Wheelchair Birding
Great bird-watching opportunities abound at these easy-access hotspots of North America.
Imagine this: You are sitting in a wheelchair. A quarter-mile down the refuge trail a bird is singing. It would be your 600th lifer! But because of the dense alders you cannot see it. In your hands you hold one of the top three binoculars in the world, and stuffed in your vest (which has all the right patches, by the way) is the foremost field guide. Your electric cart-type wheelchair can go more than five miles per hour-better than a late-for-your-plane airport hustle. But all of these advantages are useless. Why? The trail two feet in front of you has a bicycle barrier that you could overcome only with a crane.
Many wheelchair bird watchers have been in the same situation or one producing the same frustration. Granted, many birders have some sort of disability:
"What tyrannulet? I can't hear it!"
"My tennis elbow is making it hard for me to lift these blasted binoculars."
"I've got to get my eyes checked."
However, if you are a wheelchair user birding can be a bit more of a problem than these minor handicaps. Commonly encountered obstacles are the pitch of the ground, tangles of brush, logs, mud, sand, observation deck rails that block your view, and even pelagic predicaments.
Hundreds upon hundreds of species can be seen by just driving up to a lake, desert area, or marsh and using a scope with a window mount or your binoculars. From my car I once saw an elegant trogon fly over the parking lot of a research station in the Chiricahuas.
Let's look at actually getting out on the trails and becoming a part of the natural world and making a true connection with wildlife. We do not require or expect the world to be totally accessible-we ask for no heliports at Boot Canyon to enable us to see the Colima warbler.
Adaptability is the motto of the handicapped. Because of the kindness of strangers and friends, I have been lifted in and out of boats and even through the iron bars of a gate-with permission, of course. But we hate to ask for help.
Fortunately there are many refuges and city, county, and state parks with trails into the heart of the woods and marshes where one can feel the lift of self-reliance, be out in the fresh air, hear the sweet flute of the hermit thrush, smell the pines, see the rosy face of the red-faced warbler, and wince at the mosquito bites.
I have compiled a short list of wheelchair-accessible birding spots in North America. Some states, communities, and even private groups are doing the same. Please remember that changes are always taking place in these areas, and always check with the visitor center before you attempt the trails. If you would like to know more about the sites listed here, see the information at the end of the article. The Navajos have a wonderful saying: "Walk in beauty." Now you can roll in it!
States and provinces featuring wheelchair-accessible birding spots
ARIZONA
The Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park east of Phoenix has good trails through hummingbird and butterfly gardens galore. A good place for Anna's hummingbirds, and in 2000 a rufous-backed robin delighted birders.
At the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Nature Preserve near Patagonia, the habitat along the main trail harbors many desirable birds, including gray hawk, varied bunting, and vermilion flycatcher.
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CALIFORNIA
The El Dorado Nature Center in El Dorado Regional Park, near Long Beach, offers well-maintained trails along streams and through woods. Recently a blue mockingbird caused a stir among birders.
Muir Woods National Monument, off California Highway 1, north of Golden Gate Bridge, is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It offers good trails winding beneath the towering redwoods for deep-forest birding.
The incomparable vistas of Point Reyes National Seashore can be enjoyed by using their all-terrain wheelchair. It will take you on the dirt trails and the beaches. Users must be accompanied by an able-bodied adult.
There is a Trail for All Senses in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park.
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FLORIDA
Everglades National Park has a barrier-free boardwalk, the well-known Anhinga Trail. It snakes through marshland, providing good views of its namesake and other waterbirds. The park also has several other handicapped-accessible trails.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples, has a two-mile boardwalk meandering through swampland and under 500-year-old trees.
At Myakka River State Park, a few miles east of Sarasota, is a marsh boardwalk; at its end are great views of extensive marshes, mudflats, and a lake.
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IDAHO
At Massacre Rocks State Park near American Falls, you can overlook the beautiful Snake River and see western and Clark's grebes, as well as bald eagles, great blue herons, pelicans, and Canada geese. The park is also rich in geological history: Devil's Gate Pass is all that remains of an extinct volcano.
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MICHIGAN
Nyanquing Point Wildlife Area on Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, is a waterbird bonanza. Look for a colony of yellow-headed blackbirds at one of their eastern limits. A tower is available for viewing, although the ramp takes you only part way to the top.
