eBird Hotspot Link: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L373261
Habitat: Mixed Coniferous Forest, Northern Hardwood Forest, Successional Oldfield, Bottomland Hardwoods, and Open Water.
Best Birds: In the mixed coniferous forest you might find Merlin, Great Crested Flycatcher, Brown Creeper, and Pine Warbler. In the bottomlands listen for American Woodcock, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and Winter Wren. While walking the trail through the successional oldfield, look for swallows,Eastern Bluebird, and Field Sparrow. At the water's edge, either looking out over Lake Alexander or along the Wisconsin River below the dam, look for Greater Scaup, Redhead, Bonaparte’s Gull, and Red Breasted Merganser, and a variety of other waterfowl and gulls. Cackling, Snow or Greater White Fronted Goose occasionally mix in with the Canada Goose that gather on the river in the spring and fall.
Directions: 20 miles north of Wausau. Take HWY 107 northwest out of Merrill, just out of town about 1 mile take a left off of the corner and continue a quarter mile to the park entrance.
Site Address and additional information:
N1895 Council Grounds Dr, Merrill, WI 54452
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/councilgrounds
Within the park you can find one of the two SNA’s (State Natural Area) in Lincoln County. It is the Krueger Pines State Natural Area, which is a good area to find large mature White Pines and a lot of mossy deadfalls along with a few birds.
Chucky Wensel