Minnesota's Northwoods 5/29/2025-6/3/2025

ebird.org/tripreport/382302

Our Minnesota’s Northwoods tour was a thrilling experience, with exciting birding and delicious cuisine from our home-sweet-home lakeside hotel. There was so much to cherish every day! After meeting and greeting each other on the opening afternoon of the tour, we birded our way along the beautiful waters of Lake Superior. It was fun to see birds like Eastern Kingbirds and an American Redstart migrating through the area. A Northern Flicker flew past us, and Chimney Swifts were enjoyed, too. To set foot on the world’s longest freshwater sandbar was a treat. It was a fun start to the tour, with some birding followed by a wonderful opening dinner.

We had the legendary Sax-Zim Bog lined up for our first full day of the tour. While entering the bog vicinity, we enjoyed views of a perched Broad-winged Hawk and a displaying Wilson’s Snipe winnowing overhead. A sneaky Sedge Wren chattered nearby, and although it was a heard-only at the present time, we scored some amazing views of this little grassland sprite later in the trip. After all, we were just beginning our morning. We made our way into the beautiful, old growth spruce and tamarack forest. Before we knew it, we were locking our binocular views on a spectacular Great Gray Owl! This large and gentle giant of the woods could not have been more relaxed, perching on branches along the roadside, keeping an eye out for food for both itself and its young tucked somewhere deep in the woods beyond our knowing. What a thrill it was to see this incredible bird on our first morning.

As the morning progressed from that part of the Bog, we enjoyed birds like Purple Finch, chatty Chestnut-sided Warblers among the willows, Nashville Warblers among the evergreens, and a male Golden-winged Warbler! A little later we found ourselves looking at three Black-billed Magpies, a very special bird to see locally (Sax-Zim Bog is home to the easternmost population of this species within its range). Up another road we found ourselves looking at yet another Great Gray Owl, for sure a different bird based on the distance from the original Great Gray we had found. It was hard to comprehend seeing two different Great Gray Owls in one morning. A casual walk on the forest road had us directing our focus at a singing Connecticut Warbler. The bird’s song was coming from quite a way into the dense green foliage, and we prepped ourselves for the walk. After walking through beautiful forest, we locked our sights on the singing male Connecticut Warbler. It was surreal and magical, following two Great Gray Owls, all on our first morning! After a hearty lunch we enjoyed scope views of Trumpeter Swans and a breeding plumage Common Loon. What a fun day, topped with a tasty dinner!

Connecticut Warbler singing in his tree © Erik Bruhnke

Perfectly-done Walleye and wild rice, a taste of the Northwoods! © Erik Bruhnke

The next morning we headed north, into even deeper forests and to do some exploring along the shore. The cool air was refreshing as we enjoyed a beautiful sunny morning and a meandering river surrounded by woods, with singing Red-eyed Vireo and Black-and-white Warbler nearby. Hearing a Red-bellied Woodpecker was a treat, as this species is quite uncommon this far north in the state. A little bit of birding along the scenic shoreline had us looking at a breeding plumage Red-throated Loon paddling around on the calm waters of Lake Superior. The surface of Lake Superior was ethereal and glass-like, and we had fantastic scope views of this exciting bird, another uncommon treat to be seen only in migration. We enjoyed pleasant views of a Mourning Warbler that was singing behind us, as well as a chatty Magnolia Warbler. Another daily delight to note about this tour is that every warbler we come across is in peak breeding plumage, a treat to the eyes . . . and their frequently given songs, a treat to our ears. At stop after stop throughout the further northern forests, we were delighted to see and hear such amazing birds. A Northern Parula was seen and heard singing in the trees above us. One of the highlights, and target bird of the morning, was a Tennessee Warbler. We observed at least ten of this far northern-nesting species, each being on territory! Cape May Warblers sang nearby, and a Northern Waterthrush also sang from his thicket overlooking a peacefully calm pond. One of the most unusual birds of the morning was a Mourning Dove feeding alongside the deep forest highway on our way to Lake Superior. It was a surprise to see this Mourning Dove out in the wilderness, typically more expected in people’s backyards where the birdfeeders are. We enjoyed fifteen warbler species that morning, all before our picnic lunch. We were serenaded by a Black-throated Green Warbler during our picnic. The views of Lake Superior were spectacular that afternoon, with the calm lake conditions continuing and sunny skies like icing on a cake. An array of beautiful waterfowl were seen on the drive down to Duluth, as were several delightful Franklin's Ground Squirrels. We also took some moments to enjoy the cascading waterfalls.

