What to look for in nature in Wisconsin this March

When does the ice go out in Wisconsin, and what does the thaw bring?

• Ice-out on the Madison lakes

  Median early April; the last three winters opened between late February and mid March · Lakes Mendota and Monona, Madison

  The Wisconsin State Climatology Office has kept ice records for the Madison lakes for well over a century and a half. One of its summaries gives April 5 as the median opening date for Lake Mendota and March 31 for Lake Monona. Its history page lists ice-out on February 28 in 2023-24, March 15 in 2024-25 and March 13 in 2025-26.

  A university limnology blog notes that the lakes are, on average, freezing later and thawing sooner, and that the average number of days under ice has fallen by a month or more. No one can say whether Mendota will open before the equinox or in April of 2027, so follow the climatology office’s lake ice page.

• Shanty deadlines and the last safe ice

  Early to mid March; set by the DNR each year · Inland waters, Lake Michigan, Green Bay and Lake Superior

  Permanent ice shanties must come off the ice by regional deadlines that the Department of Natural Resources announces each winter. In 2026 the deadline was March 8 for inland waters south of Highway 64 and March 15 for Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Superior and inland waters north of Highway 64. The 2027 dates were still unpublished in October 2026.

  Portable shelters can stay in use after the deadline if they leave the ice whenever they are not in use and at the end of every day.

• The Apostle Islands sea caves

  Winter, in rare years; typically January through March · Mainland sea caves near Meyers Beach, Bayfield County

  The National Park Service says Lake Superior ice permitted access to the frozen sea caves on only about 2 percent of days between 2000 and 2023. The latest openings were nine days in 2015 and one day in 2026. If you plan to go, use the park’s ice line or social media instead of driving north on a hope, and stay off Lake Superior ice unless the park says the caves are open.

• Steelhead and brown trout enter the streams

  March into May, starting in the south · Lake Michigan tributaries from the Root and Milwaukee Rivers northward

  The DNR’s year-of-fishing calendar says that as Lake Michigan tributaries open up in March, steelhead and brown trout fishing picks up, and that steelhead runs are near their peak in April. By mid to late April lake sturgeon start their spawning run on the Wolf River and other large rivers, which the same page calls a spectacular sight from shore. Check the current regulations for the stretch you plan to fish.

Which birds return to Wisconsin in March, and where do you see them?

• The Horicon sequence

  Late February through March · Horicon Marsh, Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties

  The DNR’s account of Horicon Marsh gives a handy order of arrival. Canada geese return by late February or early March, depending on when melting snow uncovers food. Red-winged blackbirds and grackles follow the geese, the first sandhill cranes come before the middle of the month, and robins, song sparrows and killdeer are back by mid-March. Ducks usually appear on the first open water in mid to late March. Great blue herons show up in early to mid March, though most wait until nearly month’s end.

  The Aldo Leopold Foundation notes that Leopold recorded the arrival of geese in March, and the geese still make that a good month to watch for them.

• Tundra swans, eagles and ducks on the Mississippi

  Mid March into April · Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Mississippi refuge, western Wisconsin

  Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge says bald eagles, tundra swans, geese and ducks use its pools from mid-March well into April, and it points visitors to the observation deck beside the visitor center. Warblers arrive later, best in late April or early May. The Upper Mississippi River refuge says that in March the call of the red-winged blackbird announces spring in its wetlands, and that songbird migration peaks in April and May.

• Trumpeter swans and sharp-tailed grouse at Crex Meadows

  March and early April · Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, Burnett County

  In its wildlife update for March 2, 2026, the Friends of Crex Meadows reported trumpeter swans back to stake out nesting territories, mallards feeding in crop fields, and sharp-tailed grouse moving to their dancing grounds on warm days, while rough-legged hawks and snow buntings lingered. It also warned that frost melt can leave roads wet and soft. Conditions change weekly, so call the visitor center before you drive in.

• Sandhill cranes return

  By March · Wetlands and fields statewide

  The DNR says sandhill cranes return to Wisconsin by March from their wintering grounds in the southeastern United States. Nesting pairs lay eggs that hatch after about a month of incubation, and the chicks fledge after roughly two and a half months.

• Eagles on nests

  All month · Rivers and lakes statewide

  Bald eagles now nest in all 72 counties. The DNR relies on volunteers who watch nests from February to June, and young birds typically fledge in May or June, according to a Spectrum News report on the program. Watch from a distance with binoculars and leave the nest tree alone.

When does the woodcock’s sky dance begin in Wisconsin?

• What you will see and hear

  Mid March to early April on arrival, then evenings into May · Fields and meadows beside young woods and shrubs

  The Carpenter Nature Center says woodcock arrive in Wisconsin from mid-March to early April, and a Madison magazine feature describes the dusk display as most active through early April. Males call a nasal “peent” from the ground, then spiral up 200 to 300 feet before tumbling down with a twittering sound. In dim light you are likelier to hear it than see it.

