Prime 25 Nationwide Wildlife Refuges for Birding – 10,000 Birds

There are greater than 550 national wildlife refuges in america, with at the very least one in each state and one inside an hour drive of just about each main American metropolis. Many had been particularly established for migratory birds and are strategically positioned alongside one of many 4 main North American migration flyways. Others had been established to guard particular chicken species or subspecies.

However they main defend land, a necessary however dwindling avian useful resource. Not like nationwide parks, nationwide forests, nationwide monuments, and different federal lands which should stability competing pursuits reminiscent of recreation and useful resource extraction, nationwide wildlife refuges are legally required to be maintained for the preservation of wildlife.

In consequence, there are quite a few glorious birding hotspots within the system. Many refuges have trails, boardwalks, viewing towers, and/or auto routes, and several other are concerned in birding festivals. Each birds and birders flock to nationwide wildlife refuges. Many refuges had been obtained with funds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps.

Attempting to decide on the “finest” refuges for birding is a idiot’s errand, as everybody’s standards are completely different. Some are nice for a selected chicken, others for 1000’s of birds, and others throughout a selected season. Some simply appear to be rarity magnets. Others could also be good for a free morning on a enterprise journey to Boston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, or Las Vegas.

However even with different standards, some places rise to the highest.

The next listing (in alphabetical order) was developed utilizing a subjective weighing of the next non-exclusive listing of standards:  the variety of potential species (significantly regional specialties); perceived renown amongst birders and/or look on different high birding websites lists; customer services; species and guidelines numbers from eBird (increased is healthier for each); and a dose of geographic balancing.

1. 1. Anahuac NWR (Texas)
   2. Aransas NWR (Texas)
   3. Bear River MBR (Utah)
   4. Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR (Washington)
   5. Bombay Hook NWR (Delaware)
   6. Bosque del Apache NWR (New Mexico)
   7. Chincoteague NWR (Virginia)
   8. Desert NWR (Nevada)
   9. Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (New Jersey)
   10. Harris Neck NWR (Georgia)
   11. Horicon NWR (Wisconsin)
   12. J. N. Ding Darling NWR (Florida)
   13. John Heinz NWR (Pennsylvania)
   14. Kilauea Point NWR (Hawaii)
   15. Klamath Basin NWR Complex (California and Oregon)
   16. Laguna Atascosa NWR (Texas)
   17. Lee Metcalf NWR (Montana)
   18. Malheur NWR (Oregon)
   19. Minnesota Valley NWR (Minnesota)
   20. Ottawa NWR (Ohio)
   21. Parker River NWR (Massachusetts)
   22. Pea Island NWR (North Carolina)
   23. Quivira NWR (Kansas)
   24. Santa Ana NWR (Texas)
   25. St. Marks NWR (Florida)

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A Google map (which can also be the picture on the high of this publish) with all 25 places is here. To be taught extra a couple of particular NWR, try the eBird “Explore a National Wildlife Refuge” feature and overview that refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP).

Many of those comprise hotspots within the top 100 within the U.S. in line with eBird, together with:  Aransas (366 species); Bosque del Apache (380); Parker River (365); Laguna Atascosa (365); Santa Ana (358); Anahuac (336); Pea Island (322); and Edwin B. Forsythe (344). Just about all are listed within the National Geographic Guide to Birding Hot Spots of the United States (2006) by Mel White and Paul Lehman, nonetheless a superb useful resource for the touring birder greater than a decade after publication.

Observe that this listing excludes refuges that will be extremely fascinating to go to however don’t permit public entry or are successfully inaccessible (e.g., Midway Atoll NWR, Farallon Islands NWR, and so forth.) and solely contains places which are technically nationwide wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. For instance, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is a part of Gateway Nationwide Recreation Space, a unit of the Nationwide Park Service. This listing additionally doesn’t embody models outdoors the 50 states (e.g., any of the models within the Caribbean).

Be happy to go away feedback and solutions, as it is a subjective listing and it isn’t mounted in stone. However, if proposing an addition, please determine an present location that will be dropped in favor of the proposed addition.

As the one federal lands with a authorized mandate to guard wildlife, birders ought to be at forefront of protecting the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System.  One option to assist and defend the system is to learn about and go to a refuge, together with the top-notch birding places on this listing.

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Based mostly on solutions, I added the “Subsequent 10” to authentic “Prime 25” listing on Google Maps, which is here and pictured on the high.  They’re:

1. 1. Arrowwood NWR (North Dakota)
   2. Back Bay NWR (Virginia)
   3. Bayou Sauvage NWR (Louisiana)
   4. Bowdoin NWR (Montana)
   5. Hagerman NWR (Texas)
   6. Leoess Bluffs NWR (Missouri)
   7. Merritt Island NWR (Florida)
   8. Montezuma NWR (New York)
   9. Sacramento NWR Complex (California)
   10. Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR (California)

Photo.

This publish was initially printed on January 30, 2018, and it has been up to date.