Some of you who have followed this blog for a long time will notice that from time to time older articles appear temporarily among the newer posts.  I simple select an occasional older post and edit the date of original publication in order to move it’s placement forward.  Such is the case with Crex Meadows.  This article first appeared on August 23, 2010.

When I write about special places, my intended point is to share with you what I find and especially how I feel about those places.  It does not mean if you go there that it will mean the same to you.  I imagine that for a place to be special it has to hold something unique for us.  I think we really have to find our own special places.  When I travel to a new location I always go with an open mind.  No matter what I have read about that place, I am looking for my own discoveries.  I expect it to be great no matter what I find, and amazingly I always find some interesting subjects and the location turns out to be beyond satsifying to me.  If I go back and again I find it to be good, it will surely become a special place to me.  I do not wait for any place to be great.  I hopefully help make it great no matter what.  Then there is something else.  Atmosphere or something intangible that I can feel as soon as I enter.  These places can be special to me even if I never make a picture.  Of course I don’t make a habit of writing about those spots.  So below is a few words about a place that is special to me.  Here’s hoping you find many of your own.

I have a long and a short list of special places that I have visited for nature photography.   Crex Meadows in northwest Wisconsin is on both lists.  Special places to me transcend how productive they are for nature photography.  Productivity is included in what makes a place special to me, but it is not my only criteria.  Atmosphere,  location (how remote), and the memories that I have acquired all play a role in the places on my list.  Crex is a winner in every category.  The town of Grantsburg is a few miles away, but it is a quaint, small town and there is little other development in the area.  The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is also close by giving me even more of a reason to travel to Crex.  Click the link below to find out more detailed info on this jewel of Wisconsin.

 About Crex Meadows In Outdoor Photographer http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/columns/favorite-places/crex-meadows-wildlife-area-wisconsin.html

Crex is the first, second and third place that I have photographed Common Loons.  I have never been to Crex in spring or summer and not seen loons.  Very often up very close and personal.

Another bird species that I have never whiffed on at Crex is the endangered (in Wisconsin) Trumpeter Swan.  I have found everything from one or two individuals to entire familys near the roadways.

You can also photograph the courtship dance of the Sharp-tailed Grouse here.  March and April are the key months for activity.  This image was made at a different location about 75 miles away.

There are mammals here ranging from Timber Wolves to Black Bears.  I have had no success with those two species but on my last trip I did find a cooperative Beaver.  I was able to photograph this large rodent while I was standing out in the open and in plain view.

When I am asked where in Wisconsin to go for quality wildlife photography I never hesitate to say Crex Meadow.   Horicon Marsh NWR is the single most productive location in the state but Crex gives you solitude and character.  It also brings to you the possibility of some great mammal photography.  Success with  wildlife depends on timing and Crex Meadows is no different.  Keeping that in mind give this wonderful place a try sometime.  It may become a special place for you just as it has for me.

Wayne