https://ebird.org/wi/hotspot/L506672
Habitat: Marsh, Open Water.
Best Birds: Hwy. 49 passes through the north end of Horicon Marsh NWR, providing an excellent opportunity to view abundant geese, ducks, grebes, herons, egrets, terns, rails, and cranes. During peak migration, as many as 100-200,000 waterfowl use the marsh, with a large number of them visible from this road. When water levels are appropriate, there can also be thousands of migrating shorebirds present. Some of the special breeding birds of Horicon Marsh which might be seen from the highway include King Rail (rare) Black-necked Stilt, Wilson’s Phalarope, Black Tern, American White Pelican, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Trumpeter Swan. This vast wetland is also a draw to some uncommon waterbirds, especially in late summer, including Snowy Egret, White-faced and Glossy Ibis. During the winter months Rough-legged Hawk, Snowy Owl, Northern Shrike, Snow Bunting, and Lapland Longspur occur.
Directions: 59 miles northwest of Milwaukee. From I-41 take Hwy 49 west 10 miles to the refuge. Or from Highway 151 in the city of Waupun take Hwy 49 east 4 miles to the refuge.
Site Address & Additional Information:
Hwy 49, Waupun WI
Horicon - Horicon - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov)
Horicon Marsh is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States and is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention of the United Nations. Horicon National Wildlife Refuge encompasses the northern two-thirds of this 32,000-acre marsh.
Highway 49 separates Fond du Lac County (north side) and Dodge County (south side). To provide more accurate historical bird data, use separate eBird lists for each county. Do not use the eBird location “Horicon NWR--Hwy. 49 (general, COUNTY SPECIFIC LOCATIONS PREFERRED).
Jeff Baughman
