Eastern Plains

Prairie Oases Trail

Follow The Waterbird Road

Interstate 76 follows the South Platte River from Denver into Nebraska, through miles of high prairie past a chain of large lakes that attract birds by the tens of thousands in migration and winter. Starting in late summer, waves of shorebirds sweep through these reservoirs, strafed by the occasional Peregrine Falcon, watched from the surrounding bushes by mink, raccoon, and migrant warblers and sparrows. In September, Sabine’s Gull is a surprisingly good bet. By November, the geese and the gulls have taken over. Thanks to easy access and a huge variety and quantity of wildlife, this has long been one of the most popular birding routes in Colorado.