2022 Swan Watch

The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will offer a bus tour to view the fall migration and changing colors of the Upper Mississippi River from 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 15, 2022. This will be the first offering of the tour since 2019 so reserve your seats early!

Participants will have the opportunity to view migrating tundra swans and other waterfowl up-close on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge). The trip will also include a stop at a Refuge Visitor Center on Brice Prairie, WI.

The bus tour will leave from Winona, MN, making stops at Brice Prairie and Stoddard, WI, and Brownsville, MN. Retired LaCrosse District Refuge Manager Jim Nissen will be on-board to provide interpretation and answer questions. Binoculars, spotting scopes and brochures will be provided for the day.

There is limited seating and reservations are required. Cost is $35 per person, which includes a box lunch. There will be no refunds issued after the registration deadline, Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Participants should dress for the weather as it can be wet, cold, and windy.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Click here to register online. If you prefer to make your reservation by phone or email contact Mary Stefanski at [email protected], or at (507) 494-6229, please leave a message if she is unavailable when you call.