Red knots feed on horseshoe crab eggs in spring in Delaware Bay. (Photo: Gregory Breese/USFWS)As winter eases its grip, migratory birds return from southern wintering areas. National wildlife refuges provide critical habitat for ducks, geese, songbirds and shorebirds on their northward flights. Hungry and tired, migrating birds begin arriving in northern refuges as early as February and continue through May. As the air warms and the ground thaws, many other rites of spring take place in the air, on land and at sea.
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Calving Season What’s better than seeing bison? Seeing baby bison. Look for spring calves at Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge and other refuges. -
Spring Breakup Up north, in places like Alaska and Minnesota’s Tamarac Refuge, the thaw creates ice fissures, sending snowmelt downstream. -
Birds Galore Great flocks stop to feed at Monte Vista Refuge and elsewhere en route to northern breeding grounds. Bird Festival Planner
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Ocean Drama Gray whales migrate north along Oregon Coast Refuges in March, sometimes feeding close to shore and thrilling whale-watchers on the way. -
Spring Chorus What they lack in size, they make up in volume. Hear the cheerful din of spring peepers and wood frogs in woodlands and vernal pools. -
Go, Boomers
Attwater prairie chickens vie for mates by “booming” through inflated air sacs and dancing in areas called leks. Prairie Chicken Festival
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Morel Season Edible wild mushrooms poke through the forest floor at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri and other Midwest sites. -
Sea Turtle Nesting Sea turtles start nesting in March at Archie Carr Refuge in Florida and other coastal sites. Hatchlings arrive two months later. -
Woodcock Dance In early spring, male American woodcocks woo mates with a sky dance and loud peents. They display some signature ground moves, too.
Saline shooting stars bloom at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. (Photo: Gary Eslinger/USFWS)