Birding at Milford Lake

Yesterday (September 12th) I went to Milford Lake on a Bird Walk led by a birding friend of mine from Junction City. It rained the night before and was raining off and on during my drive to the lake, however it was dry but cloudy during our outing. We saw several different species of birds and I got to meet up with several of my birding friends from the area, overall a very enjoyable morning.

View of the north end of Milford Lake from the Wakefield Causeway

Milford Lake is the largest man-made lake in the state of Kansas, having 15,709 surface acres of water. The lake was authorized by Congress in 1954, construction by the Army Corps of Engineers began in 1961 and it was completed in 1966. In 1991 the Milford Lake Wetlands Restoration Project began with a goal of improving the wetlands along the Republican River and the upper portions of the lake, the project includes 2300 acres. The lake receives an average of 500,000 visitors a year, who come to fish, boat, camp, and picnic, it's a great place to observe birds in any season.

Great Egret

Ring-billed and Franklin's Gulls at the Wakefield boat launch area

Great Blue Heron

White Pelican