10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2019

A while back, I wrote about an under-appreciated part of the National Wildlife Refuge System : Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs). Although little-known, WPAs provide critical breeding, resting, and nesting habitat for millions of ducks, geese, and swans, as well as shorebirds and grassland species.

Nebraska 146

Nebraska Dissection Geese Ducks 146

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2019

A while back, I wrote about an under-appreciated part of the National Wildlife Refuge System : Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs). Although little-known, WPAs provide critical breeding, resting, and nesting habitat for millions of ducks, geese, and swans, as well as shorebirds and grassland species.

Nebraska 113

Nebraska Dissection Geese Ducks 113

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

Birders are familiar with the National Wildlife Refuge System, which consists of more than 550 units distributed through all fifty states. National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), which are managed by the U.S. FWS calls WPAs the “Prairie Jewels of the National Wildlife Refuge System.”. Ding” Darling NWR in Florida. million acres.

Factory 118

Factory Ducks North Dakota Nebraska 118

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

I haven’t even been to all of the best national wildlife refuges for birding. Lifers includes Gambel’s Quail and Neotropic Cormorant, but the real highlights were the morning fly-out of Sandhill Cranes and the evening fly-in of Snow Geese. I am a westerner who has lived in San Francisco and Portland my entire birding life.

San Francisco 100

San Francisco Portland United States Puerto Rico 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) attempts to calculate the economic contribution of National Wildlife Refuge visitation to local communities. Rather, birding and other wildlife observation ( e.g., photography) are lumped together as “non-consumptive” uses of a refuge. Every few years, the U.S. billion for local communities.

Wildlife 258

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 258

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

of Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jon Gassett has indicated that if enough people write in protest, the proposed hunting season–due to start this December– will be reconsidered. Hunting is on a steady downturn, and nonconsumptive wildlife pursuits are on a tremendous upswing. We can fight them back in Kentucky, too.

2011 254

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 254

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2012

It’s a real shame, though, because these battlefields can be a real haven for wildlife and are often located in parts of the country that don’t otherwise have a lot of preserved land. Government to set up several forts, including Fort Mitchell in western Nebraska.

Birds 175

Birds Mississippi Vermont Texas 175