Folks,
I just returned from a five and a half day birding tour in northern Minnesota
and got good looks/photos of some of the birds. There were five of us on the
Venture's tour (Tom B., Tim N., Rick ?, myself, and our trusty guide Aaron
Steed). The trip concentrated primarily on finding birds north of the Duluth
area, particularly in the Sax-Zim Bog northeast of Duluth, hotspots along the
west coast of Lake Superior, and a few hots spots around Minneapolis. We saw
almost all of our target birds and I personally got 14 lifers. Many thanks to
Aaron, whose keen eye, persistence, navigation, and birding skills resulted in
seeing some great birds, many of which live in the arctic tundra much of the
year and come south for the winter. The weather was cold, our coldest
morning temp was -28 (as recorded on the vehicle thermometer) when we left the
vehicle woodpecker hunting. Highs were usually in the single digits. Some of
the highlights of the tour are mentioned below with photos attached, and in
Part 2 coming soon.
• Northern Shrike- seen in the bog area most days we visited along roads. The
bird was cautious and flighty when we stopped the vehicle. Finally this one
remained calm and allow some photos. A lifer for me.
• Evening Grosbeak- there were several feeding stations within the bog, some
maintained by private landowners on their property. Mary Lou's was probable
the best, with several grosbeaks, common and hoary redpolls, gray jays, and
others. The stations provided very close looks.
• Pine Grosbeak- also at the same feeding station. The color on the bird is
amazing. Lifer.
• Common Redpoll- this was the most frequently seen redpoll at the feeding
stations. It's close cousin, the hoary redpoll is lighter overall and
generally has less pink on the chest with a slightly stubbier bill. It is less
plentiful than the common redpoll. Lifer.
• Sharp-tailed Grouse- this grouse was seen on a farm in the greater bog area
near a feeder. I was sorry I did not get a photo of the bird's sharp tail.
This was a lifer. The Spruce Grouse also inhabits the area but we were unable
to find it.
• Black-backed Woodpecker- we had good luck finding this woodpecker in one of
the bogs near the road. We saw both male and female. Lifer. We we not as
lucky with our other target woodpecker, the Three-toed Woodpecker. Other
birders we talked with had not seen it either. A reason to return?
Part 2 will take a look at some of the birds of prey.
Alan LenkAsheville
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