Birding
La Crescent is located along The Great Mississippi River Flyway: from the headwaters of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. More than 325 bird species make the round-trip each year along the Mississippi Flyway, from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern United States to the wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and in Central and South America.
Eagles
Watching these majestic birds patrol the skies above the Mississippi River is indeed a magnificent honor. The Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota is a great location to watch the bald eagles and is home to several nesting pairs of eagles. Eagles can often be spotted sunning in trees or standing on the ice near open water. Late fall and early spring, when the birds are following the changing ice conditions on the Mississippi River, provide opportunities to see several hundred in the same area. With the arrival of warmer weather, the eagles disperse to their nesting sites throughout Minnesota. Travel north on the Great River Road to Wabasha, Minnesota, and you’ll find the National Eagle Center, offering interpretive programs about the rivers eagles.
Swans
Tundra swans are regular migrants through the Brownsville area, just south of La Crescent on the Great River Road. These long-necked water birds are very large. In spring they arrive in small flocks and stay here for just a short time, however large numbers of swans arrive in the fall beginning in late October and they stay until the water freezes. The Brownsville Overlook, just a couples miles south of Brownsville, is a great place to view the swans and other wildlife. Spotting scopes are available for a close-up view. Up to 25,000 can be seen resting and feeding at one time. The wildlife refuge is a stop-over site where the birds build up fat reserves for the last leg of their journey, when they head east to the Atlantic coast.
Owls
Follow the Root River Scenic Trail to Houston, Minnesota, and you will find North America’s only owl education center. The International Owl Center holds an Owl Festival each spring where you will see owls up close. Houston provides an excellent setting for the Owl Center with its scenic wooded lands.
Resources
Check out the Raptor Resource Project to learn more, including live webs cams.
Fishing
Fishing on the Mississippi River is easy from La Crescent with or without a boat. The Mississippi is an incredibly rich source of game fish. The many species of fish include walleye, perch, northern, catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill, carp, and crappies, to name a few. A public boat landing is located along the “Pike” (Highway 14/61) near Shore Acres. There is another public boat landing just south of Lock and Dam #7.
The Driftless Area of Southeast Minnesota is home to spectacular trout fishing. The season opens in mid-April. There are over 700 miles of naturally cold streams, including Whitewater, Root and the famed Trout Run Creek.
Just because it gets cold in Minnesota, does not mean we give up fishing. To the contrary, ice fishing houses line up along the backwaters of the Mississippi River and it continues to grow in popularity each year. For safety, many visitors check with the local bait shop for answers to questions, such as ice thickness and the best place to ice fish. Ice is seldom the same thickness over the same expanse of water, so it is important to check the ice thickness every 150 feet. For more information about ice safety, contact the MN DNR.
Hunting
Southeast Minnesota is excellent hunting grounds for ducks, geese, deer, or turkey, The National Wildlife and Fish Refuge allows hunting and trapping. La Crosse District Pools 7 & 8 of the Wildlife and Fish Refuge run along 35 miles of the Mississippi River. Most hunting of waterfowl is from boats or blinds in the marshes, however upland hunting occurs on islands in the flood plain forest.
If you plan to hunt in the refuge, your equipment can be set up for the day of the hunt, but it needs to be removed at the end of each day. Also, dogs can be used for hunting in accordance with State regulations. For additional information contact the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (La Crosse District) at (608) 779-2399.
