferring the food opportunities available on land. This week the migration of Bald Eagles from points north brought new arrivals.
Dec 1st, 2pm, counted 20+ Bald Eagles visible from the viewing deck at Wings Over Alma, sitting in trees and fishing in the open water below Lock & Dam #4 on the Mississippi River. They are about 2 weeks early and it was an unexpected thrill to see them. Bald eagles will spend the winter at this location and we normally count 40 to 200 Bald Eagles a day between mid-December and the beginning of March.
Dec 2nd, 2pm, counted 60 Bald Eagles on a bright sunny day. They were swooping and diving ... it made you wonder how they could pass each other without colliding. The juveniles were the most fun to watch flying into headwinds, low to the water, with a parent overhead guiding them on. Thousands of Ring-Billed Gulls migrating south had stopped over to fish in the open water but they were forced to feed around the lock & dam by the Bald Eagles.

Dec 3rd, 10am, counted 102 Bald Eagles with 98 sitting in the trees and 4 flying over the open water. Most of the eagles stayed in the trees all day. The weather had changed to overcast with an expectation of snow later in the day. It was amazing to see 20 to 30 Bald Eagles in a single tree through the lense of a spotting scope. Since the Eagles weren't flying a lot today the Ring-Billed Gulls were everywhere. Lots of ducks and geese overhead in formation flying south. Almost 200 Common Goldeneye ducks rafting below Lock & Dam 4.
Come experience this Bald Eagle explosion first hand at the Wings Over Alma Nature & Art Center on Main Street in Alma, Wisconsin or visit our website at http://www.wingsoveralma.org/ for more information.

TUNDRA SWANS in the Alma Area

Despite the freezing temperatures, there are swans and waterfowl in the Alma area today. There over a thousand Tundra Swans in pool 4. You'll need a spotting scope to see them from the riverfront at Cedar Ridge Resort. This photo was taken looking up-river. There are more just down-river past Jay Hawk Ranch (best seen driving up river - but be very careful if you decide to pull off State Rd 35 to watch).

The Mississippi River is icing up, as are the shallow ponds and sloughs - where the swans and puddle ducks forage.

We spotted a 5 swans sitting on the ice in front of the observation deck at Rieck's Lake Park, and 5 more further back on the open Buffalo River, bathing. A nice surprise: close-to-bird views.

They were joined by dozens of noisy Canada Geese and only a few Mallards.

We spotted a dozen Bald Eagles flying overhead, in the cottonwoods along the river and in pairs, working on their nests.

Look for Red-tailed Hawks hunting from trees along the roads and a Rough-legged Hawk, hovering over the recently harvested corn fields on the river side of the Tell Farm on State Road 37.

BALD EAGLES & TUNDRA SWANS in the Alma Area

Not great weather for humans (40-degrees and spitting rain), but great for ducks, geese and swans.

Here's what we found near Nelson this afternoon:

The up-river side of Big Lake (Pool 4) was full of Tundra Swans, Canada Geese and ducks.
We spotted easily a thousand swans from the Nelson Cemetery. (Do NOT watch from the shoulders on State Road 35).

Look across the River from the Nelson Cemetery

Look down-river from the Cemetery - past the sewage ponds. Rafts of waterfowl as far as the eye can see.

Tundra Swans at Nelson, Wisconsin

Cedar Ridge Resort: Pull off State Rd 35 on the river side of the road. Drive to the railroad tracks. Roll down your car windows - you can see and hear the swans and watch the waterfowl without getting out of the car.

Rieck's Lake Park: 24 Tundra Swans - off to the east from the observation deck, a dozen coots by the campground and only a handful of American Wigeons, Green-winged Teal, Mallards and Gadwalls close to Badlands Road. Watch for American Tree Sparrows flitting around with the juncos

Not much to see along State Road 37. No swans at County Road F and at County II (at Tell). There were a half-dozen Ring-necked Ducks in the pond behind the Alma Town Hall. Great views of Bald Eagles (singles and pairs) and Red-tailed Hawks on both sides of the Buffalo River.

TUNDRA SWANS in the Alma Area

Despite the rain and snow, today was a great day to see swans in the Alma Area.

The best place for close-to-the-car views:  County Road II and State Road 37 at the Tell Tavern.
We spotted a dozen foraging about 30 yards from the road - and about 3 dozen more at the far side of the lake (at 11:30am).

We spotted less than a dozen east of Tell on the lake at County Road F and Cesler Valley Road. 

We didn't see a single coot at Reick's Lake Park today, and only 3 swans were close to the parking area (at noon).  The swans took off the minute we got out of the car.  We spotted them again, down-river in the pond at the intersection of SR 37 and Great River Road (SR 35).

Big Lake is the place to see large numbers of swans (at the up-river end of Pool 4 near Nelson).   Head up-river on Great River Road to Cedar Ridge Resort.  Turn left and drive down to the waterfront - to the Cedar Ridge Resort dock.   Look directly across the river - that's the best view of hundreds of swans.

Continue up-river and pull off to the right at the Nelson Cemetery.  Pull out your binoculars and look across the Mississippi and down-river.  You'll see (and hear) them off in the distance flying along the tree line and feeding in the shallows.  

Other waterfowl in the Alma area today:

Canada Goose
Green-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail

We spotted Wild Turkey in the cornfields, Red-tailed Hawks perched in trees along the highways (and fields) - and Bald Eagles hunting at Riecks Lake Park.

Where to See TUNDRA SWANS in Alma

Where are the Tundra Swans at Rieck's Lake Park in Alma?

Late this afternoon, we spotted a half-dozen up-river from the Observation Deck, resting (and for the most part, hidden) in the vegetation.  They flew over the deck at 4:45pm.  For a better look at this group of swans, head towards Nelson on State Rd 35 (Great River Road), turn right on County Road I, then right again on Badland Road which parallels the up-river side of the Buffalo River.  Click here for a map.

A dozen Tundra Swans have been hanging out in the pond at Tell (State Road 37 and County Road II) at Tell.  Click here for a map.

You can get good looks at Tundra Swans (~100) east of Rieck's Lake Park at County Road F and Cesler Valley Road, click here.

Tundra Swans on County Road F

Further up Great River Road (State Rd 35) towards Nelson, there are hundreds of swans off in the distance near the islands on the far side of the Mississippi River.  Pull off the road on the river side of Cedar Ridge Resort and at the parking area at the Nelson Cemetery.

Before you head out to look for swans, take a look at the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge website.  Check out the fall flight surveys.  Rieck's Lake is part of Pool 4.  Click here for links to the pool maps.