Early spring migratory birds are finally arriving in Wisconsin

Some of the first migratory birds of spring are starting to be spotted across southern Wisconsin and expect these sighting to rapidly increase over the next few weeks.

A Sandhill Crane spotting has been confirmed in Mukwonago and a handful of other locations in southeast Wisconsin. This large species of bird breeds throughout Wisconsin and can be found near prairies, fields, and marshes. 

Sandhill Crane pair photographed in the Fall of 2020 by Eric Manges 

A noisy but another true sign of spring is the Red-winged Blackbird which has popped up in many areas in the southern half of the state. Males arrive before females to stake out territory for the upcoming breeding season. Look out for this species near marshes, brushy swamps, near farmland, and along edges of waterways. 

Red-winged Blackbird photo taken by Vince Condella on March 4th 

Another early visitor that can be found all winter, but numbers slowly increase in the early spring, is the beautiful Eastern Bluebird. They can be found in open habitats with scattered trees, near farms, roadsides. They'll end up nesting in cavities in semi to fully wooded areas. 

Eastern Bluebird photo was taken by Eric Manges during the Spring of 2020