Highlights of each Special Spot

1. The Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge Office and Visitor Center is good place to stop and find out which birds are moving through on migration and when the next Refuge special event will take place. Binoculars as well as bird and wildflower field guides are available for loan during office hours. Listen for LeConte’s Sparrow and Black-billed Cuckoo near the office. Look for Eastern Bluebird during the summer months. The Refuge’s Bluebird Box Trail starts at the Visitor Center.

2. At the Rice River Bridge notice the water flowing north through the Refuge. The Rice River joins the Mississippi north of Aitkin. From the bridge watch for American Beaver, Muskrat, Trumpeter Swan, Pied-billed Grebe, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck and other waterfowl. Belted Kingfisher, Marsh Wren and Swamp Sparrow are often observed here. Northern Waterthrushes nest near here. During the late summer, look for thousands of swallows, Barn, Tree, Bank, Cliff and Northern Rough-winged, congregating along the power-lines before heading south for the winter. In the early spring there are sometimes as many as 20 Bald Eagles sitting on the ice as the river opens.

3. The Rice Lake water control structure is a favorite of anglers, human and critter alike. Watch for Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern and Sandhill Crane. Mink are often seen at the water control structure. Look for Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers in this spot too. Take a hike along the South Trail to explore a mature Northern Hardwood Forest. Listen for Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, and Red-eyed Vireo. You may even be rewarded with a view of a Gray Wolf or Black Bear. The ridge along the South Trail is called an esker, a formation made by receding glaciers over 10,000 years ago. Orchids, Goblin Fern and Wood Anemone abound on the forest floor.

4. Mandy Lake often hosts a Common Loon family in the summer months. Drop in with a kayak or canoe for good pan-fishing. The hiking/cross-country ski trailhead is found at Mandy Lake as well as the beginning of the Wildlife Drive. Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Canada Goose and Wood Duck are often found during the breeding season. Be sure to look for warblers in spring. Black-and-white, Cape May, Wilson’s, Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers may be seen during migration. Ovenbird is common and nests here.

5. The Civil Conservation Corps Camp site in the spring hosts a tremendous diversity of warblers and songbird species. The Northern Hardwood forest ridge overlooks a Coniferous Bog. Be sure to check the canopy of the Tamaracks for warblers. A few of species likely