One of the best birding destinations in the State, the Ted Shanks Conservation Area sits at the confluence of the Salt and Mississippi Rivers in northeast Missouri. A mix of man-made and natural wetlands, this fascinating refuge is accessed by an 11.5 mile tour road; adventurous birders can also walk some of the 35 miles of levees that lace the area. The entrance to the Ted Shanks refuge is via Route TT, off Missouri 79, 14 miles north of Louisiana.
May is an excellent time to visit the preserve; most summer residents have arrived and some spring migrants are still moving north along the Mississippi Valley. Nesting birds of note include least bitterns, king rails, American coot, little blue herons, hooded mergansers, bald eagles, willow flycatchers, Bell's vireos, worm-eating warblers, blue grosbeaks and Le Conte's sparrows. Among the regular spring migrants are horned and eared grebes, American white pelicans, ospreys, white-faced ibis, cattle egrets, Bonaparte's gulls and black terns.
Other common summer residents, such as great blue herons, great egrets, green-backed herons, wood ducks, belted kingfishers, red-shouldered hawks, barred owls, rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, eastern phoebes, common yellowthroats and grasshopper sparrows round out the bird population. Resident mammals include beaver, muskrat, river otters, mink and white-tailed deer. Of course, a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians also inhabit the refuge.
