Refuges provide the opportunity for all birders to find exciting birds, such as this Green Jay, which you can find at Santa Ana and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuges in south Texas.
Ospreys are always exciting to see, and they can potentially be found at refuges across the continent.
Many national wildlife refuges provide true birding spectacles when concentrations of waterfowl migrate south, such as this mixed flock of Snow Geese and White-fronted Geese that also includes one Ross’s Goose.
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According to a new USA Today article, “Birding has soared in popularity as people have pursued outdoor activities that allow them to social distance.” The article also shares locations where new birders go can go to find interesting birding experiences. “We’re going back to our roots to reconnect with nature,” said Stan Tekiela, a naturalist and the author of seven regional birding guides. “It really touches our souls.” He added that wildlife refuges make it easy to see a variety of birds and shared 8 prime birding refuges – all part of the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, including:
“Ding” Darling NWR, Sanibel Island, southwest Florida
Rocky Mountain NWR, central Colorado
Great Swamp NWR, northern New Jersey
Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, southern Oregon
Okefenokee NWR, southeast Georgia
Rachel Carson NWR, south Maine
National Elk Refuge, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Pea Island NWR, coastal North Carolina
22 More Refuge Gems
That’s a fine list of attractive refuges for any birders, but we’d like to add a few more for you to check into, perhaps because they are closer to your home, or just because they sound like exciting locations to visit:
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, northern Utah
Sand Lake NWR, northeast South Dakota
Bosque del Apache NWR, central New Mexico
Sacramento NWR Complex, northern California
Horicon Marsh NWR, eastern Wisconsin
Santa Ana NWR, south Texas
Ottawa NWR, northwest Ohio
Humboldt Bay NWR, northwest California
Swan Lake NWR, north-central Missouri
Tamarac NWR, central Minnesota
Laguna Atascosa NWR, south Texas
Forsythe NWR, coastal New Jersey
Reelfoot Lakes NWR, northeast Tennessee
Chincoteague NWR, coastal Virginia
And if you’re up for a refuge extravaganza, the little state of North Dakota has the most national wildlife refuges of any state in the US – 63 – including such impressive birding refuges as Audubon NWR, Long Lake NWR, Arrowwood NWR, Chase Lake NWR, J. Clark Salyer NWR, Lostwood NWR, and obviously, many more.
We would add a couple more Alaska refuges to the list, but they are very hard to get to and there are essentially no accommodations when you arrive; but if you’re interested in an exploratory trip to a wilderness refuge, consider the Arctic NWR and Yukon Delta NWR.
Obviously, there are hundreds more refuges that could be listed as excellent birding sites, so for more information about the refuges listed above and the entire US National Wildlife Refuge System, refer to https://www.fws.gov/refuges/ where all refuges are listed state by state. And perhaps you would like to plan a special visit to a nearby refuge during National Wildlife Refuge Week, from October 11 thru 17.
To refer to the recent USA Today article, see https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/10greatplaces/2020/09/20/birding-for-beginners-10-great-places-to-try/3491443001/
Article and photographs by Paul Konrad
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