Outdoor
A birder's paradi se nestled in North Dakota.
ND is smack dab in the middle of the Central Flyway, making it a top destination for millions of birds and a fair number of birders, too. The action-packed spring migration season provides astounding opportunities to see birds in their natural flyway, boasting beautiful breeding plumage. The ND Birdwatcher's Checklist contains an amazing 370 species. In fact, several birds common to ND, such as sharp-tailed grouse and a variety of sparrows, aren't so common in other parts of the U.S. Birding drives and hiking trails present beautiful, unspoiled scenery and wildlife, and the opportunity to see, hear and photograph a large variety of birds. There's plenty of blue sky, fresh air and wide-open spaces; many refuges are miles from major population centers. For more information about birding, including ND's top birding hotspots, check out NDtourism.com.
Birding.
BIRDING DRIVES AND BIRDING TRAILS
Birding Drives Dakota Steele, Carrington, Jamestown One of the Top 10 Birding Hotspots in North America. Remarkable highlights include Chase Lake, and Slade and Long Lake national wildlife refuges. www.birdingdrives.com 888-921-2473 Birding Kulm Kulm Day-to-day sightings and photos for this impressive birding area (adjacent to the eastern ridge of the Missouri Coteau) can be found at its Web site. www.kulmnd.com 701-647-2451
Birding on the Lewis & Clark Trail Williston Contact the Williston Convention & Visitors Bureau for its birding brochure for northwest ND, featuring a checklist of common birds found in the region and an easy-to-follow map to the birding sites. www.willistonndtourism.com 800-615-9041/701-774-9041 Bismarck-Mandan Birding Drive Bismarck and Mandan Three impressive birding routes radiate from the Bismarck-Mandan area, leading to the best birding sites in the Missouri River Valley. www.bismarckmandancvb.com/birding 888-767-3555/701-222-4308 Central Dakota Birding Drive Drake and Anamoose More than 300 species can be seen on three routes along the Souris and Sheyenne rivers to birding sites such as Lone Tree Wildlife Area and Wintering River National Wildlife Refuge. 701-465-3825
International Peace Garden Dunseith More than 100 species of songbirds have been identified in the surrounding Turtle Mountains. www.peacegarden.com 888-432-6733 Lake Region Birding Trail Devils Lake The trail includes portions of five counties with 11 featured sites within national wildlife refuges, state parks, waterfowl production areas and a county park. See Sullys Hill National Game Preserve and Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge, often called the everglades of the prairies. www.devilslakend.com/tourism/ birdwatching.htm 800-233-8048 Minot Birding Minot Five exceptional national wildlife refuges are just short drives away from Minot, including Audubon, J. Clark Salyer, Lostwood, Upper Souris and Des Lacs refuges. www.visitminot.org/visitors 800-264-2626/701-857-8206
Add these birds to your lifetime list The 370 species making the ND Birdwatchers' Checklist include Baird's sparrow, Le Contes' sparrow, Sprague's pipit, piping plover, ferruginous hawk, least tern, upland sandpiper, chestnut-collared longspur, bobolinks and prairie chicken. Review and print state, refuge and national bird checklists found at www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata/chekbird/r6/38.htm
Birding at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, Jason Lindsey
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