Tawas Point State Park is a premier migrant stop spearing into Lake Huron between Oscoda and Tawas. Almost 300 species have been seen here. The nature trail from the campground to the lighthouse is a hard surface and may be paved soon. The area around the lighthouse is excellent for warblers and other passerines.
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MONTANA
Visit Apgar and the Lower McDonald Lake in Glacier National Park for varied thrush, Townsend's warbler, and American dipper.
Located near Three Forks is Missouri Headwaters State Park, which will give you the chance for violet-green swallow, prairie falcon, and red-naped sapsucker.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE
Near Stratham there is the Sandy Point Discovery Center on the south shore of Great Bay. It is the conservation/education headquarters for the Great Bay Estuarine Research Reserve. A level boardwalk will take you through upland hardwood forests, freshwater wetlands, salt marshes, mudflats, and it also provides good views of the shoreline. Waterfowl, migrating warblers, and a wintering bald eagle population are among the sights to be seen.
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NEW JERSEY
All birders know one of the great draws at Cape May is the hawk migration, and the good news for wheelchair users is that the platform famous for raptor watching has a good ramp. There is also plenty of room to maneuver your chair on the platform.
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OHIO
Crane Creek State Park, Oak Harbor, has recorded 300 species of birds. On the shore of Lake Erie, it is a migrant magnet. A boardwalk winds around several ponds and through woodlands and open marsh. You might be lucky and see a Connecticut warbler.
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ONTARIO
Point Pelee National Park, a migrating warbler's jump across Lake Erie, is a mecca for birders, especially in May. Most trails are accessible, and if you need one there is an all-terrain wheelchair available. A boardwalk will take you close to the point.
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TEXAS
Big Bend National Park gives you thrilling scenery and several good places for wheeling: The quarter-mile Rio Grande Village Nature Trail is great. Also try Window View Trail in the Chisos Basin, which is a self-guided 0.3-mile path.
High Island: How can you beat a ramp to bleachers at the Houston Audubon Society's Louis Smith Bird Sanctuary (Audubon Woods), where you can sit in an area teeming with migrant songbirds and aim your scope at a cerulean warbler splashing in a waterhole a few yards away?
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is the trail I know best, since my wife, Sharon, and I, as volunteer staff, offer monthly bird walks for the handicapped there in the winter. However, very few wheelchair users participate-y'all come! The concrete "A" trail is the easiest; it's a half-mile loop through the thorn forest to two observation decks at Willow Lake. Dirt trails branch off this one, but beware of Texas mud, because even a heavy dew can pack your wheels. The tram road is level, and you can get to Pintail Lake, but some areas can be challenging for manual chair users. One must be cautious going down the slope to the trailhead, and a manual chair user may need assistance.
South Padre Island has a butterfly garden that welcomes birds as well right next to the colorful convention center. The Laguna Madre Nature Trail is a boardwalk (a bit bumpy, so go slowly) through the marsh where many rails have been seen. Don't miss the small woodlots on the island, where tired migrants hopping the Gulf drop in to rest and dine.
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VIRGINIA
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, home of the famous shipwrecked wild ponies, is in a position along the Atlantic Flyway which makes it a vital resting and feeding stop for migrating birds. It features levee trails around the ponds, and migrants in the woodlots and thickets can be good. You might even see the marvelous Delmarva fox squirrel.
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WASHINGTON
Gray's Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, near Hoquiam, is one of the four major staging areas in North America for shorebirds during their migration. A blacktop road and some parking areas provide views of the mudflats.
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located on the delta of the Nisqually River as it empties into Puget Sound near Olympia, is productive for waterfowl and shorebirds. There is a trail with overlooks of the riparian forest and a 5.5-mile dirt and gravel trail that is passable when dry. Some steep ramps may require a push.
On the Internet is a website called Outdoor Washington, which is a guide to outdoor recreation in Washington State. It offers detailed information about the sites, including handicapped accessibility. There is a special section called Rolls and Strolls, which lists sites particularly suited for handicapped users.
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IN GENERAL
Rail trails are multi-use trails developed from abandoned railroad corridors. There are currently 900 rail trails in 48 states, with an additional 1,100 projects in progress. Many of the trails are suitable for wheelchair users, and they are a valuable resource for outdoor recreation (such as birding). Most of these trails are level, with surfaces of gravel, asphalt, or hard-packed dirt. To find out about rail trails near you, check the Rails to Trails Conservancy's website.
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Ron Smith, a birder since childhood, has taught English for more than 30 years and is also a bird carver. He lives in Pharr, Texas.
