Edness K. Wilkins State Park

Edness K. Wilkins State Park is just a few miles east of Casper on US Highway 20/26. The park is great for finding migrating birds from mid-April until the end of June. The river has Wood Ducks, Double-crested Cormorants, Canada Geese, and a few other ducks. All species of swallows founding Wyoming go through the park in May. The park’s many trails have warblers (Yellow-rumped, MacGillivray’s, Tennessee, and others) and a few sparrows like Song and Lincoln’s. While Casper is too far west for most of the warbler migration, several eastern warblers are seen here every year. You just don't know which will show up in any given year. Fall migration in August and September can be very good too.

Reshaw Park

This little park along half a mile of the North Platte River in Evansville can be very productive during migration. The western end of the park is the best for birds and is especially good for sparrows (White-crowned, Lincoln’s, and Song) in migration. The sparrow migration is best from the middle of April through the middle of May. The west end of the park is also the best place to see swallows over the river. During migration in May you can study all species of western swallows except Purple Martins. In May there can also be lots of migrating warblers like Yellow-rumped Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers, and Northern Waterthrushes. This small area can be as good as or better than Edness K. Wilkins State Park at times. One note of caution: the Evansville police have a reputation for picking up speeders. When the speed limit is 20, they mean 20.

JTL Pond

Just south of the west end of Reshaw Park in Evansville is the JTL Pond. There is a fence around it that you cannot cross, but there are several spots where you can see the lake through it. From April through October there are lots of Ring-billed and California gulls, sometimes accompanied by rare species of gulls. The lake can have quite a variety of waterfowl, such as Common Loons, Ruddy Ducks, and Lesser Scaup, and is well worth checking.

Goldeneye Reservoir

This shallow lake—sometimes called Burlington Lake—is about 25 miles west of Casper on US Highway 20/26. After the ice melts at the end of March, this is a good spot to see migrating waterfowl. In April there are Common Loons and migrating ducks. Trumpeter Swans have been seen in April and you will likely see Tundra Swans in November. Canvasback, Redheads, and virtually all the waterfowl species that go through central Wyoming stop at this lake. This is one of the best places to see American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, Willets, and other shorebirds in central Wyoming. The shorebirds start showing up in April and peak during the first three weeks of May. The fall shorebird migration starts in July and ends in October. Common, Forster's and Black terns can be seen in May.