The Visitor Center is open daily and has a great facility for birdwatching for the spring and fall migration route. Birdwatchers have identified more than 240 species of birds here; outdoor viewing platforms by the lake will get you closer to the action.
Located five miles east of Blair on Highway 30 | Blair, NE | 712-642-4121.
A 250-acre lake that borders South Dakota. Birdwatchers find gulls, waterfowl and other birds near the dam. Bald eagles are present during migration seasons. The wooded shore of Cottonwood Lake also offers good birding.
Crofton, NE
A restored three-mile river channel surrounded by 3,300 acres of grassland, woodland and wetlands. The area used to be an island of sand and sediments in the Missouri at the mouth of the Boyer River. The area has been planted with native grasses, trees and forbs to recreate an environment similar to that which was familiar to Native Americans and explorers such as Lewis and Clark. A great area for bird watching.
(To get there, go one mile east of Highway 75 at 7th and Madison Streets) 3720 Rivers Way| Fort Calhoun, NE | (712) 388-4800
This is a natural habitat situated on private property and is used for nature study, educational classes, bird watching, observing the annual monarch butterfly migration and simple relaxation. Visitors are welcome, pets on leash. Please call ahead for information, tour appointments, or other arrangements.
1st Street | Howells, NE | (402) 986-1517
Over-look and Historical Marker
along Highway 75, south of Macy, NE
Primitive camping and electrical hookups. Ultd. tents, 15 trailers and 2 cabins. Horse pens, horse day rides, hiking, mountain biking and birdwatching. Kawasaki Mule tours available of the breath-taking views for non-riders.
5 miles Northwest of town | Newcastle, NE | (402) 355-2614
www.turkeycreekne.com
2,200 acres and a new 17,000 square foot facility called the Missouri National Recreational River Resource and Education Center. The park is mostly forested with bur oaks and other hardwoods (one bur oak is more than 300 years old). The distinctive calls of whip-poor-wills and barred owls are common during the summer months; bald eagles are present in winter. A birdwatchers’ list for the park and surrounding areas includes 297 species (see www.nebraskabirdingtrails.com). The park attracts many birdwatchers during the peak of spring migration (late April and early May).
Camping – 100 tents, 72 trailers, 31 cabins, $12-$17, $80 cabins, $253 mini-lodges.
Located in the wooded hills overlooking the Missouri River
2 mi. No. | Ponca, NE | (402) 755-2284 | www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/
The 284-acre wooded area along the Elkhorn River. Birdwatchers say that it’s a good place for finding woodcocks in April.
Located four miles northwest of town on Hwy 275 | Scribner, NE | 402-664-2788
The 60-acre park has a 30-acre lake and 1½ miles of hiking/biking trails, is home to more than 200 species of birds.
The park is northeast of the Highway 20 and 77 junction; the entrance is on West 39th Street | South Sioux City, NE
www.southsiouxcity.org
668 acres along the Elkhorn River. The area is mostly wooded, with several oxbow lakes and a stream. Birdwatchers, report many eastern songbirds nesting here and large numbers of geese, ducks, pelicans, cormorants, the occasional trumpter swans and bald eagles in winter on the marshy lakes.
Following Hwy 24, go 1½ miles west of town, then go two miles south, 1½ miles west, then one mile north on a county road.| Stanton, NE
Produced in part by a grant from the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism.
Interested in becoming a member of the Northeast Nebraska Travel Council? View our brochure.
Northeast Nebraska Travel Council
609 West Norfolk Avenue
Norfolk, NE 68701
(402) 371-2932