With over 15,000 lakes (including two Great Lakes), several national and state wildlife refuges, and various wetlands, prairies, and forests, Wisconsin has an abundance of natural beauty to offer our feathered friends. In the fall, when many birds head south, the Badger State becomes the Birder State as pros and amateurs alike head out with a pair of binoculars to bear witness. More than 300 species spend at least part of the year here, and Audubon lists nearly 3.2 million acres of Important Bird Areas. If you’re coming to watch, here are a few of the best destinations.
Canadian geese asleep in Horicon Marsh. (KBitto/Shutterstock)
Horicon Marsh
Once a glacial lake at the end of the last period of the Ice Age, this basin eventually filled with silt and became a 32,000-acre freshwater cattail marsh, the largest in the nation. The Ramsar Convention includes the marsh on its list of Wetlands of International Importance, and the north side of the property is managed as a National Wildlife Refuge while the state of Wisconsin looks after the south. More than 300 species have been recorded here, and during migration the waterfowl flocks are vast—more than 200,000 Canada Geese show up at migration’s peak. Each refuge has its own visitor center, and the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center is a nature lover’s destination in itself. A trail system opens up areas for hiking and some paddling and biking. A fantastic boardwalk passes right over the water while observation decks give sweeping views….