Birding tours set to begin next week

The birds of Kimball County will be highlighted during a six week series of Watchable Wildlife Tours sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and the Kimball Area Tourism Department, funded in part by the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund.

The series, titled “For the Birds,” will run from April 1 to May 15. All tours will depart from the High Point Welcome Center of Western Nebraska, located at exit 20 on I-80. The tours are free, but reservations are required.

“Our guides for these tours are providing equipment to help people have a more enjoyable wildlife viewing experience. If we don’t know how many people to plan for, we may not have enough binoculars, etc., to go around,” said tourism director Jo Caskey. “The guides have other responsibilities, as well. We don’t want to tie up their time waiting to see if anyone shows up. If we have no reservations for a morning tour, I can contact the guide the evening before. It’s a courtesy to all involved.”

Mountain plover migration will be observed at 6:30 a.m. Tuesdays, with hawk watch at 6:30 a.m. Thursdays and ground nesting at 8 a.m. Sundays.

Reservations may be made by calling the center at 308-241-0573.