The 200,000 acres of the Upper Mississippi River Refuge extend along both sides of the northern section of the Mississippi River as it travels through four states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. Viewing platforms such as this one give the visitor an opportunity to step right out over the river to watch and photograph some of the myriad waterfowl and shorebirds. Heron and egret rookeries are located about every 20 miles along the 264-mile length of this refuge. Because the refuge is located in the overlap between the Central and Atlantic flyways, it is host to species from both areas: eastern red-winged blackbirds are found with western yellow-headed blackbirds, both eastern and western meadowlarks inhabit the grasslands, bald and golden eagles nest and fish along the shoreline. The best way to experience this refuge is by boat—motorboat, canoe, even houseboat, tying up on sandbars where one can camp for as long as 14 days without a permit. But this refuge is not all water. There are also forested uplands, high bluffs, and grasslands that provide habitat for white-tailed deer, muskrats, beavers, river otters, seven different species of woodpeckers, various warblers, five species of owl and five of hawks.
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