Cerulean Warbler, Blue-Winged Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-Breasted Chat, and Acadian Flycatcher. 

Important Bird Area.
If you have several hours and want to experience a diversity of habitats and birds dependent on those habitats, head directly for Mines of Spain SRA. In just a few square kilometers of area, Mines of Spain will lead you from oak-hickory forest, to oak savanna, to tallgrass prairie, to wetland and riparian habitats. Well-maintained trails traverse the park, and are accessible throughout the year. Specialty breeding species here include Broad-winged Hawk, Barred Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, and Cerulean Warbler.The park is spectacular during spring and autumn songbird migration; summer and winter are less productive, although it is still possible to see 30-40 species during these times. The interpretive center maintains stocked bird feeders year-round and is a good place to start a birding trip to pick up the more common resident and wintering species. A Broad-winged Hawk pair usually nests along the Catfish Creek trail. Cerulean Warbler and Acadian Flycatcher usually are easy to pick up along the Cattese Hollow trail and the bottom of the Sauk Fox trail near the wetland, where Red-headed Woodpecker usually is found. The Cedar Ridge trail winds around extensive prairie habitat and harbors grassland-dependent species such as Sedge Wren, Henslow’s Sparrow, Yellow-Breasted Chat and both meadowlarks. Bell’s Vireo may be heard singing near the parking area at the trailhead. Check the Riprow Valley section of the park for gulls, ducks and other aquatic birds on the Mississippi.

Directions to the interpretive center, where you can pick up a map of the park: From city center, take US Hwy 52/60/151 south to Key West. Turn left on US 52 south (toward Bellevue), then immediately take the next left on to Bellevue Heights Rd. Follow this road appx. 0.5 miles to the parking lot of the interpretive center (on the left).

Deciduous forest, savanna & prairie. This is a public hunting area.

Rich in history and natural resources, the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area in Dubuque is a National Historic Landmark waiting to be explored. Village sites, rock shelters and trading post sites dot the landscape, and the area was once the location for lead mining until after the Civil War. The Julien Dubuque Monument, honoring the area’s first European settler, sits high above the Mississippi River and serves as a landmark for the Mines of Spain area. This state recreation area provides ample opportunity for visitors to explore a variety of trails and learn more about the history of the state.