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A Birder’s Guide to U.S. Federal Public Lands

10,000 Birds

These lands support countless birds, either year-round, as migratory stopovers, or as breeding grounds. In fact, the overwhelming majority of federal land is in just 11 western states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). But what else should birders know?

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Summer Birding at Conboy Lake NWR

10,000 Birds

I recently drove from my home in Portland to Conboy Lake NWR in southern Washington for a birding day-trip. Adams, the refuge is one of the few breeding locations for Sandhill Cranes in Washington. According to eBird , just over 200 species have been observed at the refuge and just under 1,000 checklists have been submitted.

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Fall Birding at Nisqually NWR

10,000 Birds

Most of the estuaries of Puget Sound in Washington State have been developed, but one of the few that remain is the Nisqually River Delta, which was protected as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Nisqually NWR is a major staging area for migratory birds , a wintering area for many ducks and geese, and a breeding area for numerous songbirds.

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The Lesser Goldfinch: A Common California Species

10,000 Birds

Unlike the more common American Goldfinch, the Lesser Goldfinch’s ( Spinus psaltria ) plumage does not change color during breeding season. The male (seen below) has a black cap and, in Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja California, nearly all males have green backs.

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The Best Birding Locations in the United States (according to ChatGPT)

10,000 Birds

Pelee National Park – Ohio Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge – Texas These locations offer a variety of habitats including marshes, wetlands, forests, coastal areas, and deserts, attracting numerous bird species throughout the year. Please note that the availability of specific bird species may vary depending on the season.

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Beats the Beltway: a review of Bruce Beehler’s book “Natural Encounters”

10,000 Birds

The travels in his most recent book Natural Encounters: Biking, Hiking, and Birding Through the Seasons are more limited — to the eastern part of the United States, mostly Washington, D.C. and environs, where he lives and works, and where access to nature is, he shows, surprisingly easy.

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What is a “Nonessential Experimental” California Condor?

10,000 Birds

In 1806, Lewis and Clark saw condors near the Columbia River, which makes up much of the Washington-Oregon border. One management tool used by FWS is reintroduction of an endangered species into its former range. An “essential” population is, not surprisingly, required for the continued existence of a species.