Big birds on the move

On marshes and rivers, spot cranes, pelicans and swans heading south.

Cranes, swans, pelicans and eagles are riding the winds southward, and this year's unseasonably warm weather makes it especially fun to watch them.

Sandhill cranes still are feeding in and around Crex Meadows in Grantsburg, Wis., and visitors will see thousands flying out just after sunrise and returning before sunset.

In Wisconsin's Horicon Marsh and along the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge between Wabasha, Minn., and Savanna, Ill., white pelicans and waterfowl also are making pit stops on the way south, soon to be joined by tundra swans.

The refuge's annual Swan Watch bus tour out of Winona, Minn., is Nov. 12. In two overlooks, refuge naturalists will help visitors spot birds on weekends through Nov. 20.

Shady Maple Overlook is on Wisconsin 35, one mile south of the entrance to Goose Island County Park south of La Crosse, and the Brownsville Overlook is three miles south of Brownsville off Minnesota 26.

Farther south in Ferryville, Wis., Saturday is Fall Bird Migration Day.

Cold snaps will prompt bald eagles to fly, and the National Eagle Center in Wabasha is offering an Eagle-Viewing Field Trip Nov. 19. After that, nearly 2,000 trumpeter swans will start arriving in Monticello, Minn., to spend the winter.

Best bets for the weekend

Try a tasting tour in cities and the still-scenic countryside.

Now we're in the lull between the fall-color season and the holidays . . . except this year, the colors have hung around and so have balmy temperatures.

Grab the chance to do fun things outdoors: Go to the last Dane County Farmers' Market on Capitol Square or tasting parties on wine trails in Iowa and on Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula.

In southeast Minnesota bluff country, take one of 12 classes — seed-saving, skijoring, Amish noodle- and pie-making — at Eagle Bluff Skills School, or tour Amish farms. Nearby in northeast Iowa, visit Seed Savers and Spillville and bicycle Decorah's Trout Run Trail, along which the famous eagles nest.

Any road trip will be fun. If you like to shop (and eat), head through southwest Wisconsin to Mineral Point, which also is hosting the Driftless Film Festival.

On Lake Pepin's Wisconsin side, Stockholm is offering a free guided hike to Maiden Rock Bluff Sunday during Women's Weekend.

In Minnesota, deer hunters are heading into the woods, and hikers should wear blaze orange. One excellent place to hike during hunting season: the Superior Hiking Trail across Duluth. Duluth also will be a good place to eat during Restaurant Week, Nov. 6-12.

In northeast Minneapolis, stroll through studios of more than 250 artists and listen to music during Art Attack. And west of Minneapolis in Chanhassen, tour Prince's Paisley Park, now a museum.

Next weekend

Run trains and hear about ships run aground.

Lake Superior Storm Festival in Grand Marais, Minn. The fourth edition of this festival features a wave dash, shipwreck stories, and children's activities. Nov. 11-12.

Trainfest in West Allis, Wis. The nation's largest operating model railroad show includes more than 60 scenic railroads, clinics for hobbyists and a Kids' Activity Zone where kids can run the trains. Nov. 12-13.

Art on the Prairie in Perry, Iowa. This free festival northwest of Des Moines showcases more than 100 Iowa artists, poets and musicians in seven venues, including the Hotel Pattee, in the downtown historic and cultural district. There will also be children's activities. Nov. 12-13.

For more, see our Events Calendar.

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