Tundra swans and migrating ducks by the thousands greeted visitors to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services annual Waterfowl Observation Day. The event, held Nov. 14, included a dedication ceremony for the Brownsville Overlook. The wildlife viewing area was completed in 2007, but has seen numerous improvements since then.

Jim Nissen, La Crosse District Manager for the USFWS, said that the overlook is the result of a cooperative effort.

“This is Mn/DOT land,” Nissen said as he looked at the gathering crowd, “and the railroad granted us some land to work with. We used a funding source called the Visitor Facility Enhancement Fund. We knew that this was going to be a real feature. We had the draw-down in 2001 and 2002, and then the island project and we knew there was going to be a tremendous bird response. We just tried to stay with it in terms of providing this sort of an opportunity for the public.”

That opportunity was enjoyed by many on Saturday. In the slough beyond the tracks, a steady stream of swans flew in and out, some resting, some feeding. Other species of waterfowl danced throughout the sky, pirouetting into the backwater in small flocks as visitors looked on with binoculars and spotting scopes.

The elevation of the viewing platform allows bird watchers unobstructed views of a large slice of the river, complete with islands recently re-established. Members of Mississippi River Wild, a private “Friends of the Refuge” group were on hand with refreshments, information, and their own scopes for the public to use.

Ken Visger, a MRW board member from rural Hokah, was at the event. He talked about MRW before the observation day gathering.

“Our purpose is to help the USFWS protect and improve and re-habilitate the Upper Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Refuge,” he explained. “It stretches from Wabasha to Rock Island, but we concentrate primarily on pool seven and eight. Most of the activity right now in terms of restoring habitat is down on pool eight below Brownsville.”

What exactly does MRW do?

“We volunteer for them (FWS), we band ducks, we monitor aquatic vegetation, we plant willows on the islands and we also do education programs and try to inform people about this resource.

“The overlook was really put together with funds from FWS along with Mn/DOT help (hauling in fill)…we’re involved in providing volunteers that work on the deck and help interpret what’s going on out there. Last year there were 40,000 visitors to that observation area. It’s a tremendous resource. People are coming from all over the country. It was even a scheduled trip as part of Elderhostel. If you look in the Elderhostel catalog from last year, they had a bird watching trip where people stayed in Caledonia and went down to the observation area to see the swans in November.”

Visger said that MRW can raise funds for things the FWS isn’t allowed to purchase for visitors. A prime example are three spotting scopes installed this year, two at the Brownsville deck, another at a smaller deck a mile and a half to the south.

“They (FWS) weren’t allowed to generate the funds to get that done,” Visger said, “and so we stepped in and helped to raise the money to make that happen. In each case I think they paid half and MRW raised the money for the other half.”

At the southern end of the overlook, youngster Mary Martin of La Crescent peered through one of the permanent scopes while her dad, Bill, pointed towards the birds, telling her what she was looking at. The scopes are free to use, no quarters needed.

It’s a big refuge. Visger said that the winding river stretches over 250 miles between Rock Island Illinois and La Crosse. “The Upper Miss refuge gets more visitors than Yellowstone Park every year,” he noted.

On the deck, a group of Cub Scouts from Bangor, Wis. helped out, offering brochures to visitors. A tour bus slid in. Visger took a microphone and began the dedication ceremony. He called out for volunteers who helped get the new scopes to raise their hands. Dignitaries clustered by the ribbon, and after some short speeches, Refuge Manager Kevin Forester cut the tape.

Over the river, flocks of tundra swans traded back and forth. Some small groups sailed in towards the observation deck, oblivious to the humans. An estimated 20 percent of the world’s population of Eastern Tundra Swans rest and feed here, building up energy reserves for the last leg of their migration. They’ll stay on until the open water pretty much disappears, USFWS biologist Jessica Larson explained. “Then they go to the east coast, Chesapeake Bay and the Carolinas.”

At an earlier interview Larson explained that swans and eagles are the most popular birds at the observation decks, but with the re-establishment of the islands, a more vital and varied habitat will most likely provide viewing of a wide variety of wildlife.