Wadena is  a five minutes drive from the Wadena Wildlife Wetlands, a wonderful place for birding! The Wadena Wildlife Wetlands is part of the Quill Lakes International Bird Area which also includes Wynyard and Foam Lake.

Wadena is the location for the Nature Center with information about the Jesmer & Milligan Marsh Projects. This is the one of two access points to the Quill Lakes International Shorebird Reserve and is the perfect place to begin exploring! Walking trails with boardwalks and lookout towers let you explore freshwater marshlands, wildflower meadows, saline shorelines, and a waterfowl feeding station.

During migration peak times there are literally thousands of birds on a normal day! Although, even if your trip doesn't work out for those times, the marsh is still teeming with birds for which the Quill Lakes Marshes is their final migration point.

For more information about Wynyard and Foam Lake gateways to the Quill lakes refer to the Quill Lakes International Shorebird Reserve, the Town of Wynyard or Town of Foam Lake websites.