Places
to Bird Near Henderson, MN:
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| High Island Scenic Area and County Park |
Two miles north of Henderson on County
Rd. #6. Wooded area and hill with the creek
on its way to the Minnesota River. Picnic
area, hiking trails, camping and horse trails
are available. |
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| Ney Environmental Area and Learning Center
-View Map- |
Presented to Le Sueur County by the Ney
family, this 366 acre preserve is the home
of an environmental learning center offering
schools, children and other groups a place
to study the environment. Well maintained
hiking trails, offer easy access to birding
and other wildlife study. |
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| East Henderson, MN -View Map- |
Established in the 1850s as the town of
Clarksville, this early village served as
the railroad depot for Henderson. Today all
that remains are the remnants of an old elevator
and a couple of old frame buildings, however
a new public Minnesota River Access is available
just over the railroad tracks. It’s
a quiet wooded place, ideal for setting up
a tripod and camera for both woodland and
water bird watching. |
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| Rush River Park -View Map- |
Located 2.7 miles from Henderson (6th St.,
3 blks to 9th St.-becomes 300th St., left
on Rush River Park Rd. to Park entrance).
This 300 acre wooded site was once a State
Wayside but is now a locally maintained facility
that contains rolling hills next to the Rush
River and offers a large picnic area, picnic
shelter, hiking trails, sanitation facilities
and running water. Birding and wildlife opportunities
abound in this “off the beaten track” location. Special
Alert for Rock Hounds….The Rush is
a shallow river with a sand and rock bottom
that features some of the best agate hunting
in Minnesota. |
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| Oley #1 and #2 |
Located along County Rd. #6 (Minnesota
River Scenic Byway), --- and ----north
of Henderson respectively, these ponds were
developed by DeWayne Olson as additional
nesting areas for water birds that frequent
the Minnesota River Valley. Ducks of all
descriptions, Canada geese along with many
other water birds along with marsh, sloughs
and grassland critters frequent the area. |
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| Bucks Lake |
Located 2.7 south of Henderson on MN Hwy
#93 ( Minnesota River Scenic Byway) this
Minnesota River and spring fed lake is one
of the areas most prolific bird watching
areas. It is known to the locals as “Eagle
Central” for the majestic Bald Eagle
can be scene there almost any day of the
year. In spring it becomes the temporary
home for hundreds of migrating eagles that
use the Minnesota River as their flyway.
The Eagles stop at Bucks because the lake
is shallow and winter kill of fish is very
common providing a “fishcycle” of
freshly frozen fish embedded in the melting
ice that has covered the lake over the winter.
The migrating birds add to the resident population
of Eagles making this one of the premier
Eagle watching locations in Minnesota. Currently
there are two pairs of nesting eagles between
Bucks Lake and Henderson and both nests can
be scene from Hwy # 93 before the trees leaf
out for the summer. |
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At the south end of the Lake there is a
Blue Heron rookery with over 20 nests. They
too, can be seen from Hwy #93. These great
birds use Bucks Lake as their primary feeding
grounds and can be scene “fishing” along
the shoreline all summer long. |
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In addition to the Eagles and Blue Herons,
water birds including Egrets, ducks of all
kinds, cormorants, etc., frequent Bucks Lake.
The pull off area 2.7 miles from the Henderson
city limits makes an ideal spot to observe
any and all of these feathered friends |
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| Coachlight Pond |
The pond just north of the Coachlight Restaurant
on MN Hwy #93 (Minnesota River Scenic Byway)
is teaming with nesting water birds and winged
friends of all kinds that frequent marshes
and meadows. It is one of the best viewing
areas for Blue Herons for the rookery is
just to the north of the pond. A pair of
Canada geese named Isa and Isadore have come
back to this pond each spring for at least
six years that we know of. Their return is
celebrated in the newspaper and by camera
carrying birders as everyone follows them
to see how many goslings they raise each
year. |
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| Chattfield Road (Tyrone Township #2) and
Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area |
Located just south of Henderson, off MN
Hwy 19 on Chatfield Rd. (first gravel road
to the left after crossing the Minnesota
River Bridge) Travel along this road puts
you in the middle of wooded hills on one
side and grassy marsh area on the other.
Once you reach Scott Co. (there is a sign)
you will have reached the Minnesota Valley
State Recreation Area – Blakeley Unit.
There are no good parking areas along this
route but there is beautiful scenery and
plenty of sighting opportunities as the marsh
and wetlands can yield all sorts of species,
as can the woodland hills. Among the attractions
is the site of the Wild Turkey repopulation
in ______. The sign commemorates one of the
most successful efforts of restocking and
protection of specie. |
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| Private Backyard Birding Available by Appointment |
Hagen Residence – Home of the video
production “Our BackYard” |
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Set against a bluff of natural wooded acreage
this backyard is designed specifically to
attract songbirds. Two water features and
beautiful flower gardens were created, along
with countless bird feeders installed, to
attract birds for the television production
of “Our BackYard.” A large 2000
sq. ft. two story deck offers seating with
countless photo opportunities of birds at
the waterfalls pools, in the trees, in the
flowers or at the feeders. |
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| Henderson House Bed and Breakfast |
