As winter hangs on for its final few weeks before spring, wildlife viewing opportunities abound for those who know where to look. Here are some tips for escaping cabin fever the next several weeks.

Waterfowl

During harsh winters, waterfowl get forced into smaller and smaller pockets of open water, so the trick to finding them is often locating that open water. During milder winters, like this one, birds can be more spread out. Check moving water bodies such as larger deep-water rivers and river outlets, as well as all open water pockets on the Great Lakes shore. These pockets may change location due to winds and underlying currents, so it often pays to search. We are already into March, which means many species that wintered in the south are already arriving, adding to the number of waterfowl present statewide. Ducks, swans and geese often forage in agricultural fields and feed on leftover grains by day, so when you’re within a few miles of large bodies of water be sure to watch local agricultural fields for waterfowl gatherings too.

Eagles

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PHOENIX – Approximately 50 desert tortoises will soon awaken from their winter slumber and the Arizona Game and Fish Tortoise Adoption program will be once again be looking for good adoptive homes. There is no charge to adopt a tortoise.

The desert tortoises up for adoption are a wide range of ages and sizes. AZGFD is accepting applications for those willing to provide a special home. Adoption application packets and general information can be found atwww.azgfd.gov/tortoise.

Adopters need to have a securely enclosed yard or separate enclosure in their yard, free from potential hazards such as a dog, fire pit or unfenced pool. The enclosed area must include an appropriate shelter for the tortoise to escape Arizona’s extreme summer and winter temperatures.

All of the desert tortoises eligible for adoption will be given health checkups before going to their new homes. Tortoises are only available for adoption to residents living within the species’ native range, which includes the Phoenix, Bullhead City, Kingman, Prescott, Lake Havasu, Tucson and Yuma areas. Read more

The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium has set a goal of acres devoted to monarch butterfly habitat in the state by 2038.

“The consortium has worked collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan to expand habitat on our agricultural land, urban areas, roadsides, and other public land. We appreciate the many partners that have been involved and are encouraged by the work already underway,” said Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.

The updated Iowa Monarch Conservation Strategy  seeks to establish approximately 480,000 to 830,000 acres of monarch habitat by 2038. Read more

redwing blackbird male

Nothing says spring like the “conk-a-ree” call of a red-winged blackbird or the raucous sounds of a sandhill crane. Celebrate spring and explore Michigan’s wetlands with a birding tour at one of the Wetland Wonders – or managed waterfowl areas – around the state.

Highlights of the birding tours may include diving and dabbling ducks in full breeding plumage, trumpeter and tundra swans, osprey, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, and many others. Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife staff members and volunteers from Ducks Unlimited and Audubon Clubs will lead the tours, which may include a “sneak peek” driving tour into refuge areas that normally are closed.

The birding tours will be held on the following dates: Read more

Partnership between states bolsters ongoing restoration project

RAYMOND WILDLIFE AREA — For the first time in more than 150 years, elk are leaving their hoofprints on West Virginia soil.
On March 3, dozens of elk that were captured and quarantined in January east of Flagstaff were loaded into a livestock trailer and transported nonstop to a release site in the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in southwest West Virginia.

To view a video, visit https://youtu.be/WlmBjAwXpow. Read more

Contact:
Dale Hajek, Public Information Officer

(623) 236-7215, dhajek@azgfd.gov

Volunteers needed to spotlight endangered black-footed ferrets

Survey results shine light on recovery effort in Aubrey Valley, on Double O Ranch
SELIGMAN, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking volunteers to assist with spotlighting efforts to help document the population of endangered black-footed ferrets in Aubrey Valley and on the Double O Ranch near Seligman. Read more