The Region
Featured Bird
Burrowing Owl:
True to its name, the Burrowing Owl often nests in a hold in the ground provided by prairie dogs, coyotes or badgers. It is most active in the morning and evening, hunting for insects during the day and mammals at night. Look for it especially in the Sandsage Prairie and Loess Canyons of the Chicken Dance Trail.
The Medicine Creek Adventure
Download a Medicine Creek Printable Trail Map
We’ve got nothing particularly against motels, it’s just that most of the time, motels are
surrounded by parking lots and civilization, which makes them less than ideal places to look for birds,
especially when you first wake up to a Nebraska morning.
Approximate GPS Coordinates:
40.34661 N
-99.50901 S
View Google MapsThe North York Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast is a perfect example of the kind of place we like to
look for and stay. This delightful 90-plus-year-old house is nestled along Spring Creek, in the country
just a few miles north of Oxford, Nebraska. With big trees and running water, it’s the kind of
place you can wake up early and, if you’re lucky, spot a couple of orioles or warblers before
breakfast.
Or who knows what else? This is Nebraska, after all, the narrowest part of the hourglass in the North American flyway, which means that one time or another, some 257 different species of birds pass through, linger or live here.
Use buttons to scroll and zoom the map.
Click on stars throughout the map for more information on that area.
40.250774 N
-99.632851 S
View Google Maps
Oxford Park
After having a great breakfast of our own at the North York Farmhouse, we head down to the Oxford
Park in nearby Oxford.
Oxford Park is located just south of the town, on the west side of Nebraska Highway 46. With plenty of turn-of-the-century deciduous trees and winding primitive trails, it’s a nice, big area and a good place to look for red-headed and other woodpeckers, vireos, king birds and other woodland dwellers, especially during the spring and summer.
To get there, follow Nebraska 46 into and through Oxford. At U,S, 136 (Cornwall), turn right, then left again on Nebraska 46, and right on Clark Street and you’re there.
When you’re through exploring Oxford Park, it’s time to jump back in the car and head west on U.S. 136 toward Arapahoe. At the junction with U.S. Highways 6 and 34, turn left.
Approximate GPS Coordinates:40.299412 N
-99.896879 S
View Google Maps
Arapahoe Sewage Lagoons
Now, I know you’ve read that subhead about “sewage lagoons”, and already
you’re forming a negative opinion. But in this case, you’d be wrong. For intrepid
birders, the Arapahoe lagoons are easy to get to, not at all unpleasant, and an excellent place to
check for woodpeckers, waxwings, terns and other water fowl and shorebirds.
Once you get into Arapahoe, turn south on U.S. 283 to get to the lagoons. You’ll see the lagoons off to the west. Look for a gated road leading around to the north side of the lagoons for the best viewing spots.
As I am almost always ready to stop for coffee – it’s one of my favorite vices – we stop into the Take 5 in Arapahoe. It’s a great, friendly place for a skim latte and a chai tea, although you can also get soup and sandwiches, as well as pie, scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls and ice cream specialties with your drinks.
Approximate GPS Coordinates:40.287612 N
-100.12167 S
View Google Maps
Cambridge Diversion Dam
Although our ultimate goal today is the Medicine Creek State Recreation Area, another stop worth
making along the way is the Cambridge Diversion Dam Wildlife Management Area located two miles
east of Cambridge. There you’ll find some 21 acres of grassland bordering the Republican
River and brushy bottomland along with some great views of the river.
The Cambridge Diversion Dam WMA is a favorite local hangout for a variety of shorebirds and wading birds, including egrets and herons in season, and it’s also a good place to look for vireos, warblers and thrashers.
Learn more about this site at Nebraska Birding Trails.com
Back to map...
40.28325 N
-100.166259 S
View Google Maps
The Town Talk Restaurant
Thinking it will be wise to fortify ourselves before hiking around Medicine Creek and Lake Harry Strunk,
we decide on lunch in Cambridge. Cambridge is a delightful little town, not untypical of many fine old
settlements in this part of Nebraska: big trees, wide streets, and friendly people.
The Town Talk Restaurant on Sixth and Patterson in Cambridge offers home cooked lunch specials as well as choice steaks and broiled seafood in a new non-smoking dining room and newly-remodeled bar. As you know if you’ve read many (or even any) of these adventures, we are particularly partial to small town, independent restaurants, and hope to preserve these gems of Americana for future generations of birders. In Cambridge, the Town Talk prides itself in offering a “big –city” dining experience in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of a small town.
