Little Turtle Flowage Paddle and Birding with John Bates and Mary Burns (FULL)

One of the stops on the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail, the Little Turtle Flowage encompasses nearly 640 acres of wetlands and supports a remarkable array of nesting bird species including trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, ospreys, eagles, black terns, sora rails, marsh wrens, and, on rare occasion, yellow-headed blackbirds. The uplands surrounding the Flowage are burned and planted in tall prairie grasses.

Join the naturalist and author team, John and Mary, to explore “the flowage.”  The Flowage is an exceptional place to listen to a marsh chorus of birds coming alive at sunrise. In deference to later risers, we’ll start after the sun is well-up and stop frequently to search and listen for the many birds that are still active in the later morning. The flowage is vegetated heavily with wild rice and cattails, so the paddling can be slow going, which is great – we want to see birds, not travel great distances. If time permits, we may also walk some of the trails surrounding the Flowage to discover other birds. While this is a very easy paddle on a small flowage, some experience paddling is desirable in order to maneuver your kayak or canoe in some tight areas.  Participants will meet at the lake, directions and a list of what to bring will be emailed prior to the program.  Canoes/PFDs provided. Registration required by 7/10.  $50 ($45 members). 

**Please bring a facial covering to wear when we cannot be socially distant from one another**  Please read our program and event registration and cancellation policy here.