The pace of migration accelerates in April. It is, truly, an exciting time to be outdoors in eastern Nebraska.

Area lakes are host to loons, grebes, pelicans, cormorants, gulls and many species of waterfowl. Migrant shorebirds visit our wetlands, although numbers vary depending on the weather. Alternate sites include flooded fields in wet years and mudflats along receding lake margins in dry ones.

Summer resident house wrens, blue-gray gnatcatchers and warblers like Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler and Northern Parula arrive in our woodlands from mid to late April.

Parks, roadsides and prairies host newly arrived summer residents, including field and chipping sparrows (early), brown thrasher (mid-late), eastern kingbird (late) and several swallow species. A variety of migrant sparrows also pass through the area this month.