Field Notes
Birding Refuges
National wildlife refuges, unit by unit — hours, fees, closures, and what each one is for.
Olympia, WA
Nisqually: The Refuge Where You Have to Check the Tide First
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge sits where the Nisqually River meets Puget Sound, and it is one of very few American refuges where the published advice tells you which tide height produces which birds. Going at the wrong stage is the difference between a great morning and an empty one.
Tulelake, CA
Klamath Basin: America's First Waterfowl Refuge Is Running Out of Water
The Klamath Basin refuges hold the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48 and were once the greatest waterfowl staging ground on the Pacific Flyway. As of August 2026 a botulism outbreak is under way at Tule Lake. Both things are true, and a visit should be planned knowing it.
Hilo, HI
Hakalau Forest: The Refuge You Cannot Visit on Your Own
Hakalau Forest holds the best remaining population of several endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers, on the windward slope of Mauna Kea. It is also closed to self-guided visits because of a tree disease, and the only legal way in is with one of five permitted operators. Here is why, and how to go.
Chincoteague, VA
Chincoteague: The Wildlife Loop Does Not Open to Cars Until 3pm
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best birding sites on the mid-Atlantic coast, and its most productive route is closed to vehicles until three in the afternoon. That single rule shapes the whole day, and most first-time visitors do not know it until they arrive.
Malta, MT
Bowdoin: A 15-Mile Loop Through the Prairie Pothole Country
Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge sits in the mixed-grass prairie of north-central Montana, seven miles east of Malta, and offers a 15-mile auto tour through pelican colonies, grebe water and some of the best avocet and stilt viewing in the state. Almost nobody goes.