These 10 bird havens are great for bird-watching

Find birding heaven in these bird havens

Ornithologists and serious bird-watchers take their binoculars to far-flung places in search of species they haven't yet seen. Although people often associate bird-watching — also known as birding — with scanning trees for a single rare avian specimen, in some places along migration routes, the experience is quite different. If you find yourself on the banks of Nebraska's Platte River in springtime, for example, you won't be able to avoid seeing hundred of sandhill cranes.

You'll have to bring your passport to visit some of the world's best destinations for viewing migrating birds, but if you live in the U.S. and time your visit correctly, you can enjoy world-class birding without leaving the country. Here are some of the best places to see migrating birds, both in the U.S. and elsewhere.