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Birding in the National Parks

Birding In The National Parks: Chasing Birds At Joulter Cays National Park

It looks like I have a new national park to add to my “must bird” list. Earlier this month the Bahamas unveiled Joulter Cays National Park, and it is truly a park for the birds. The christening of the national park is the result of several years of work by the National Audubon Society, the Bahamas National Trust, and the Bahamian government.

Birding In The National Parks: Cape Cod National Seashore's A Bird Magnet

There are worse places to be on a late summer or early fall weekend than Cape Cod, especially if you’re after birds. The entire peninsula from Cuttyhunk Island to Monomoy and up the outer cape through Cape Cod National Seashore is a shorebird haven as well as a migrant trap for songbirds headed south down the Atlantic Coast. The waters off the cape aren’t too shabby for birding either, with seabirds galore to be had on pelagic birding trips.

Birding In The National Parks: Where The Shorebirds Are

Autumn travel may be all about the colors. Leaf-watchers head to Acadia, Shenandoah, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks in droves. Traffic jams aside, that’s a fine way to spend September and October. But before the leaves change, the birdwatchers are out looking for a lot of brown. The first weekend of September, after all, is World Shorebirds Day.

Birding In The National Parks: Sapsuckers At Rocky Mountain National Park

There’s more to Rocky Mountain National Park than the extraordinary views from Trail Ridge Road. Willow-choked streams, open meadows, pine forests, and all the edges where those habitats meet make for a park bursting with birding opportunities. After a not particularly spectacular time up in the tundra, I enjoyed a couple wonderful birding days in two very different habitats last month. This is the story of the first of those days.

Birding In The National Parks: Fear No Heights In Your Birding

There are two essentials for the birder exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. First, make time to look for the tundra birds along the eleven miles of Trail Ridge Road above tree line. Secondly, and even more importantly, make absolutely certain at least one licensed driver in the car does NOT suffer from acrophobia.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.