The Rainwater Basin Adventure

Download a Sandsage Prairie Printable Trail Map

Click to EnlargeApproximate GPS Coordinates:
40.611867 N
-100.629272 S
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If a real honest-to-goodness American birding adventure is what you’re looking for, there are few better places to start one than in McCook, Nebraska. For one thing, native sand-sage prairies of this type are rare except in southwest Nebraska. Due to the rough topography and rocky soils, many parcels of sand-sage prairie have been left undisturbed, attracting – depending on the season – a remarkable variety of some of North America’s most interesting birds, including Greater Prairie Chickens, Cassin's Sparrows, burrowing Owls and Lark Bunting.

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Approximate GPS Coordinates:
40.492915 N
-100.621033 S
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Barnett Park and Red Willow Diversion Dam

Click to Enlarge We’re starting our adventure in cool-crisp of early morning at Barnett Park, just a few minutes south of U.S. 6 and 34 on Highway 83. Right on the Republican River, Barnett Park is a favorite spot for local birders to look for water birds and song birds in the temperate months.

According to T.J. Walker, Nebraska Game and Parks biologist and an expert birder, the park is “good for water birds when it is not too busy, and the trees along the river are a good place to look for migrating warblers and other songbirds.”

From Barnett Park, we drive to another favorite local birding site just a few minutes outside of town. Sometimes described as a “birdwatcher’s paradise,” the Red Willow Diversion Dam, comprises 56 acres of good birding habitat located east of the McCook airport. Use your odometer to get there: drive three miles north, one mile east, two miles north, and one mile east again.

The Red Willow Diversion Dam is a “must-see” for dedicated bird watchers because the habitat is rich and variable and attracts dozens of bird species.  It is especially good for migrating sparrows and warblers, and a small farm pond just over a mile east can be good for waterfowl and shorebirds.

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Approximate GPS Coordinates:
40.822124 N
-100.643005 S
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Red Willow Reservoir

Click to EnlargeFrom the diversion dam, pick up U.S. 83 north and follow it to the well-marked entrance to Red Willow Reservoir and the Red Willow State Recreation Area.

Located 11 miles north of McCook, this reservoir, and the other reservoirs mentioned, often hold large concentrations of waterbirds such as grebes, ducks, geese, gulls and others with occasional rarities like Red-necked grebes and is considered one of Nebraska’s prime birding areas. With some 4,320 acres of upland area to explore, you’ll want to allow some extra time for Red Willow’s varied habitats. As T.J. Walker writes, “The reservoir and the roads around it can take a day to bird thoroughly due to the diversity of habitats present at the reservoir.” Look for burrowing owls in the prairie dog town near Spring Park. A white-faced ibis nests in the wetlands on the west side of the reservoir, and we spotted barn owls peering out of holes in the clay banks above the reservoir.

We see our job (and therefore the job of this Web site), as showing you as many great Nebraska birdwatching locations as we can get you to in a day, not taking into account how much time you might want to spend at each. How you decide to schedule the adventure is part of the fun. But on our adventure, this adventure, it had been too long since our last meal, and luckily McCook has some great eating spots.

At the upper end, the Coppermill Steakhouse provides a full service restaurant, a gracious atmosphere and attentive service.  Want faster food? Mac’s Drive-In, is an old-fashioned drive-up/drive-in experience. Schmick’s Market at the Junction of Highway 83 and U.S. 6 and 34, is a locally-owned restaurant serving tasty deli food along with traditional Midwestern breakfasts and lunches. (Try their Reuben sandwich, a meal in a sandwich and invented in Nebraska.)

For our part, we decide on the Sehnert’s Bakery and the Bieroc Café  located on historic Norris Avenue. Five generations of the Sehnert’s family baked bread and served good food in Germany and now their restaurant is a favorite in McCook. We stopped at the Bieroc for some of their famous stollen bread, a sweet yeast bread containing fruit and nuts, a cappuccino and a picnic lunch to go.

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Approximate GPS Coordinates:
40.647304 N
-100.994568 S
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Swanson Reservoir and SRA

Click to Enlarge At the risk of ruining our appreciation of these big, open reservoirs on the sand-sage prairie, we drive west toward Swanson Reservoir and Benkelman.

