Severson Dells Environmental Education Center is part of the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District and provides a lot of education opportunities as well as good birding. Nearly every month there are guided bird walks led by naturalist Phil Schwab. These are excellent for beginning birders and enjoyable for experts.
The education center is a converted deer lodge that has a small museum, library, and bookstore/giftshop that is open 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday-Saturday and 1:00-5:00 PM on Sundays. There are various areas to watch feeder birds from inside which is a great place in the winter – Common Redpolls, Purple Finches, Tufted Titmice, and Pine Siskins are some of the possibilities.
There is a self-guided, paved nature trail that takes you through woods, prairie, creek, and a pond. Spring migration and winter are excellent times to bird here. For up-to-date info, visit the Severson Dells Blog or the Winnebago Birding Guide
