When I told my non-birding friends that we were visiting Duluth, Minnesota in February, their first reaction was "WHY???". I could totally understand such response though. Afterall, Minnesota is known to be one of the coldest places in the country. However, besides the frigid winter, do you know what the Duluth area is known for? SUPERB WINTER BIRDING!!! Pre-COVID, Minnesota hosted one of the most celebrated birding festivals in the nation and thousands of birders headed to Duluth every winter. Many consider birding in Minnesota to be the rite of passage to being a "serious" birder. Afterall, one has to be either completely mental or wholly devoted to stand in sub-zero temperature for hours waiting to see a bird. With our new slogan, no pain no gain, we embarked upon our Minnesota adventure.
February 15, 2024where are the birds!?
We arrived at the newly renovated much improved LaGuardia Airport a little past 4am to catch our 6am flight to Duluth via St. Paul. Thankfully, the flight was calm and uneventful except for the last 20 minutes when we flew over Lake Superior. How our pilot got us to land safely was beyond me but there we were finally in Minnesota! At the AVIS car rental counter, I was told that they ran out of small cars and was offered a free upgrade. Well, it would have been nice if the upgrade was for a normal sized car. Instead, 2 options I got were a gigantic pickup truck and an equally ginormous van. I, reluctantly, picked the van which had whopping 3-row seats 😨. I got in the van and quickly realized that there was no way I would be comfortable driving this mammoth vehicle. I ran back to the counter and put my foot down that I absolutely was not capable of driving that giant of a car! The front desk person then looked into more options and finally gave me a large SUV (which still was big but definitely a lot smaller than the pickup truck or the van).
From the airport, we headed straight to our first birding destination, Canal Park. I have to tell you a few things I noticed - 1) Suprisingly, there was no snow on the ground and there were hardly any birds 😱. 2) It was windy and cold.
Canal Park eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S161577529
We then headed to W.R. Bagley Nature Area adjacent to University of Minnesota Duluth campus in search of our nemesis bird, Bohemian Waxwing. They are fairly widespread and can be seen in any of the northeastern states. In the past, we had traveled to upstate New York and Vermont hoping to find one but no such luck. Sadly, the bad luck seemed to have followed us to Minnesota. They sure live up to their name as they are wanderers not staying in one place for very long.
W.R. Bagley Nature Area eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S161583672
As you know, our day started at 3am and we could barely keep our eyes open by late in the day. We knew it was time to call it a day. We grabbed a quick dinner at Zhong Hua Chinese Restaurant before heading to Comfort Inn West where we would be spending the next 4 nights. Our dinner was decent and surprisingly coming from New York, our chef was not Chinese. The hotel was everything we hoped it to be.
Day 1 total species: 5
February 16, 2024owl-thon
We woke up bright and early at 5am. Well rested, we were ready to take on the harsh but beautiful Minnesota winter at the legendary Sax-Zim Bog where mystical creatures were said to inhabit. Suitably, today was the coldest day of the trip at 9° without the windchill - it was cold!!! The bog is located about an hour drive from our hotel. I was quite worried about driving in Duluth but there really was barely any snow on the ground so getting there was pretty straightforward. Our main target of the trip was this amazing owl called Great Gray Owl. If you had watched the movie, The Big Year (love the movie!!!), you must recall a scene where Jack Black's character saw an enormous majestic owl in the snow storm with his father? Yep, *that* owl. Sax-Zim Bog is pretty much the only place in the country to reliably see this elusive owl.
When we got to Sax-Zim Bog around 7am (sunrise was around 7:15am), there were already birders driving around looking for owls. We had done our homework where to find owls so we too drove Route 7 like everyone else looking for owls. Hence when we saw a big brown bird perched in distance, we immediately stopped the car to investigate. It turned out to be a Rough-legged Hawk which was common in this area but was a lifer for us 👍. It didn't take us long to find the wrong owl. When we spotted a large crowd on the side of the road, we saw a familiar white shape in the distance and instantly knew they were looking at a Snowy Owl. Disappointing, though it was also great as it was a male we rarely see in New York. In addition, unlike our usual sightings at Jones Beach on the dunes, this owl was perched on a tree. That was a first! We drove around looking for Great Gray for another 2 hours but no sighting.
It was too late to see the Great Gray Owl (as they only hunt dusk to dawn). So we switched gear to find other common birds at the Bog. We checked out a few of the feeders strategically located throughout the Bog and found some nice little and not-so-little feathered friends.
Pine Siskin
Common Redpoll
Black-capped Chickadee
Downy Woodpecker
Red Squirrel
Black-billed Magpie
Bald Eagle
Noel
We both agreed that the best feeder was Judd's by far. It was a bit spooky watching Woodpeckers eating dried flesh off of roadkill but I understand that it is a common practice around here to helps birds get protein they need during frigid winter days. We had never seen a carcass left for food, usually only seeds and suet.
Pine Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak Female
Canada Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Downy Woodpecker eating roadkill
Hairy Woodpecker
Ruffed Grouse
Red Squirrel
It was almost 3:30pm, about 2 hours before sunset and was time to start our owl patrol. Nothing much went on until we hit a big crowd on Route 7 around 5pm. It was easy to see who was drawing this much crowd. An absolutely stunning Northern Hawk Owl was casually sitting on a stick right by the road. Oh, what a sight! Such close encounter with owls is what brings birders to Minnesota! We thoroughly enjoyed its company until darkness covered the area. Lifer!
Sax-Zim Bog eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S161751946
By the time we got back to Duluth, we were too exhausted to do a sit-down dinner so we took out a pizza from nearby restaurant called Pizza Luce Duluth (4.5 stars from Google Review 🤔). From our experiences, we never really had a good pizza outside of New York and this place was no exception....