Approximate GPS Coordinates:40.384834 N
-100.204582 S
View Google Maps
Medicine Creek State Recreation Area and Harry Strunk Lake
Especially if you still have wood ducks and barn owls to check off your birding list, a trip to the Medicine
Creek SRA and Harry Strunk Lake might prove particularly fruitful. Wood ducks are surprisingly common
here and barn owls are known to breed in the area.
To get to Medicine Creek SRA, go west from Cambridge on U.S. 6 and 34, until you reach the junction of Harry Strunk Lake Road. Then go north seven miles to the well-marked entrance.
This is a large area, encompassing over 1,700 acres of reservoir as well as 1,200 acres of upland shrubs and sage. Throughout the Republican Valley, western meadowlarks, Nebraska's state bird, are common, but also look for the eastern meadowlark in the tallgrass prairies, and along wet meadowlands farther west.
Because there are 17 hiking trails, and a great deal of interesting and varied upland habitat, thoroughly birding the Medicine Creek SRA could take hours or days. We should also warn you that there is a park entry permit required for the State Recreation Area, but these can be purchased onsite for the day or season.
Learn more about this site at Nebraska Birding Trails.com
Back to map...
40.282865 N
-100.168635 S
View Google Maps
Back in Cambridge
Back in Cambridge, we decide to stroll along the trails in the Cambridge Park, on Highways 6 and 34
to enjoy the colorful flower garden and sculptures. The 1.2 mile Medicine Creek walking trail crosses
Medicine Creek twice and in summer attracts a wide variety of songbirds and other species.
We’ve decided to spend the night at the elegant Cambridge Bed and Breakfast. This elegant white-on-white four-story house was once the home of William H. Faling, the first mayor of Cambridge and an amazingly successful man of his time. The Cambridge Bed and breakfast exemplifies opulent 19th Century architecture, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nebraska’s only AAA approved bed and breakfast, the Cambridge Bed and Breakfast was awarded a 3-diamond rating for its extraordinary sumptuousness.
Sounds like the ideal place for a weary birder to lay his head.
The Birds of Central and Western Nebraska
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Bittern, American |
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| Blackbird, Brewer's |
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Blackbird, Red-winged |
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Blackbird, Yellow-headed |
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Bluebird, Eastern |
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| Bluebird, Mountain |
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Bobolink |
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| Bufflehead |
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Bunting, Indigo |
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| Bunting, Lark |
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| Bunting, Snow |
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Bunting,Lazuli |
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Canvasback |
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| Chat, Yellow-breasted |
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Chickadee, Black-capped |
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Coot, American |
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Cormorant, Double-crested |
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Cowbird, Brown-headed |
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Crane, Sandhill |
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| Creeper, Brown |
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| Crossbill, Red |
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Crow, American |
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| Cukoo, Black-billed |
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| Cukoo, Yellow-billed |
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Curlew, Long-billed |
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| Dickcissel |
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Dove, Mourning |
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Dove, Rock |
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| Dowitcher, Long-billed |
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Dowitcher, Short-billed |
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Duck, Gadwall |
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| Duck, Ring-necked |
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| Duck, Ruddy |
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Duck, Wood |
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Eagle, Bald |
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Eagle, Golden |
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Falcon, Peregrine |
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| Falcon, Prairie |
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Finch, House |
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Finch, Purple |
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| Finch, Rosy |
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Flicker, Northern |
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| Flycatcher, Great Crested |
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| Flycatcher, Least |
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| Flycatcher, Willow |
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Godwit, Marbled |
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Goldeneye, Common |
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Goldfinch, American |
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Goose, Canada |
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| Goose, Ross' |
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Goose, Snow |
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Grackle, Common |
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| Grebe, Clark's |
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| Grebe, Eared |
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| Grebe, Horned |
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Grebe, Pied-billed |
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Grebe, Western |
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| Grosbeak, Black-headed |
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| Grosbeak, Blue |
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Grosbeak, Evening |
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Grosbeak, Rose-breasted |
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Grouse, Sharp-tailed |
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Gull, California |
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Gull, Franklin's |
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Gull, Ring-billed |
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| Harrier, Northern |
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Hawk, Cooper's |
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Hawk, Red-tailed |
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Hawk, Rough-legged |
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Hawk, Sharp-shinned |
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Hawk, Swainsons's |
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Heron, black-crowned night |
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Heron, Great blue |
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Hummingbird, Broad-tailed |
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Hummingbird, Rufous |
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Ibis, White |
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Jay, Blue |
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| Jay, Pinyon |
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Junco, Dark-eyed |
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Kestrel, American |
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Killdeer |
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| Kingbird, Cassin's |
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Kingbird, Eastern |
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Kingbird, Western |
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Kingfisher, Belted |
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| Kinglet, Golden-crowned |
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Kinglet, Ruby-crowned |
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| Lark, Horned |
