As flocks of cranes, geese, and ducks pass overhead, keep an ear out for less familiar calls such as the high-pitched yodel of Greater White-Fronted Geese (Anser albifrons).
The familiar Gadwall (Mareca strepera), a widespread dabbing duck, is a common spring and fall migrant in Wisconsin. Gadwalls are also occasional winter residents in the southeastern part of the state.
Yellow-crowned Night Herons are spotted regularly during migration in southern Wisconsin, and may even breed rarely in the state, with a few reports in the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas.
You can spot the Blue-winged Teal’s dabbling blue-gray head—with a distinctive white crescent in front of the eye—in wetlands this time of year, having just recently arrived.