  The birds perform mostly just before dusk and dawn, when temperatures are above freezing and the wind is calm, so a cold, gusty evening is a poor bet.

• Where to go

  Evening, any calm mild night · Madison-area conservation lands and similar openings elsewhere

  The magazine’s 2025 guide named Faville Grove Sanctuary, Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park, Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Governor Nelson State Park as places to listen, and advised looking for a prairie bordered by woodland. Any such edge in the state can hold a displaying male. Arrive early and keep your lights off, since walking in late can startle the birds away.

• Counting woodcock

  Each spring · Survey routes in Wisconsin and 18 other states

  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explains that its singing-ground survey, run with state agencies and volunteers, counts displaying males along fixed routes to build an index of the population. Wisconsin is one of 19 states in the survey, and the results are the major information used when woodcock hunting seasons are set.

When do wood frogs, spring peepers and salamanders start moving in Wisconsin?

• Wood frogs

  Soon after frost-out; the timing shifts by weeks from year to year · Vernal pools and flooded woods

  The DNR says wood frogs have the shortest breeding window of any Wisconsin frog, about two weeks, beginning right after the frost comes out of the ground. The call is likened to a quacking duck. The frogs measure 1.5 to 2.5 inches and wear a dark mask behind each eye. With the chorus so brief, going out on the first few warm, wet nights matters more than the calendar.

• Spring peepers

  Early spring, among the first frogs to call · Wet woods and wetlands beside forest

  The DNR reports that spring peepers are one of the first frogs to call, with a very shrill and repetitious peep from animals only 0.7 to 1.1 inches long. They prefer fishless wetlands in or beside woodlots, and each wears a dark X on its back. The agency calls the species widespread and common.

• The first big night for salamanders

  The first warm, rainy night of spring, often in March or early April · Roads between woodlands and vernal pools

  Wisconsin Public Radio quoted DNR conservation biologist Rori Paloski on how salamanders move: rather than trickling to ponds over weeks, they tend to go all on the same night at a given site. A slow night may show 10 to 15 animals on a road, a busy one hundreds. The Wisconsin Wetlands Association notes that blue-spotted, spotted and eastern tiger salamanders all depend on vernal pools. If you drive near woods on a warm, wet night, slow down and watch for dark shapes on the pavement; some volunteers wear reflective gear while helping animals cross.

• The Frog and Toad Survey

  Volunteer listening starts in April · Roadside routes statewide

  The DNR’s long-running Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey uses volunteers who drive set routes and record calls. A WXPR report on the program says surveys begin in April, so March is a good time to learn the early callers and to sign up through the program’s website or its listed email address.

When does maple sap run in Wisconsin, and what blooms first?

• The sap run

  Late March to early April in a typical year · Sugar maple woods statewide

  The climatology office says a maple can produce one to three gallons of sap on a favorable day. A warm spell can end the run abruptly: March 2012’s record warmth cut the season to under ten days, and a prolonged freeze in 2014 left the state roughly 100,000 gallons short. One producer told WPR about a season that lasted just nine days after temperatures climbed from 19 °F to 78 °F in a week.

• Maple weekends

  Often a March weekend; 2027 dates are not yet posted · Sugarbushes and nature centers

  Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center held its Maple Days on Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11, in 2023, with sap tapping, syrup grading and taffy, plus stops at nearby sugarbushes. Look for 2027 dates with the center and with your nearest sugarbush. The UW-Madison Extension maple program also runs a webinar series called the Maple Hour for producers.

• Silver maple, skunk cabbage and the first blossoms

  Mid to late March into April · Floodplains and wet woods

  Silver maple flowers open on bare branches in the thaw, and the date swings by weeks from spring to spring. Skunk cabbage, which Schlitz Audubon calls one of the earliest perennial wildflowers, produces its own heat and keeps its flowering spadix about 20 degrees warmer than the air. Look for its mottled purple and green hood in wet woods and along stream edges once the snow melts.

What can you see in the Wisconsin night sky in March 2027?

• Venus and Mercury before dawn

  Early to late March · Low in the east and southeast before sunrise

  Look east well before sunup for Venus, a morning star near magnitude -4.1 that comes up roughly two hours before sunrise in early March, then edges closer to the glow each week. Mercury is as far west of the sun as it gets this spring, 27.6 degrees, at 11:20 p.m. CDT on March 16, which is 04:20 UTC on March 17 by our computation. The best window is roughly March 8 to 25, with the planet clearing the horizon an hour ahead of sunrise; use binoculars toward the east-southeast, with Venus far higher up. By our computation a slim old crescent moon sits close to Venus on the mornings of March 4 and 5. Both mornings precede the clock change.

• Jupiter and Mars after dark

  All month · High in the south and southwest in the evening

  Jupiter, near magnitude -2.5 in Leo, outshines every other starlike point in the evening sky and remains up until nearly dawn, a consequence of its February 10 opposition. Mars, about magnitude -1.1, also sits in Leo. Around the 18th and 19th, a gibbous moon about 88 percent lit passes Jupiter in the evening. On the evening of Tuesday, March 30, a gap of 4.3 degrees separates Mars from Jupiter, and both are high up near 8 p.m. CDT. We computed these positions for the central United States.

