Birding and wildlife come to life at North Dakota’s Arrowwood Refuge – Jamestown Sun

PINGREE, ND – Visitors from across the US and internationally flock to Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge for birding, hunting, prairie wildlife and flower viewing opportunities, and other recreational activities.

“This year alone, there are visitors from all corners of the country,” said Paul Halko, refuge manager at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. “Our furthest visitors this year are two birders from Hungary who were traveling and came and watched birds at the refuge. We will receive international travelers quite frequently throughout the year.”

Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, located about 31 miles north of Jamestown, protects large areas of mixed-grass prairie habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, sharp-tailed grouse, white-tailed deer, dozens of species of butterflies and many other forms of wildlife, according to its website. The website indicates that much of the refuge is grassy hills and meadows, but the James River runs through the area, forming a series of lakes.

“It has a lot to offer for a wide variety of users,” said Halko. “The birding opportunities and just general wildlife viewing opportunities are probably the main draw. We also have all kinds of opportunities for photography.”

Jamestown Tourism Executive Director Searle Swedlund said the refuge provides the right tools for visitors to see as many birds as they can within a certain time limit.

“The expertise and customer service out there and their willingness to engage with visitors is second to none,” he said.

Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge is just under 16,000 acres and visitors can visit the site by going on the “extremely popular” driving tour, he said. The driving tour also has a raised viewing platform, and visitors can get out and walk around or just stay in their vehicles and drive on the 4 1/2-mile loop that opened the first week of July. He said the circuit was closed earlier this year due to flooding.

He said Arrowwood also has a 9-mile national recreational trail called the Leg of the Historic Fort Totten Trail, where visitors can hike, bike or ride horses to spot wildlife.

The refuge also offers boating, canoeing, and kayaking opportunities. Bodies of water on the refuge include Lakes Arrowwood, Jim and Mud, and the James River.

Halko said boats with a maximum of 25-horsepower motors are allowed. The refuge is closed to all boating April 1-30 and October 1-March 31.

The refuge has a visitor center that was built in 2011 that includes different presentations on the refuge system, habitat management, and wildlife species on the refuge. The visitor center is open from 8 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday.

“It’s beautiful,” Swedlund said.

Bird watching is a popular activity on the refuge, Halko said. He said 295 bird species have been documented at Arrowwood, but only 133 are known to nest on the refuge.

The Warbler Woodland Observable Wildlife Area, which is located on the southeast side of Lake Arrowwood, is a good place to view and take photos of wildlife, Halko said.

“In the spring, that’s a great place to be in the refuge for migratory warblers,” he said. “It’s a popular place for that. It’s a really nice area to just go and relax and take it in.”

He said the area has picnic tables in a wooded lake-like setting and serves as a place to park vehicles and unload horses.

“If people wanted to launch their kayaks or canoes from there, that’s the place to do it,” he said.

Each season offers different viewing opportunities. Right now, it’s shorebird migration season, Halko said.

Visitors can also spot different species of waterfowl such as Puddle Ducks, Diving Ducks, and Geese. He said the geese can be seen during migration seasons in the spring and fall.

Sharp-tailed grouse viewing blinds are very popular at the refuge, he said. He said visitors can reserve viewing shutters called leks, which are the dancing or display grounds for sharp-tailed grouse, and set them up before sunrise.

“So the grouse basically come to the lek for a display in the spring, and it’s part of their breeding ritual,” he said. “People come from all over the state and often from adjacent states to use those blinds in the spring. That takes place in April and May.”

Swedlund said a volunteer group called Birding Drives Dakota in conjunction with the refuge has done a “remarkable” job of defining the elements that are important to birding. He said there are brochures that include what types of birds can be seen or heard and signage on rural roads as well.

“This brochure and signage allows birders to quickly navigate the habitat,” he said. “If you have habitats, birds usually come with that.”

Visitors also enjoy viewing prairie flowers, which peak in bloom for most flowers in July, Halko said.

“We have in our native prairie landscapes, but we also have large prairie reconstruction fields that have numerous species of flowers and people come out just to see them or take pictures of them,” he said.

The refuge is open for deer hunting in the fall, Halko said. It is open during the youth season, archery and rifle.

“Deer hunting definitely draws people in,” he said. “It’s a well-known spot for deer hunting.”

The automatic tour cycle is closed during deer and rifle hunting seasons.

After deer season, the refuge is open for hunting upland birds, pheasants and grouse.

Although the refuge has lakes and the James River, Halko said the refuge is referred to as an opportunistic fishery.

“What that means is that there is a fish barrier that prevents fish from entering the refuge from the Jamestown Reservoir,” he said. “Most of the time, that works. There are situations with floods where the barrier will be ineffective, so fish can enter the refuge and provide fishing opportunities, but it is not a constant opportunity.”

He said the fish barrier helps keep rough fish like carp out of the shelter.

“The purpose of the refuge is to manage it for migratory birds, primarily waterfowl,” Halko said. “You typically want shallow water. The fish do not survive in shallow water, so when it comes to sport fishing, you should avoid getting them in, as they could end up dying in the shallows over the winter. At the same time, we want to keep rough fish away so that you have the establishment of vegetation in the refuge to benefit migratory birds, mainly waterfowl.”