Monthly Archives: December 2016

Sax-Zim Bog Ski!

Year 3

Here’s an idea for anyone visiting the Bog and the Welcome Center this winter. This morning I set down cross-country ski tracks as noted via the Google Maps screenshot. One skis deep into the Bog via the drainage ditches. One may wax skis and put on your boots at the Welcome Center (open daily at 10:00 am till early March).

The ski itself is very easy … zero hills. Being a Duluth native I am well versed in skiing up North Shore Lake Superior streams to access areas not reachable in the summer. I decided to take that knowledge and apply it to the Bog. I will try to keep the tracks set through the winter. I saw plenty of birds during my ski … mostly Grey Jays and Chickadees. Sometime in the next few weeks I will ski in around sunrise as opposed to today (around noon).

Anyhow, I wanted to encourage “skiing the bog”. Many of you travel from a distance to visit Sax-Zim Bog; thus it’s nice to get out of the car. One covers distance much quicker on skis than on snowshoes. On my next ski I will head “south” at the T-Junction (dotted yellow line). Hope to see you at the Bog, and maybe even on the ski trail (I am a volunteer naturalist at the Bog).

Townsend Solitaire and Other Stuff!

Year 3, ,

I went looking for Bohemian Waxwings today. A few flocks of these northern birds had been reported in the local fruit trees. Instead, I found something much more unusual for northern Minnesota, a Townsend Solitaire. This grey bird was enjoying an afternoon feed in some fruit trees with temperatures that were 50 degrees warmer than Sunday morning (from -21F to +35F). Welcome to winter in the Arrowhead. I never did find the Bohemians, but they tend to be my nemesis bird!

Townsend Solitaire Eating Frozen Berries!

After some fun with the local rarity it was out to Old Vermilion Trail where I needed to refill my public bird feeders. While the northern finches have not appeared in the feeders, I do not have a hen pheasant enjoying sloppy seconds from all the local chickadees. Pheasant are rather usual in the northern Boreal Forest. Just the normal visitors out on Old Vermilion Trail!

Finally, here is a video I forgot to post of the pine grosbeaks from a few days ago!

Frozen Hotspot Birding Map: Duluth Area

Year 3,

The overnight low in Duluth was -21F (-29.5C). Although the official start of winter is a few days away, here in northern Minnesota I have always considered Thanksgiving as the approximate start to winter. Birding in these extreme conditions can be a challenge, but it is fun to find Canadian sub-Arctic birds which spend the cold weather months on Lake Superior’s Arctic Riviera (Duluth!).

Key winter birding facts are:

  • Find the fruit … find the birds (mountain ash and crab apple trees)
  • Pine forests loaded with cones
  • Forests protected from the Northwind

Over the past few days, some of my top winter birding spots yielded Pine Grosbeaks, and even a Townsend Solitaire (rare for our area)!  In addition to my winter birding map I’ve included for the Duluth area at the bottom of this post, remember these other great cold season birding opportunities in our area:

Pine Grosbeaks Feeding Near Korkki Nordic

A Townsend Solitaire in the Riley Road berry trees

Trumpeter Swans on a -19F Mississippi River morning (Taken this morning in Monticello which although not northeastern Minnesota, certainly qualifies as a frozen hotspot)

Duluth Area Winter Birding Map (right click to download)