• Saturn’s last evenings

  Early March · Low in the west-southwest after sunset

  Saturn is already sinking: by our computation for 40 N, 95 W, it stays up roughly two and a half hours past sunset on March 1 and about an hour and a half past sunset on March 15. It slips behind the sun in early April and returns before dawn later in the spring.

• Equinox and the Worm Moon

  March 20 to 22 · Anywhere with a clear eastern horizon

  Astronomical spring starts on Saturday, March 20, at 3:25 p.m. CDT (20:25 UTC, per USNO). Full moon follows on Monday, March 22, at 5:44 a.m. CDT, an hour or so before sunrise. That makes Sunday evening, March 21, the better night for watching it climb, and it rises between roughly 6:30 and 7 p.m. depending on where you stand in the state. SeaSky says the Worm Moon name refers to softening ground and returning earthworms.

• Aurora

  Any clear dark night · Northern Wisconsin, away from town lights

  NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center posts an aurora forecast with a lead time of 30 to 90 minutes. A strong storm can push displays south into Wisconsin, but none can be predicted months ahead.

How cold, snowy and changeable is March in Wisconsin?

• Snowmelt flooding

  March and April · River valleys, especially after fast melts or heavy rain

  The National Weather Service in Milwaukee says Wisconsin river flooding usually happens in March and April, when rapid snowmelt or heavy rain arrives. Its spring flood outlook for southern Wisconsin lists snowpack, frost depth and river levels as the main factors and repeats the slogan “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

• Spring fire season

  Spring, whenever the grass is dry · Dry grass, pine woods and brush

  The DNR states that spring is the most critical fire season in Wisconsin, because grasses, pine needles and leaf litter dry out after only a few days without rain. In a May 2026 alert it suspended burning permits in 43 counties. Check the DNR’s WisBurn site before burning brush, and never leave a campfire unattended.

• Severe weather starts to wake up

  April through summer, mostly · Statewide

  The NWS Milwaukee office reports that Wisconsin averages about 23 tornadoes a year, most of them from May through August, with June the busiest month. Severe Weather Awareness Week has been held in April in recent years (April 13 to 17 in 2026); the 2027 week had not been announced as of October 2026, so look for it in early spring.

How much daylight does Wisconsin gain in March?

When is the last spring freeze in Wisconsin?

What can Wisconsin families do outdoors in March?

• Sign up for the crane count

  The count itself is Saturday, April 10, 2027; sign up in March · Counties across Wisconsin and six other states

  The International Crane Foundation lists the 2027 Midwest Crane Count for Saturday, April 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. Central Time. Volunteers first contact their county coordinator to receive a site. More than 2,000 people take part each year across more than 150 counties.

• Log what you see and hear

  All month · Your own backyard or local park

  Journey North lets anyone report sightings and explore its maps, and its featured projects at last look were monarchs and hummingbirds, so you can set up an account now. For frogs, the DNR survey described above starts in April.

• Visit a maple event if one is posted

  Usually a March weekend; check with the host · Nature centers and farms

  Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center’s Maple Days were held on March 10 and 11 in 2023, and similar programs run elsewhere. Dates for 2027 are not yet posted, so check each organizer’s calendar.

Safety notes for March in Wisconsin

• Ice gets unreliable fast

  All month · Lakes, rivers and flowages

  The DNR says no ice is completely safe, that it does not monitor local ice conditions, and that ice near inlets, outlets and currents can be thinner. If you break through, keep your clothes on, head back toward where you came from, kick and pull yourself out with ice picks, and roll away from the hole before you stand.

• Bears are leaving dens

  Early spring · The northern half of the state mostly, with bears spreading south

  The DNR says black bears leave their dens in early spring, when natural food is scarce. Take bird feeders down completely, even for daytime, and keep garbage and pet food inside and grills clean. If a bear approaches, wave your arms, make noise and back away slowly.

• Ticks can be active in a mild spell

  Any day above 40 °F with little snow cover · Brushy edges, leaf litter, trail margins

  Wisconsin health officials say deer ticks become active when temperatures rise above 40 °F and snow cover is minimal, and in 2024 DHS and UW-Madison began finding them in February, almost two months ahead of schedule. UW Extension recommends long sleeves, repellents with DEET or picaridin and a daily tick check.

• Fishing and hunting seasons

  Check before you go · Statewide

  The DNR’s seasons page lists the general inland season, including walleye and northern pike, running through March 7, 2027; many waters have special rules. Its trout page describes an early catch-and-release season on inland trout streams that begins on the first Saturday in January, so read the current regulations for the end date and gear rules. The spring turkey season starts after March: the DNR lists a youth hunt on April 17 and 18 and Period A from April 21 to 27, and suggests wearing a blaze orange cap or gloves while walking.