Day 2 total species: 20, lifer 2 (Northern Hawk Owl, Rough-legged Hawk)
February 17, 2024ancraophobic owl!?
Our plan for today was exactly the same as yesterday, find Great Gray. We pretty much saw the same birds and missed the same ones. To learn about the area and the birds, we had spoken to local birders whenever we had a chance and received some important intel. The most useful one was how to access Telegram App locals (and visitors) use to share good sightings. With this app, we could not miss Great Gray (so we thought). Speaking of Great Gray, another thing we learned was that Great Grays, oddly, had not been seen at Sax-Zim Bog for the last 2 weeks. They are generally pretty reliably seen there but abundance seems to differ greatly from year to year, month to month and even week to week. I wasn't sure if I should take a consolation in that no one really had seen it or lament the fact that we came at the worst time. In addition, prior to our arrival they had temperature 20°-30° above normal. Everyone had different theories as to why Great Grays had been so scarce for the last 2 weeks but the one stuck with us was 'it was too windy'. I did think it was odd that the largest owl in North America was afraid of the wind. Regardless, we had a great time hanging out with special birds such as Hoary Redpolls and Pine Grosbeaks.
Rough-legged Hawk
Snowy Owl
Common Redpoll
American Goldfinch
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pine Siskin
Bald Eagle
Ruffed Grouse
Sax-Zim Bog eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S161983592
Mary Lou's Feeding Station eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S161884246
Sax-Zim Bog eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S161916070
Well, it was somewhat of an uninspiring birding day but there was a nice surprise waiting for us at the end of the day. Since we had spent most of the day in the car, I, self-claimed snack-queen, had been munching all day so wasn't exactly hungry and wanted something light for dinner. Noel suggested Vietnamese and found a restaurant called PhởHolic Taste of Vietnam. When we got there, the place was so packed that we had to wait to get a table. From speaking with waiters, we learned that the restaurant was owned by a first-generation Vietnamese family and served truly authentic fare. I had a Vegetable Phở and it was amazing. My only complaint was that the portion was too big 😉.
Day 3 total species: 21, lifer 1 (Hoary Redpoll)
February 18, 2024surprise visitor
As much as visiting Sax-Zim Bog makes birders' top 10 things to do, seeing all three Rosy-Finches has got to be pretty high up on the list. We had never seen one Rosy-Finch species let alone three but that was going to change today (hopefully 🤞). There was reliable intel that a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch had been frequenting a feeder at Bowen Lodge 100 miles west of Sax-Zim Bog. We made a difficult decision to try for the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch instead of searching for Great Gray at the Bog this morning. Now that we had Telegram App to alert us, we could make a quick return if we saw a report of Great Gray hanging out at the Bog. We arrived at the lodge before 8am and there began the waiting game. Shortly after we arrived, the lodge owner came out to greet us then kindly filled all the feeders in his small backyard. He was as nice as can be and I could tell he was just happy that we were so excited to see this bird.
According to eBird sighting reports, the bird came to the feeder quite frequently. Well, in which planet 😤!? An hour and a half later, I was getting nervous that the bird was a no show...😰 Then an unfamiliar gray/brown bird flew in front of us. OMG, there is was, a gorgeous male Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch! Another lifer bagged!!!
Bowen Lodge eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S162014760
Thoroughly satisfied with the Rosy Finch sighting, we headed back to Sax-Zim Bog hoping that our good luck would carry on. Unfortunately, Great Gray was again no show. However, the talk among the locals was that tomorrow would be a better day because it was predicted to be a calm day.
Sax-Zim Bog eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S162115749
We went back to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant for dinner and went to sleep early hoping to see *the* owl tomorrow.
Day 4 total species: 20, lifer 1 (Gray-crowned Rosy Finch)
February 19, 2024shame on him!!!
Our plane was scheduled to leave at 9pm. Luckily, we had more than half a day to test our luck one last time. Before the Great Gray Owl debacle, we had plans to visit other places besides Sax-Zim Bog but without the owl we had become captives to this area. Locals were right though. First time since we had started using the Telegram App, reports of Great Gray Owl sightings were popping up all around the Bog. Unfortunately, none of the owls stayed at various reported locations long enough for others to see (most were fly-overs). There was one sighting that REALLY upset us though. While looking for the owl, we bumped into a birder we had befriended on our first day visiting the Bog. We stopped and asked him if he had seen it. He said that he had seen a silhouette of a Great Gray from the distance at this location just before sunrise. By the time he got to the location, the owl was gone but there was a birder. Our friend asked the birder if he had seen the owl. The birder told him that he had been watching the owl for OVER AN HOUR. Annoyed, our birder pal asked the guy if he was using the Telegram and if so, why didn't he post the sighting? The guy's answer was "I thought it would be too dark for a photograph." Are you serious? I believe we are all birders before photographers and seeing is more important than taking a good photo. This guy was either extremely selfish, inconsiderate or clueless but he certainly knew how to ruin our morning. Well, we did not see Great Gray but the Bog had a surprise treat for us to end our trip. At one of the feeders, we were greeted by this peanut-butter loving cute weasel-like animal called American Pine Marten. Martens are endemic to North America and was just so unbelievably cute 😍.
Sax-Zim Bog eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S162250014
We said good-bye to wonderful Sax-Zim Bog and began our 3-hour drive to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. We had one last thing to do in Minnesota, to eat Ethiopian food! Yep you heard me right, Ethiopian food. Minneapolis has been one of the major destinations for Ethiopian refugees. We picked highly touted Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant for our last meal in Minnesota and it did not disappoint!
Despite missing our main target, we truly had a great time in Minnesota and are sure to be back!
Day 5 total species: 13
total species: 32, lifer: 4 (Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Hoary Redpoll, Northern Hawk Owl, Rough-legged Hawk)
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