Late-Season Vultures at Devil’s Lake
The summer crowd is still hanging around... Autumn is getting later. It's easy to see as I go back through my photos of Devil's Lake State Park taken since the early 90s. I was pondering this as I was hiking…
Time to Watch for Turtles Crossing Roads
It's that time of year again when turtles are on the move in Wisconsin, often crossing roads to get to nesting sites or other habitat areas. While many drivers take care to avoid hitting these slow-moving creatures, a disturbing study…
Big Ten Rowing Returns to Devil’s Lake
Rowing enthusiasts and nature lovers, mark your calendars! The Big Ten Rowing Championships are returning to the stunning Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin, on May 19, 2023. This year's event is extra special to us, as the later…
Loons Return!
At least one loon has been seen this week on the south end of Devil's Lake. It wasn’t too many years ago that it would have been a shock to see a loon on the lake, but over the last…
Welcome Home Heron!
The Great Blue Heron began returning to the South Shore rookeries on Wednesday. Interestingly, there are just a few pairs right now, all visible from the CCC parking lot. Normally the males would arrive a week or two earlier. This…
DNR Conducts Comprehensive Fishery Survey at Devil’s Lake
Nets installed at Devil's Lake State Park yesterday are part of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fisheries program's comprehensive fishery survey, which takes place every 10 years. These nets primarily target northern pike but will also capture panfish and…
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Star of the East Bluff
The big story at Devil's Lake State Park recently has been the sightings of a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch on Devil's Lake State Park's East Bluff. The reason it's capturing the attention of Wisconsin's birders is because the little finch is native…
Hunting Begins This Weekend!
The 2023 deer gun season starts this weekend. Here in Sauk County, hunting of one sort or another really goes on through the end of the year. And to many visitor's surprise, hunting is allowed in Wisconsin State Parks. Much…
Mink or Fisher?
It's Critter Cam time again. Although we checked this camera just last weekend, the captures go back to last winter as you can see. It's pretty clear that this critter is either a mink or a fisher, but it's not…
A Little Good News for the Bats
Back when I worked at Devil’s Lake State Park in the early ‘90s, naturalist Ken Lange (the park’s first naturalist) would tell us that the north shore bat colony was over 1,000 strong. By 2010, that often-quoted number had dropped…