North Platte National Wildlife Refuge

North Platte National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located 8 miles northeast of Scottsbluff in the Nebraska panhandle. Superimposed over Bureau of Reclamation irrigation projects, the four Refuge units consist of Winters Creek, Lake Alice, portions of Lake Minatare, and Stateline Island (located south of Henry, Nebraska). During spring and fall, a wide variety of shorebirds and passerines visit the Refuge as a stopover during migration. In the summer months, breeding ducks and geese populate the lakes. More than 200,000 waterfowl may concentrate on the Refuge during fall migration. Raptors common to the Refuge include the bald eagle, great-horned owl, American kestrel, rough-legged hawk, golden eagle, red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, and osprey. As many as 20 bald eagles migrate through the Refuge, and the Lake Alice area has one of the oldest and most successful bald eagle nests in Nebraska. Mammals found on the Refuge include the raccoon, striped skunk, coyote, red fox, black-tail prairie dog, badger, eastern fox squirrel, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and eastern cottontail. Bullsnake, western plains garter snake, and eastern yellow bellied racer are the most common reptiles. The northern leopard frog is the most common amphibian