Spring Migration: Things to Know About Our Region’s Mississippi Flyway (excerpts by Madeline Heim)
The Mississippi Flyway represents a critical pathway within the North American migratory system. This region acts as a corridor for migratory birds, predominantly ducks, connecting them to numerous habitats as they travel between their breeding and wintering grounds.
Spring migration is underway along the Mississippi Flyway, making the Mississippi River, its floodplain, and tributaries hotspots for waterfowl and songbirds. The Mississippi plays a critical role guiding these birds across the country and providing habitat to rest.
More than 325 bird species use the Mississippi Flyway each year — an estimated 40% of waterfowl and shorebirds in North America — including sparrows, warblers, owls, ducks, plovers, cranes, chickadees and many more. Not surprisingly, many of the songbirds have stops along the Mississippi’s tributaries.
A Trip Down the Mississippi Flyway (excerpts by Amber Lake)
As the name suggests, the migratory path in the U.S. follows the Mississippi River. The Flyway goes through the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. It is 2,300 miles long, and over 230 bird species take it to their nesting grounds, either along the way or as far as Patagonia.
If you want to see what the birds on the Mississippi Flyway are doing right now, you can check out the Raptor Resource Project, which provides a live cam of North America’s birds along their long route. However, if you already live along the Flyway, having a homemade birdfeeder is a great way to help support (and watch!) birds as they reach their nests along their long journeys.
Places to Watch Birds
In Iowa:
Keokuk: The Mississippi Riverfront including Victory Park, Southside Boat Club, the Bridge Observation Deck, Keokuk Yacht Club. Victory Park has a spotting scope.
River Road between Keokuk and Montrose.
Montrose: Bluff Park
Fort Madison: Riverview Park
In Illinois:
Hamilton: Montebello Nature Area
Warsaw: The Kibbe Research Center sponsored by WIU is located at Warsaw, IL, a paradise for nature lovers of all kinds. The field station management area includes 230 acres owned by Western Illinois University, and 1450 acres owned by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources which is open to the public during daylight hours and includes 12 miles of hiking trails and 5 geocaches on the property. You will see white tailed deer, wild turkeys, beaver, river otters, massive turtles and all kinds of bird life. You can get more information about the geode-caching and nature trails on: www.wiu.edu/kibbe
During the winter months, the American Bald Eagles arrive to feed and roost near the river. Some species you will be able to watch include: coopers hawk, osprey, great horned owl, whistling swans, pelicans, many types of ducks, red-breasted merganser, red-throat woodpeckers and many more.
Alice Kibbe, a well-known botanist, had a dream of starting a field station to promote teaching and research in field biology and ecology. Her ideals of promoting teaching, research and conservation are the cornerstones on which the Alice L. Kibbe Life Science Station has been built.
Nauvoo: at the river end of Parley Street. Nauvoo is celebrating World Migratory Bird Day on May 10, 2025. For more information, go here.
Download a children’s coloring page here
Download a children’s bird and insect scavenger hunt here
