Phew — just typing that title sounds daunting; there are so many! I don’t know how I’m going to break this list up but I figured I’d at least start it and chip away as I go. Please comment regionally with your favorite places too! My current home city is Duluth, MN so my favorite places in the state…
Minnesota
- North Shore Scenic Drive: as the name implies, this goes along the north shore of Lake Superior, with lots of pull-offs
- Brighton Beach
- French River
- Two Harbors
- Lakeview Park
- Agate Bay (scan for waterbirds)
- St. Louis Co.
- Canal Park
- Minnesota (Park) Point
- Sax-Zim Bog
- McGregor Marsh State Natural Area (SNA)
- Cook Co. water treatment ponds
- Carver Co.: a rural area birded by Twin Cities birders in search of farm fields
- Grand Rapids: the closest “bigger town” to NRRI’s other facility
- Richfield Lake Park
Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Point
- Crex Meadows Wildlife Area
- Buena Vista Grasslands
- Lake Maria
- Horicon National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)
- Wyalusing State Park
- Schurch-Thomson Prairie
- Rose Lake SNA
- Door Co.
- Crow Wing Co.: rural area, houses with feeders worth checking
- Trempeleau Co.: including the NWR, it’s a fun area to explore
- Sauk Co.: this was a frequent birding destination for us because of all the unique natural areas in the county, including…
- Spring Green Preserve SNA
- Iowa Co.: rural area that has been a rarity host
- Dane Co.: this is where I lived for 4.5 years during my Ph.D., so I spent a lot of time on campus. I used to do the Big Green Birding Year (BIGBY) which meant finding as many species as I could on foot/by bike, so I walked and biked much of Madison, WI.
- Pheasant Branch Conservancy
- 9 Springs
- Lerner Conservation Park
Illinois
- Chicago: there are lots of small city parks, and lots of birders, so it’s likely something interesting will be found
- Sugar Grove Nature Center
South Dakota
- Roughlock Falls
- Haakon Co.: farm fields for days!
- Custer State Park
- Badlands National Park
Oklahoma
- campus: there was an AOU meeting here in 2015!
- Wichita Mountains NWR
- Great Salt Plains State Park
Tennessee
- Hampton Creek Cove
Maryland
- Western Regional Park
- Centennial Lake
- Patapsco Valley State Park
- Ocean City inlet
- Assateague State Park
- Truitt’s Landing
Delaware
- Assawoman Wildlife Area
Virginia
- Great Dismal Swamp NWR
- Huckleberry Trail
- Heritage Community Park & Natural Area
- Pandapas Pond
- Cascades
- the Blue Ridge: broadly…
- Appalachian Trail
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- New River
- Mountain Lake
- Claytor Lake State Park
North Carolina
- Outer Banks: this area likely needs no introduction as a tourist destination
- Pickens Nose
- Jackson Park
- Dupont State Forest
South Carolina
- Clemson Experimental Forest
- South Carolina Botanical Garden
- Lake Conestee
- Huntington Beach State Park
- Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center
- Pitt St. Causeway
- Bear Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA)
- Edisto Beach
- Savannah NWR
- Anderson Co.: home of Townville, the bird mecca of the upstate.
- Beaufort Co.: this is where I did my M.S. field work on golf courses, so I went on a number of private properties as well as natural areas in the county.
Georgia
- Georgia Botanical Garden
Florida
- Storm Water Treatment Area 5/6
- Everglades National Park
- Lee Co.
- Collier Co.: my parents used to have a beach house there, so I birded a lot of places (mostly wherever I could walk)
- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Washington
- Alki beach
- Discovery park
- Luther Burbank park
Wyoming
Thunder Basin National Grassland
Canada
We took the clipper from Seattle to Victoria and saw some great birds along the way! Highly recommended!
- Holland Point Park
- Gonzales Bay
- Trafalgar Park
- Kitty Islet
- Queen’s Park
- East Sooke Park
- George C. Reifel Park
- Queen Elizabeth Park