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Lesser Scaup |
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| Longspur, Chestnut-collared |
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| Longspur, Lapland |
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| Longspur, McCown's |
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Loon, Common |
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Magpie, Black-billed |
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Mallard |
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Meadowlark, Western |
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Merganser, Common |
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Merganser, Hooded |
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Merlin |
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Nighthawk, Common |
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| Nuthatch, Pygmy |
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Nuthatch, Red-breasted |
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Nuthatch, White-breasted |
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| Oriole, Northern |
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| Oriole, Orchard |
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Osprey |
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| Ovenbird |
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Owl, Barn |
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Owl, Burrowing |
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Owl, Eastern screech |
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Owl, Great Horned |
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| Owl, Northern saw-whet |
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Owl, Short-eared |
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Owl, Snowy |
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Pelican, American white |
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Pewee, Eastern Wood |
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| Pewee, Western Wood |
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| Phalarope, Red-necked |
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Phalarope, Wilson's |
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Pheasant, Ring-necked |
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Phoebe, Eastern |
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| Phoebe, Say's |
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Pintail, Northern |
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| Pipit, American |
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Plover |
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| Poorwill, Common |
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Prairie Chicken, Greater |
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Redhead |
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Redpoll, Common |
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| Redstart, American |
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Robin, American |
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Sanderling |
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| Sandpiper, Baird's |
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| Sandpiper, Buff-breasted |
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| Sandpiper, Least |
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| Sandpiper, Pectoral |
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Sandpiper, Semi-palmated |
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| Sandpiper, Solitary |
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Sandpiper, Spotted |
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| Sandpiper, Stilt |
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| Sandpiper, Upland |
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| Sandpiper, Western |
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Sapsucker, Red-breasted |
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Shoveler, Northern |
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Shrike, Loggerhead |
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| Shrike, Northern |
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Siskin, Pine |
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| Snipe, Wilson |
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| Solitaire, Townsend's |
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| Sora |
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Sparrow, American Tree |
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Sparrow, Chipping |
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| Sparrow, Clay-colored |
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| Sparrow, Grasshopper |
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| Sparrow, House |
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Sparrow, Lark |
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| Sparrow, Lincoln's |
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Sparrow, Song |
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| Sparrow, Vester |
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Sparrow, White-crowned |
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Sparrow, White-throated |
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Starling, European |
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| Swallow, Bank |
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Swallow, Barn |
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Swallow, Cliff |
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| Swallow, Rough-winged |
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| Swallow, Violet-green |
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Swan, Trumpeter |
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| Swift, White-throated |
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Tanager, Western |
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Teal, Blue-winged |
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Teal, Cinnamon |
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Teal, Green-winged |
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Tern, Common |
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| Tern, Forester's |
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| Thrush, Gray-necked |
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Thrush, Swainson's |
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| Towhee, Rufous-sided |
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Turkey, Wild |
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| Veery |
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Vireo, Red-eyed |
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| Vireo, Solitary |
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Vireo, Warbling |
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| Virginia Rail |
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Vulture, Turkey |
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| Warbler, Blackpoll |
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| Warbler, MacGillivray's |
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| Warbler, Orange-crowned |
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Warbler, Wilson's |
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Warbler, Yellow |
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Warbler, Yellow-rumped |
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| Waterthrush, Northern |
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Waxwing, Cedar |
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Wigeon, American |
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Woodpecker, Downy |
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Woodpecker, Hairy |
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| Woodpecker, Lewis' |
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Woodpecker, Red-bellied |
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Woodpecker, Red-headed |
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Wren, House |
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Wren, Marsh |
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| Wren, Rock |
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| Yellowlegs, Greater |
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Yellowlegs, Lesser |
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Yellowthroat, Common |
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