Now is the time to really appreciate the big-sky aspects of this Nebraska landscape. The dramatic, open country inspires us to stop to photograph the amazing scenery along with the picturesque villages rooted like wild plum thickets along the highway. In all of the sand-sage prairie region, keep your eye out any time of year for red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, Northern flicker, and horned lark. Sharp-eyed birders may also see black-capped chickadee or white breasted nuthatch.  

Before long, we are able to see the eastern end of Swanson Reservoir. Swanson Reservoir SRA is the largest of the four state recreation areas in the region, comprising over 9,600 total acres. Situated right on the Republican River, Swanson SRA is a big area with lots of trails and good birding habitat. Check in at the marinas at the north shore or the south shore to pick up a map of the trails, lake, and wetlands. The trails are well marked, and we are told that not long ago, bird watchers noted 88 species of birds in one day on the trails around Swanson.

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Approximate GPS Coordinates:
40.726446 N
-101.486206 S
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Benkelman and Enders Reservoir

Click to Enlarge When we get to Benkelman, a few more miles west, we stop at the Strikers Café for coffee. Reminiscent of its origins as a bowling alley, the diner and gourmet coffee restaurant retains the red-and-chrome tables in addition to the Strikers name. Customers may order fresh dough pizza, subway sandwiches from bread baked daily in the diner, salads and fruit smoothies, along with gourmet coffee items.

From Benkelman, it’s just 25 minutes straight north on Highway 61 to Enders Reservoir and State Recreation Area. Altogether, Enders encompasses over 3,600 acres, nearly all of which is open grassland and surrounding hills that go from rolling to rugged. From early spring until well into the fall, it attracts large numbers of waterfowl.

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The Prairie Bell

Click to Enlarge Now this is what we call a great way to close a Nebraska birding adventure. We are spending the night in one of the most unique bed and breakfasts we’ve ever heard of: an original 1880s sod house with 18-inch-thick walls and a wonderful Western ranch feel. Don’t get a vision of grass growing through the cracks though, the Prairie Bell is beautifully decorated and finished, and situated in an ideal area to see some of many species of birds than inhabit and visit this part of the world.

The Prairie Bell has some five miles of its own trails along the Republican River, and these winding, scenic paths offer rich opportunities to see not only the many birds of the area, but also wildlife such as coyotes, deer, raccoons and others. We were amazed at the abundance and variety of life that we saw. We spotted vireos, flycatchers, a red-headed woodpecker, and a wild turkey on only a 20 minute walk.

Approximate GPS Coordinates:
40.463666 N
-101.703186 S
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There’s plenty of other good birding sites in this area, including Rock Creek, Rock Creek State Park and the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery. But tomorrow is another day and now seems the ideal time for a glass of wine and view of the sun setting over the Nebraska’s vast sand-sage prairie.

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The Birds of Central and Western Nebraska

