Birds & wildlife

  • Snow birds

    Thanks to a Mississippi River town, trumpeter swans have made an astounding comeback in Minnesota.

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  • Wildlife reality show

    Web cams open a window into the lives of bald eagles.

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  • Where eagles land

    Winter is anything but slow at the big birds' favorite gathering spots in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.

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  • Playing the field in Wisconsin

    In April, the kooky courtship of prairie chickens brings out the bird watchers.

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  • Eyeballing bison

    Once creatures of Old West yore, the national mammal can be seen in a park or preserve near you.

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  • Spring bird festivals

    After a long winter, birders welcome the return of feathered friends.

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  • Life on Horicon Marsh

    At an avian rest stop, veteran bird-watchers and novices alike learn about life on the wing.

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  • Beguiled by bears

    In northern Minnesota, the man who loved bears left a legacy for thousands.

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  • Cranes of Wisconsin

    Near Baraboo, a global village of birds lives, loves and thrives.

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  • Hawk heaven

    On a ridgetop in Duluth, birders watch for hawks, eagles and peregrine falcons.

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  • Owl aboard

    In southeast Minnesota, a live-wire named Alice inspired an annual festival.

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  • Owls, owls, everywhere

    Influxes of magnificent birds have birders from around the nation hurrying north.

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  • Open sesame on the sloughs

    In winter, explore frozen Mississippi byways around Wabasha, Alma, Trempealeau, La Crosse and Genoa.

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  • Looking for bald eagles

    In winter, the cold forces the birds to go where they're easier to see.

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  • All eyes on Wabasha

    Eagles are drawn to this Mississippi River town, along with flocks of binocular-toting visitors.

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  • Ely and the three bears

    At the North American Bear Center, visitors meet some big personalities.

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  • Wings over the Mississippi

    Along the river in Minnesota and Wisconsin, tundra-swan watchers have a honkin' good time during the November migration.

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  • Birding by rail

    On Wisconsin's Chippewa River, a little train rolls into a bird-watcher's Eden.

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  • Birding with the pros

    In spring, a symphony of trills and chirps draws hikers into the woods.

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  • 5 great places to watch birds in fall

    Tag along with experts, and you'll get to see the migration up close.

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