At an altitude of 6,050 feet, Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge is made up of more than 3,000 acres of gently rolling prairie, lakes, and farmland for waterfowl. Several lakes on the refuge provide approximately 700 acres of roosting and feeding habitat for waterfowl. During wet years, the shoreline vegetation of the lakes is dense enough to aid waterfowl nesting. During dry years, the constantly changing shoreline is beneficial to shorebirds. The refuge provides a winter haven for migrating waterfowl, including mergansers, mallards, gadwalls, pintails, redheads, wigeon, Canada geese, and snow geese. Numbers of waterfowl can peak at over 90,000 birds during the fall. Other bird species that may be seen on the refuge include willow flycatcher, Hammond's flycatcher, Swainson's thrush, warbling vireo, indigo bunting, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, prairie falcon, osprey, and burrowing owl.