  Spring Summer Fall Winter
photo Bittern, American   summer    
  Blackbird, Brewer's   summer    
photo Blackbird, Red-winged   summer    
photo Blackbird, Yellow-headed   summer    
photo Bluebird, Eastern   summer    
  Bluebird, Mountain   summer    
photo Bobolink   summer    
  Bufflehead spring   fall  
photo Bunting, Indigo   summer    
  Bunting, Lark   summer    
  Bunting, Snow       winter
photo Bunting,Lazuli   summer    
photo Canvasback spring   fall  
  Chat, Yellow-breasted   summer    
photo Chickadee, Black-capped spring summer fall winter
photo Coot, American   summer    
photo Cormorant, Double-crested spring summer fall  
photo Cowbird, Brown-headed   summer    
photo Crane, Sandhill spring   fall  
  Creeper, Brown spring summer fall winter
  Crossbill, Red spring summer fall winter
photo Crow, American spring summer fall winter
  Cukoo, Black-billed   summer    
  Cukoo, Yellow-billed   summer    
photo Curlew, Long-billed spring summer    
  Dickcissel   summer    
photo Dove, Mourning   summer    
photo Dove, Rock spring summer fall winter
  Dowitcher, Long-billed spring   fall  
photo Dowitcher, Short-billed spring   fall  
photo Duck, Gadwall   summer    
  Duck, Ring-necked spring   fall  
  Duck, Ruddy   summer    
photo Duck, Wood   summer    
photo Eagle, Bald       winter
photo Eagle, Golden spring summer fall winter
photo Falcon, Peregrine spring   fall  
  Falcon, Prairie spring summer fall winter
photo Finch, House spring summer fall winter
photo Finch, Purple       winter
  Finch, Rosy       winter
photo Flicker, Northern spring summer fall winter
  Flycatcher, Great Crested   summer    
  Flycatcher, Least spring   fall  
  Flycatcher, Willow spring summer fall  
photo Godwit, Marbled spring   fall  
photo Goldeneye, Common spring   fall winter
photo Goldfinch, American spring summer fall winter
photo Goose, Canada spring summer fall  
  Goose, Ross' spring   fall  
photo Goose, Snow spring   fall  
photo Grackle, Common   summer    
  Grebe, Clark's spring   fall  
  Grebe, Eared spring summer fall  
  Grebe, Horned spring   fall  
photo Grebe, Pied-billed   summer    
photo Grebe, Western spring   fall  
  Grosbeak, Black-headed   summer    
  Grosbeak, Blue   summer    
photo Grosbeak, Evening       winter
photo Grosbeak, Rose-breasted spring   fall  
photo Grouse, Sharp-tailed spring summer fall winter
photo Gull, California spring   fall  
photo Gull, Franklin's spring   fall  
photo Gull, Ring-billed spring   fall  
  Harrier, Northern spring summer fall winter
photo Hawk, Cooper's spring summer fall  
photo Hawk, Red-tailed spring summer fall winter
photo Hawk, Rough-legged       winter
photo Hawk, Sharp-shinned spring summer fall winter
photo Hawk, Swainsons's   summer    
photo Heron, black-crowned night spring   fall  
photo Heron, Great blue   summer    
photo Hummingbird, Broad-tailed spring   fall  
photo Hummingbird, Rufous spring   fall  
photo Ibis, White spring summer fall  
photo Jay, Blue spring summer fall winter
  Jay, Pinyon spring summer fall winter
photo Junco, Dark-eyed spring summer fall winter
photo Kestrel, American spring summer fall winter
photo Killdeer   summer    
  Kingbird, Cassin's spring summer fall  
photo Kingbird, Eastern   summer    
photo Kingbird, Western   summer    
photo Kingfisher, Belted spring summer fall winter
  Kinglet, Golden-crowned spring   fall winter
photo Kinglet, Ruby-crowned spring   fall  
  Lark, Horned spring summer fall winter
photo Lesser Scaup spring   fall  
  Longspur, Chestnut-collared   summer    
  Longspur, Lapland       winter
  Longspur, McCown's spring   fall  
photo Loon, Common spring   fall  
photo Magpie, Black-billed spring summer fall winter
photo Mallard spring summer fall winter
photo Meadowlark, Western   summer    
photo Merganser, Common spring   fall winter
photo Merganser, Hooded spring   fall  
photo Merlin spring summer fall winter
photo Nighthawk, Common   summer    
  Nuthatch, Pygmy spring summer fall winter
photo Nuthatch, Red-breasted spring summer fall winter
photo Nuthatch, White-breasted spring summer fall winter
  Oriole, Northern   summer    
  Oriole, Orchard   summer    
photo Osprey spring   fall  
  Ovenbird   summer    
photo Owl, Barn   summer    
photo Owl, Burrowing   summer    
photo Owl, Eastern screech spring summer fall winter
photo Owl, Great Horned spring summer fall winter
  Owl, Northern saw-whet spring summer fall winter
photo Owl, Short-eared spring summer fall winter
photo Owl, Snowy       winter
photo Pelican, American white spring   fall  
photo Pewee, Eastern Wood spring   fall  
  Pewee, Western Wood   summer    
  Phalarope, Red-necked spring   fall  
photo Phalarope, Wilson's   summer    
photo Pheasant, Ring-necked spring summer fall winter
photo Phoebe, Eastern   summer    
  Phoebe, Say's   summer    
photo Pintail, Northern   summer    
  Pipit, American spring   fall  
photo Plover spring   fall  
  Poorwill, Common   summer    
photo Prairie Chicken, Greater spring summer fall winter
photo Redhead spring summer fall  
photo Redpoll, Common       winter
  Redstart, American   summer    
photo Robin, American spring summer fall winter
photo Sanderling spring   fall  
  Sandpiper, Baird's spring   fall  
  Sandpiper, Buff-breasted spring   fall  
  Sandpiper, Least spring   fall  
  Sandpiper, Pectoral spring   fall  
photo Sandpiper, Semi-palmated