BIRDING

Enjoy the diversity of birding sites in Detroit Lakes while stayng at Lakecrest Resort.  Enjoy our off season rates,  specials and senior discounts.  We are in the heart of a transition zone were several ecosystems meet including northern hardwoods, tall grass, aspen parkland, and boreal forest.  This unique area provides habitat for over 250 bird species.  Call Hamden Slough for a reservation to see the impressive Prairie Chicken matting ritual.  

 

Detroit Lakes Birding Hotline 1-800-433-1888
We are located in the middle of the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail which features 43 birding hotspots. You can check out their web site by clicking above.  Some of the unique "lifers" you can see here include the Northern Goshawk, Ruffed Grouse, Greater Prairie-Chicken, Yellow Rail, American Woodcock, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Great Gray Owl, Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadee, Bay-breasted, Connecticut and Mourning Warblers, Red and White-winged Crossbills and Pine and Evening Grosbeaks

During peak migration you can see 20 species of waterfowl and 25 species of warblers, along with a whole host of other birds near and around Detroit Lakes. Some "favorites" that stay for the summer breeding season include: Common Loon, American Bittern, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Woodcock, Barred Owl, Northern Saw-Whet owl, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Purple Martin, Winter Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit and Wood Thrushes, 15 Warbler species and scarlet tanager, to name a few.

 

Detroit Lakes Birding Festival

The 16th annual Festival of Birds will be held in Detroit Lakes May 16-19, 2013.
The festival kicks off Thursday, May 16 with a festival favorite - Carrol Henderson! Through recent studies, Carrol will enlighten us about what effect the Gulf oil spill has had on migrating birds such as the Common Loon.

Friday night you'll learn how priceless photos are captured from Robert Taylor of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Robert has photographed birds for over a half century and you'll hear how equipment has changed over the years and how this professional photographer, naturalist and writer has been able to get those incredible photos!

Our Saturday evening keynote will emphasize the vital roles that birds continue to play in fostering conservation of worldwide biological diversity in his presentation, "Discovering How Birds can save the World." John W. Fitzpatrick is the Louis Agassiz Fuertes Director at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY and had a bird species discovered in 2012 in Peru named in his honor.

Fieldtrips loaded with over 190 species sighted in previous years  * Visit
Tamarac & Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuges, Itasca State Park,
For more information on the Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds, as well as other area attractions, contact the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Here is a list of birds sighted from 2000 -2012  

Here is a Species Checklist

Area Birding Locations
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, 18 miles

Hamden Slough, 8 miles

Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District  3 miles

Dunton Locks Great Blue Heron Rookery, 3 miles

Maplewood State Park, 36 miles

 Itasca State Park, 62 miles

Buffalo River State Park  30 miles

Felton, Waubun, Helliksen Prairies  50 miles

Rothsay Wildlife Management Area 43 miles