I’ve been wanted to post something here again now that the spring semester is over, but I’ve been waiting for a day when I had a decent amount of good media. That took a while. A lot of times I’ve gone birding without taking any pics or videos.
Fast forward to today. On the third day in a 16-day break from work, I decided to take a day trip. Horicon Marsh is the perfect destination for a June day: open enough to not be swarming with mosquitoes, and full of bird activity. I spent six hours at the 21,400 acre marsh, with Black Terns flying right past my head and Black-crowned Night-Herons hiding in the cattails.
21,400 acres is over 33 square miles, so I didn’t bird even close to the entire marsh. I focused on the auto tour loop (especially the boardwalk area), Old Marsh Road, and Ledge Road. I also made a brief stop on the Fond du Lac County side of Highway 49 where I got an up-close view of a Trumpeter Swan.
The floating boardwalk at the north side of the marsh is my favorite part. I like being able to walk above the water and through the reeds. Terns and swallows often hang out here in high numbers. Old Marsh Road, accessible only by foot for most of the year, is a good spot for waterfowl, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Common Gallinule, and many other marsh-loving birds.
A target species I didn’t get to see was the Black-necked Stilt, which breed in the marsh but few other places in the state. There’s always next time, right? Either way, Horicon Marsh is incredible and I saw some really neat birds.