It's Spring on Spring Lake

Breeding male Red-breasted Merganser

It's spring! Weather aside, the calendar tells us it is. And in Wisconsin that means it’s time to shed winter coats and get outside. It means that many of the birds that spend their summers in Wisconsin are winging their way back here from their wintering grounds much farther south.
Annually, Spring Lake is a spot for these waterfowl to rest and refuel during their arduous journey. We've been seeing many pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers and also Grebes this month on their migration journey, diving for fish as they rest and refuel on our lake. Here's a cool fact: According to researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Red-breasted Mergansers need to eat 15-20 fish per day, which means they need to dive underwater 250-300 times per day or forage for 4-5 hours to meet their energy needs. Big job! And from the migration diagram below, it looks like they still have miles to go.