DeSoto National Wildlife refuge offers great birding year round. The visitor center viewing windows provide great birding of waterfowl and bald eagles during the spring, fall and winter season. Bird feeders are stocked daily at the visitor center and provide good “backyard” birding opportunities. The auto tour route, Bob Starr Wildlife Overlook and refuge trails are also great ways to explore the Missouri River floodplain habitat and the tremendous diversity of birds that utilize the refuge habitat.
ALL waterfowl hunting is PROHIBITED on DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge.
| Date | 10/04/2023 | 10/11/2023 | 10/18/2023 | 10/25/23 | 11/02/2023 | 11/15/2023 | 11/22/2023 | 11/29/23 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Oct | Oct | Oct | Oct | Nov | Nov | Nov | Nov | |||
| Day | 4 | 11 | 18 | 25 | 2 | 15 | 22 | 29 | |||
| Year | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | |||
| Canada Geese | 382 | 165 | 345 | 1026 | 1222 | 1264 | 2747 | 4025 | |||
| Cackling Geese | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | |||
| Greater White-fronted Geese | 0 | 0 | 30 | 90 | 169 | 1961 | 2447 | 5615 | |||
| Snow Geese | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 5 | |||
| Trumpeter Swan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 98 | |||
| Ross' Geese | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total Geese | 382 | 165 | 375 | 1116 | 1391 | 3243 | 5207 | 9756 | |||
| Mallard | 35 | 310 | 507 | 2069 | 8432 | 10074 | 14348 | 16458 | |||
| American Black Duck | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Gadwall | 0 | 20 | 4 | 35 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| American Wigeon | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |||
| Northern Pintail | 147 | 1050 | 255 | 1220 | 3076 | 1224 | 5 | 112 | |||
| Green-winged Teal | 80 | 540 | 1000 | 930 | 3440 | 5207 | 2345 | 3637 | |||
| Blue-winged Teal | 445 | 180 | 42 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Cinnamon Teal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Northern Shoveler | 0 | 15 | 10 | 30 | 69 | 35 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Wood Duck | 96 | 204 | 69 | 77 | 24 | 36 | 5 | 0 | |||
| Red Head | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Ring-necked Duck | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Canvasback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Greater Scaup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Lesser Scaup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 43 | |||
| Common Goldeneye | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 43 | |||
| Bufflehead | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Ruddy duck | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Hooded Merganser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 39 | 6 | 16 | |||
| Common Merganser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 882 | |||
| Red-breasted Merganser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Unidentified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total Ducks | 808 | 2326 | 1892 | 4399 | 15146 | 16690 | 17588 | 21206 | |||
| American Coot | 45 | 30 | 0 | 50 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 0 | |||
| American Avocet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Great Blue Heron | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Red-necked Grebe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Horned Grebe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| American White Pelican | 208 | 15 | 60 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| White-faced Ibis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Double-crested Cormorant | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Bonaparte's Gull | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Franklin's Gull | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 78 | |||
| Ring-billed Gull | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Greater Yellow Legs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Great Egret | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Wilson's Snipe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Eagles - Adults | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 9 | |||
| Eagles - Immatures | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 13 | |||
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total Eagles | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 22 | |||
| Total Birds | 1454 | 2544 | 2330 | 5580 | 16601 | 19961 | 22816 | 31063 |