Bird Watching at Land Between the Lakes

As you can probably tell,  we’re pretty much obsessed with wildlife, birds, and butterflies at Genuine Kentucky.  Truth be told, I’m becoming more than a little intrigued with insects as well -dragonflies, lady bugs, stick bugs, lightning bugs… such cool little guys.  Even more reason to love living in Kentucky.

We have such a beautiful variety of these fascinating animals.

One of my favorite things to do when in the Land Between the Lakes area (in addition to eating catfish  – another obsession) is to look for and observe wildlife.  Whether we’re at the outstanding Woodland’s Nature Center, the equally outstanding Elk & Bison Prairie or hanging out at one of the beautiful state parks – my eyes are always peeled for extra-special locals.

The hummingbirds shown above are just some of the beautiful birds who call The Nature Station “Heaven on Earth.”  The oasis The Nature Station has provided for birds include their favorite plants, plenty of shelter, birdseed, hummingbird feeders, and even a bat house!

When you’re in the Land Between the Lakes area, I hope you’ll take in all the beauty around you – including the amazing array of birds. At many of the travel brochure stands in the area, you’ll find a pamphlet titled “LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES AREA BIRD CHECKLIST.”  This extremely handy little guide lists the different birds you could potentially see while at Land Between the Lakes.

If you’d like to print out your own guide, you can do that too!  LBL.org has thought of everything and has an online version of the Land Between the Lakes Bird Checklist.

The pamphlet lists the places below as “Recommended Birding Spots”

• Kentucky Dam
• Hematite Lake and Trail
• Honker Lake, Bay, and Trail
• Woodlands Nature Station Backyard
• North/South Trail – Sugar Bay to Rhodes Bay
• Shaw Branch Road – (153/134) from Hwy 68/80 to Energy Lake
• Elk & Bison Prairie
• South Oak Grassland Demonstration Area
• The Homeplace
• Fort Henry Trails
• South Welcome Station and Bear Creek

I’d add the following Birding Opportunistic sites in and around the Land Between the Lakes Region:

• Lake Barkley State Resort Park
• Kentucky Dam Village
• Kenlake Lodge
• Grand Rivers Jetty at Sunset – At Lighthouse Landing on Kentucky Lake, Grand Rivers, Kentucky
• Little Lake Park (Grand Rivers) – Located on Commerce Street behind the Badgett Playhouse

For more information on any of these areas (including maps), visit the links below:

Grand Rivers Attractions

Land Between the Lakes

Kenlake State Resort Park

Kentucky Dam Village

Lake Barkley State Resort Park