Gooseberry Falls © Erik Bruhnke

There is always more to see in Sax-Zim Bog, with this landscape covering about three hundred square miles. On the drive up the next morning we enjoyed views of an Osprey and also a Merlin (it flew by at what seemed to be the speed of light). As we meandered our way into Sax-Zim Bog limits, we enjoyed wonderful views of Sandhill Cranes and Bobolinks among fields. A LeConte’s Sparrow teased us with its thin and distant song. As the morning progressed, we found ourselves looking at a flock of White-winged Crossbills in the woods, an often-scarce species to note this time of year. We tallied 25 of them in the one flock. As they fed in front of us, a Hermit Thrush sang through the wall of lush vegetation while Yellow-bellied Flycatchers gave their brief songs. At one point we had a low-angle view of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, still singing too, contrary to the typical treetop-singing that they are known for. A Lincoln’s Sparrow serenaded us on the roadside. As the morning progressed, we found ourselves looking at a Great Gray Owl along the wooded edge. What an experience, to have three sightings of this regal and beautiful bird. A Blue-headed Vireo and Red-eyed Vireo sang simultaneously, and it was fun to tell them apart by their songs. Before our lunch we got on a gorgeous Black-backed Woodpecker drumming and calling on the edge of the road, as well as a treetop-singing Olive-sided Flycatcher. It was fun to watch the Black-backed Woodpecker flake bark off of the older trees. The birding that morning felt like “boreal fireworks,” in a peaceful yet high-energy way! In the afternoon we saw a very busy mother Hooded Merganser herding around her nine tiny ducklings in a river. Adorable chaos, if you will. Yellow-throated Vireos sang overhead while we watched them. An obligatory walk around the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and trails took place, as we enjoyed the many beautiful bog plants. The air was fresh and beautifully fragrant. VENT is proud to make a donation to the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog every time this tour takes place. We saw several "bouquets" of Pink Lady's Slippers before leaving the Bog.

Black-backed Woodpecker © Erik Bruhnke

Pink Lady's Slipper deep in a bog © Erik Bruhnke

The last day of our tour always comes too soon. We headed up to Sax-Zim Bog one more time to look for a few birds we hadn’t seen yet. Early in the morning we experienced another Wilson’s Snipe winnowing right over us, as a Least Flycatcher chattered in the woods. Gorgeous American Kestrels kept watch from the power lines overlooking fields. One of the birds we were still looking for from earlier in the tour was a Sedge Wren. We scanned one of the field edges on this last morning and found ourselves surrounded by three Sedge Wrens (one came out and sang for us, enjoyed well through the scope, too). It was thrilling. Upon going back into the bog habitat, we were welcomed by a family of Canada Jays and re-found the flock of White-winged Crossbills still roaming around. We found ourselves looking at another Black-backed Woodpecker that morning, too, a treat to the senses. With a little patience, we enjoyed views of a handsome Canada Warbler singing in all of his breeding plumage glory. The Canada Warbler was the twentieth species of warbler that we saw on this year’s tour, seen and appreciated well! Part of the charm of this tour is remarkable warbler diversity (among many other songbirds). Both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned kinglets were noted as the morning continued. We made our way back to Duluth to enjoy some local sightseeing, including the renowned Hawk Ridge. It was fun to experience this beautiful overlook, teaching about the incredible magnitude of migration that would be pouring through the area later in the year. The expanse of Lake Superior was as beautiful as ever.

One of several Lake Superior vistas we birded along during the tour  © Erik Bruhnke

We ended the tour at one of my favorite restaurants in Duluth, reflecting on so much fun had over the past few days of birding together, among such wonderful sense-of-place, too. Cheers to coming together to bird this special part of northern Minnesota. I’m already looking forward to next year's tour!

A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/382302

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