The Binocular Site
Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, Tennessee
Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1945, is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the country. It is located in west Tennessee along 65 miles of Tennessee River's shore. Most of the refuge is a wetland environment. The refuge is comprised of 51, 359 acres, divided into three main areas: Big Sandy, Duck River, and Busseltown.
Tennessee Refuge contains miles of hiking trails with many scenic outlooks. There are also several observation decks ideal for setting up binoculars and cameras on tripods to capture wildlife. Hunting and fishing is also popular in the refuge.
A diversity of habitats make up the Tennessee Refuge, including oak and hickory forests, agricultural lands, open reservoir waters, freshwater marsh, and bottomland hardwoods. This diversity provides a wide range of feeding and nesting areas for 293 species of birds, and dozens of other animals. In fact, Tennessee Refuge has the largest fish diversity of any other inland national wildlife refuge in the country.
Also a birdwatching hotspot, just a few of the species found in the refuge are the whistling swan, canvasback, snowy egret, osprey, sora, and the yellow-billed cuckoo.
The state bird of Tennessee is the Northern Mockingbird and you can find a checklist for birding activities in Tennessee here.
The photo above is of Duck River. You can find out more about the Duck River and the other areas of the Tennessee Natonal Wildlife Refuge by visiting the official website.
If you've visited Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, please take the time to share your experience and any tips or insight you have about this Tennessee birding location below.
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