2012 Tour Narrative
In Brief: Our trip began with an amazing start. We decided to postpone our introductory meeting until dinner in favor of some quick birding around Canal Park only a few footsteps from our hotel. We had great success with gulls including excellent views of 5 Glaucous, 2 Thayer’s and a very white 1st-winter Iceland Gull. In addition to the common American Herring Gulls we also saw a third-winter Great Black-backed Gull (rare in MN). While not as exciting to most of us as the white-winged gulls, the rarest birds were 3 Ring-billed Gulls, new for this tour and the first time this species has wintered in Duluth (perhaps revealing just how warm and balmy this winter is). After enjoying the gulls we drove around the grain elevators where we saw a Snowy Owl perched atop a utility pole—from there, dinner and our introductory meeting.
Sax-Zim bog is one of my favorite places at any season. You just don’t know what you will see—it always has be on the edge of my seat, scanning treetops for Hawk Owls, along edges of fields for Great Gray Owls and the skies for flyover crossbills and Pine Grosbeaks. It’s always wonderful, but this year may well have been my favorite ever. It began with a soft sunrise through fog and beautiful hoarfrost covered trees. On the far side of field we spotted a dozen Sharp-tailed Grouse on a lek, two of which even displayed a couple times. We took a stroll along an old logging trail where we found an adult female Northern Goshawk perched on the far side of an open area – at times it was being mobbed by White-winged Crossbills! Shortly afterward we spotted a Great Gray Owl that we watched for nearly an hour. It flew 160 degrees around our group from perch to perch hunting the entire time. Other highlights around the bog included Boreal Chickadees, Pine Grosbeaks, 2 Ruffed Grouse and a single Hoard Redpoll among Common Redpolls.
In Detail: I must admit there is always a bit of a downside to such an excellent start. How do you top it? Amazingly, the entire trip continued and patience and no small amount of luck led us to just about every winter and resident specialty in northern Minnesota. The next morning began with two female Spruce Grouse on a roadside. They flew into nearby spruces to quietly feed, one hen occasionally giving a low resonating hoo-hoo-hoo, a sound I had thought was only given by males. In the still morning air, we thought we heard the distinctive rushing of wings of a displaying male. Just then, a stunning male Spruce Grouse landed above and beside us in a spruce and continued his display, sashaying his tail back and forth, spreading his wings and lowering his head to reveal brilliant crimson eye combs! Unbelievable! We continued north where we found a fairly recent burn. As we walked into the soft snow and among overturned trees, we soon heard tapping and came upon a crisply patterned male Black-backed Woodpecker. We were treated to full scope-views of a bird quietly foraging and unconcerned by our presence. After a delicious lunch at a local café we headed to Gooseberry Falls State Park. As we drove in, we saw a Northern Hawk Owl perched in an area we couldn’t park. We walked back and the bird was gone! After twenty minutes, we re-found the bird perched below eye-level in a protected ravine. We watched it for nearly an hour as it preened, hunted and moved from perch to perch! Once again, full scope views!
The next day we headed up to Grand Marais, the first time we’ve ever ventured up the lakeshore on this trip. Our quarry was Bohemian Waxwing, which were living up to their name this year. The only place they had been reliably recorded was in this small lakeshore town, but the night before we had bad news. Someone there for the last three days hadn’t seen or heard a single waxwing. Undaunted, we headed up the north shore of Lake Superior. Soon after crossing into Cook County (the northeasternmost of Minnesota’s counties) we saw a flock perched along the roadside. Once again, superb scope and binocular views! We continued onto Grand Marais for some excellent coffee and a flock of nearly 500 Bohemian Waxwings, coming to drink water near the beach! Among Red-breasted Mergansers and a flock of Common Goldeneye, we found a 1st-winter male Barrow’s Goldeneye – quite rare in Minnesota. We also dashed into Wisconsin to see a few species around Superior and were rewarded with a stunning male Snowy Owl.
What to do on the final day of a trip where you have seen all the species you can reasonably hope for? Try for ones that are less reasonable – in this case an American Three-toed Woodpecker. They say the third time is the charm, and indeed it was. After two unsuccessful attempts in the morning, we returned in the afternoon and found a male Three-toed Woodpecker drumming at eye level. Once again, full-frame scope views at eye-level as the bird drummed and the foraged beside us. We celebrated that night, enjoying another great meal, spectacular wine and the wonderful camaraderie of our great group of friends.
- Chris Wood
Updated: February 2012