Resident Canada geese set up nesting territories on the Snake River islands in early March, and goslings hatch by mid-April. At the same time, large numbers of white-fronted geese gather on the Snake River below Homedale and Weiser for up to a month before continuing their northward migration.

Bald eagles, osprey and great horned owls nest on both sectors of the refuge, with most feeding nestlings by the end of April. Getting a slightly later start are great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, and double-crested cormorants that nest in large rookeries on some of the Snake River islands in April and May.

Seasons of Wildlife continued In early summer, western grebes dance on Lake Lowell while resident bald eagles look for food for their young. Visitors can see large numbers of white pelicans on the lake and large broods of Canada geese on pastures and fields adjacent to the Snake River.

By late July and early August, mallards and wood ducks begin to congregate on the lake, looking for food in flooded vegetation. As summer progresses and the lake is slowly drawn down for irrigation, large numbers of shorebirds come to feed on the exposed mudflats. Look for dowitchers, sandpipers, godwits, yellowlegs and plovers.