Spring bird walk

In celebration of World Migratory Bird Day, join refuge staff and partners on a bird identification walk through the floodplain forest! We often see many birds close by and our pace will be more of a bird “crawl”!

Please leave pets at home for the comfort of all participants and to help us see more wildlife! We’ll have a few extra pairs of binoculars to share.

We’ll meet at the Shady Maple Interpretive Trail at Goose Island County Park. As you enter the park on County Road GI, the trail is located off of the first left-hand turn in front of the flagpoles. If you see picnic shelter #1, you’ve driven too far and missed the turn. Please parallel park along the road, leaving as much room as possible for other visitors.

Walks take place rain or shine but may be cancelled if there’s a high probability of thunderstorms or heavy rain. We’ll be walking along a mostly flat, unpaved trail. We recommend bringing drinking water and bug protection if you’d like it. Ticks may be out at this time of year.

Thank you to our walk co-hosts and conservation partners in managing this space: Audubon Upper Mississippi River; the Friends of the Refuge – Mississippi River Pools 7 & 8; La Crosse County Forestry, Parks and Recreation (who help us maintain this lovely trail!) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-St. Paul District.

World Migratory Bird Day events take place across the world! This year’s theme is “shared spaces: creating bird friendly cities and communities.” Learn more on our national website: https://www.fws.gov/story/2025-03/world-migratory-bird-day-2025