Indian River Lakes

The Indian River Lakes region provides an important breeding refuge for many declining bird species because it contains a variety of habitats, few humans, and little development. Species such as the Golden-winged Warbler, Red-shouldered Hawk, Whip-poor-will, and Osprey remain common or healthy here, aided by public and private land conservation efforts and by the lack of local agricultural pesticide runoff during the DDT era. The Red-shouldered Hawk returns to the lakes in late March, and the Golden-winged Warbler finds refuge here as it is displaced elsewhere by the Blue-winged Warbler. The Grand Lakes Reserve, maintained by the Indian River Lakes Conservancy, protects acreage on Butterfield Lake and Grass Lake and offers trails where visiting birders can sample the region's breeding bird diversity. The Indian River Wildlife Management Area also contains many of the region's breeding birds, including rarer species, and sparsely populated areas near the Seaway Trail serve as refuges for wildlife.

Redwood, New York · United States