678 State Route 147
Troy, MO
636-528-7247
Blue Winged Teal
Cuivre River State Park
Cuivre River State Park has 12 hiking trails provide a diverse range of habitats than can be experienced. The Lakeside Trail borders the entire shoreline of Lake Lincoln where you might see Bald Eagles in winter, ducks, geese, and swallows. The Big Sugar Creek Trail is an excellent place to find warblers, vireos, woodpeckers, flycatchers, and tanagers, which are among the park’s 207 bird species. Sparrows and other grassland birds can be found along the Blazing Star Trail.
Mark Twain Lake State Park
Mark Twain Lake State Park is listed on the Great Missouri Birding Trail. The lake attract a range of migratory waterfowl such as Blue-winged Teal and Ruddy Ducks and hosts numerous open water species including shorebirds and white pelicans in the winter. The park offers five separate hiking trails that explore the woodland and grasslands surrounding the lake. You’ll be able to find nearly every species of Woodpecker. In summer, look for flycatchers, vireos, and a variety of wood warblers. In winter, you’ll find Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Juncos, and White-throated Sparrow.
Ted Shanks Conservation Area
Ted Shanks Conservation Area is listed on the National Audubon Society's Great River Birding Trail. Wetland management at Ted Shanks C.A. includes manipulation of water levels in the area’s many pools to provide stopover habitat and food for migratory birds. Ted Shanks C.A. hosts large concentrations of waterfowl during both spring and fall migrations occurring in late November and December and again in February and March. The largest documented concentration of waterfowl at Ted Shanks C.A. occurred in 1978 when an estimated 305,000 ducks were counted. Large numbers of shorebirds, large waders, and a large number of songbirds frequent the area. Several rare wetland birds migrate through or nest here, including Trumpeter Swans, Least and American Bitterns, King Rails, and Common Moorhens. There is good automotive viewing from an internal road system that loops around wetland cells and along forest edges.
