Go Birding in Nebraska's State Park System
By Joel Jorgensen
Pileated woodpecker at Indian Cave
State Park.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
Louisiana waterthrushes are best seen
at Platte River State Park's Stone Creek.
GETTY
Lesser goldfi nches during the summer
at Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area.
JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
Lake McConaughy and
Lake Ogallala state
recreation areas
The location and habitats
surrounding this human-created
inland sea makes it one of the more
remarkable birding areas in the
central Great Plains. Renowned for
its eagle viewing opportunities and
nesting piping plovers, other unique
sights include the tens of thousands
of western and Clark's grebes that
spend the warmer months here. The
area boasts a long list of rarities,
which means exciting surprises are
possible during any visit.
Indian Cave State Park
Arguably the most impressive
tract of undeveloped oak
woodland in the state, this
sprawling park hosts a diversity
of eastern breeding species not
found in numbers elsewhere in
the state. Acadian fl ycatchers,
Kentucky warblers, pileated
woodpeckers and yellow-billed
cuckoos are a few of the staples,
with more eastern visitors present
during spring and fall migration.
Red-headed woodpeckers can be
common here in winter.
Platte River State Park
This is a great birding spot any time
of year. The trail running parallel
to Stone Creek has the distinction
of being the best place in the state
to hear and see the Louisiana
waterthrush, a southeastern species
that barely reaches Nebraska. This
neotropical warbler arrives in early
April and its loud rolling song gives
away its presence into early summer.
Watch for this bird wading like a
sandpiper along the shallow creek,
pumping its tail with every step.
Wildcat Hills State
Recreation Area
Bird feeders bring in a diversity of
fi nches, nuthatches and sparrows
year-round that can be viewed up
close in the cozy nature center.
This is a great place to study the
odd bill of the red crossbill or
fi nd a Rocky Mountain species
that has wandered into the state.
Watch for lesser goldfi nches in
summer. A hike on the nearby trails
through the ponderosa pines will
yield glimpses of more species, as
well as spectacular views of this
magnifi cent landscape.
Bald eagles at Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area. BOB GRIER, NEBRASKALAND
112 Nebraskaland • April 2021
