 |
Go Birding!
Regional Birding Trails
Make It Easy
Spring is on the wing, as migratory birds begin their northward treks from balmier climes. From February through April, billions of birds will arrive in the United States and Canada to take up residence in their summer breeding grounds. Hot on their trails are birders—some 46 million and counting in the United States.
Aiding these birders in their passionate pursuit are a growing number of regional birding trails, at least a dozen of which wind through Nature Conservancy preserves. |
Clickable map |
The trails make planning a birding quest that much easier. Birders are finding birding meccas and out-of-the-way hot spots equipped with maps, driving directions and descriptions of bird species and habitats, as well as helpful details on amenities such as visitors centers and campgrounds.
Wendy Ledbetter, who works at the Conservancy’s Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, a stop on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, says the sanctuary is popular with trail goers eager to check the brown-headed nuthatch (a local highlight) off their life lists. “The map is a great resource,” she says, “because even locals like me find sites we didn’t know about.”
—Jennifer Uscher
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Illustration © Matthew Frey/Wood Ronsaville Harlin Inc. (Red-Tailed Hawk); Map © XNR Productions
