Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve 2025 04

Last week we decided to visit Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve in Suamico. Earlier that week I saw an article about a new eagle nest in the preserve. So we took the chance to visit a park we had never been to before.

Key Features

• Located in Suamico, Wisconsin, offering beautiful views of the bay.
• Features diverse habitats, including wetlands, forests, and grasslands, supporting a variety of wildlife.
• Provides several miles of well-maintained hiking trails for all skill levels.
• Offers excellent opportunities for birdwatching, especially during migration seasons. Includes an observation area for viewing waterfowl and other wildlife.
• Serves as a valuable site for environmental education programs.
• Is a popular destination for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing during the winter months.
• Maintains a peaceful and natural environment perfect for relaxation and outdoor activities.
• Is managed by Brown County Parks, ensuring its preservation and accessibility.
• Offers accessible features, making it enjoyable for visitors with mobility challenges.

Review

Barkausen Waterfowl Perserve reminds me of a private wetland that I used to work on mowing lawns. A series of fields, dikes, channels, wet forests and open wetlands make up this sprawling preserve. Situated along the shores of Green Bay near Green Bay Wisconsin. It is about a 45 minute drive to the north of where I live.

So when I read the article about the new eagles nest in the preserve I knew it was the next place I wanted to visit. However unlike most trails Google does not have a map of the trails yet. So I was taking a chance hoping that there would be a good place to walk in a wet early spring.

To our advantage I found that there are plenty of trails here. Like I said earlier there are many built up dikes to walk along. Plus there are gravel paths marked with different colored trails for visitors to plan their trip. Because my wife and I are planning to hike a 10 mile section of the Ice Age Trail later this fall we chose the 4.7 mile Shores trail.

Starting out from the visitors parking lot, they had a couple of buildings that can be rented for parties and host classes. We took a chance to stop for a bathroom break and review the trail map. The office offered a broucher with the trails as well.

Leaving the area we headed north passing a pump house. I could see water flowing from the pump house into one of the wetland areas surrounded by dikes. Ducks and geese were plentiful here by the visitors center. And song birds flitted through the trees around us.

Most of the trails were a fine gravel which for the most part were dry. Passing the preserve’s sugar shack we turned west to follow a quickly moving stream. To our north was a line of trees that quickly gave way to a wet field where most of the grasses had been mowed down.

We briefly stopped at a blind for bird watching on the edge of that forest. Watching cranes ducks and geese fly into and out of the field.

Continuing west the trees to our north gave way to the fields for a short time until we reached the wet forested area. Here the trail was barely above the wet forest around it so the trial was wet as well.

While we could have gone right on the orange path which would eventually meet back up with the path we were taking we decided to continue left into the wet forest. We paid for this choice with wet shoes and socks. However we did get to see some interesting birds.

We encountered another blind and saw a bird I had not seen before, the Northern Flicker. We also encountered a flock of Blue Wing Teal. The flock was resting in stream on the east side of the preserve.

Before moving on we talked with another hiker. he mentioned another park near by that other photographers were catching wood peckers. We then moved on as a large hawk flashed past us too fast for a good picture.

At this part of the hike we were traveling south. I kept watching for the eagles nest but had yet to find it. As we continued south the Shore Trail passed out of the Waterfowl Preserver into the smaller Fort Howard Preserve. Here several other of the trails turn off. However there was one blind marked on the map that stretched out into the marshes around Green Bay that was at the south end of the Shores trail.

As we approached this area of the trail we started to see more Turkey Vultures and another trio of hawks moving too fast to identify. Nearing the blind we encountered a birdwatcher using an app to call in song birds. He pointed out a juvenile Bald Eagle soaring above the turkey vultures.

Over the marshes around the blind the Turkey Vultures flew no more than 50 feet above our head and I was able to get dozens pictures of them.

Thanking the birdwatcher for his information we started the trip back to the car. At this point most of the trail was behind us. All of the trails at Barkhausen are loops, so there was no back tracking. Eventually we left the Fort Howard Preserve and found signs indicating that Barkhausens marshes are also Northern Pike spawning grounds.

Continuing to hike back I started to worry that we missed the eagles nest. But there was one more blind that I wanted to stop at. We eventually found the nest. Tucked in a thick section of the woods between the western side of the loop and the road into the preserve we saw the nest.

I was not able to find any good angles to get pictures so I hoped that the elevated blind would give us a good view. The blind however was closed, most likely because the stairs were starting to shift from multiple spring thaws.

We started the last leg of the of our trip. Walking back to our car we passed more visitors to the preserve looking for the nest. We let them know were we saw the nest.

Our time at the park was enjoyable. We parked at the main visitor center off of Lakeview Dr in Suamico. There is also a smaller parking lot off of Lineville Rd to park if you just want to visit the Fort Howard Preserve. While the paths could use a little work I wonder if they are trying to limit the amount of intrusion to nature by keeping the trails gravel. I think that they could at least dig some ditches along the lower areas of the trails or build the trails up a bit to keep the deep puddles away from the trail. However this has been a wet spring and maybe this is not a normal issue for them.

My wife and I will return here again. Let us know if you plan to visit in the chat. And thanks again for reading my blog.