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Welcome to Steele, North Dakota and to Kidder County, a premier birding area. Kidder County is home to 5 National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) with a sixth one on its border and six state wildlife management areas. Long Lake NWR is designated as one of 55 Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network sites. Long Lake NWR and Chase Lake NWR are named among 200 Globally Important Bird Areas. It is a rural county with only two people per square mile. The county's largest community is the City of Steele, population: 761. It is the county seat and sets on Interstate 94 forty miles east of the capital city, Bismarck. Steele is home to The World's Largest Sandhill Crane. This iron sculpture was created by a local rancher/artisan. There are only five other communities in Kidder County. Tappen boasts over 200 residents and Tuttle, just over 100. The other three communities each have fewer than 100 inhabitants. The wide expanse of prairie pothole habitat in Kidder County is home to millions of birds. More than 300 bird species have been spotted in the area. Take one of the Steele Birding Drives. You will not want to stop at one! Visit some of birders' favorite spots. We invite you to read through the Steele Birding Drives booklet. Ask for one and you will find it illustrated with beautiful photographs of area birds and settings. ( OR ) Ask for a booklet of your own to plan your visit. (www.steelend.com or www.steelenorthdakota.com) Internationally acclaimed ornithologist and birding guide, Paul Konrad, scouted through some of the best birding country in North America to find local roadways that will provide you with GREAT birding! His easy-to-follow guides direct you to birds, wildlife and native prairie plants. You will find breathtaking vista after vista seldom seen by visitors. Steele Birding Drives take you through Prairie Pothole country by virgin prairie, fertile farmland, wetlands, lakes and woodland. Explore walking trails and visit the tiny farming communities in this rural birding paradise. Slade Route will take you to sites of historic battles fought between Sioux and U.S. Infantry under (General) Sibley during the Civil War. Slade Route also takes you to the locally-popular birding site, "DeWald Slough," where black-crowned night herons and cattle egrets nest and white-faced ibis are found. Chase Lake Route leads you by Horsehead Lake, another popular birding
area. Along the drive west of the lake is one of the spots birders
find Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow, LeConte's sparrow, Baird's sparrow,
bobolinks, dickcissels and, occasionally, yellow rail. Do you use Global Positioning System (GPS)? Ask for our list of GPS readings along the Steele Birding Drives. |
