This is a pretty good sized area but is very dependent on water levels. There are a few areas that can be good for shorebirds during migration but the area is only managed for waterfowl hunting season. the northwest corner is the portion that is the on the Linn county side, along with the northern portion of Che-ru lake which is to the east of the main conservation area. There are a couple spots where warblers can be found along with fencerows and a couple grassland type fields. Before the area closes for hunting and for the winter since it is a waterfowl refuge you can see basically every regularly occurring duck or geese that can be seen in Missouri. There can be swans present throughout the winter. In migration with good water levels there can be large numbers of shorebirds in different pools throughout the western portion along with the pools around Che-ru that can develop good shorebird habitat. on the far west side of the Linn county area there is a forested zone that borders Parson creek. There are many birds that can be seen at all times of the year but summer probably has the least activity, though there are plenty of summer residents that can be found. 

Waterfowl, Winter and summer sparrows galore, many species of shorebirds if the water is right, some migrating warblers but can be scarce. Some fields may have bobolink attempting to breed in early summer but not usually successful and are forced north. Good area for winter raptors, all subspecies of Red-Tailed Hawk likely, Rough-legged Hawks, many Bald Eagles overwinter along with breed in a couple places, and there have been a couple Golden Eagles. Swans migrate through and sometimes stick around at Che-ru lake. 

Most of the good areas are closed during a large portion of the winter because of waterfowl hunting and it is a waterfowl refuge. There are small fishing ponds throughout that have parking lots that are easily accessible. These trails to the ponds can have good numbers of sparrows in all and warblers in a couple places. These ponds may have a lot of waterfowl on them in the winter as well and are accessible when the main areas are not. 

There are a couple trails that can be worth walking but they are just there to lead to fishing ponds.