Tag Archives: MN North: Sax-Zim Bog

Birding Little Free Library & Boardwalks

Year 11

The last two mornings have seen me walking some boardwalks up at Sax-Zim Bog. It is nice to have the bugs finally taking a break from their all out attack mode, that I can even consider walking in a Boreal Forest Bog. One thing which I am now noticing is that the Fall Migration has definitely started. The bug eaters are definitely on their way south, with the numbers of warblers in the Northwoods starting to get much smaller. Remember to take a look at my past post: “Planning Your Migration Birding: BirdCast and HaikuBox” No matter where you live in North America there are good, free tools that will inform you as to the birds visiting your geo location today, and in the days to come.

I mentioned a Birding Little Free Library! If you decide to visit Sax-Zim Bog and the Winterberry Bog a few miles west of Cotton, Minnesota on Arkola Road, there is a a library right at the start of the Bob Russell Boardwalk. Just in case, you are not familiar with the concept of Little Free Libraries  … browse and learn. I personally dropped off a number of books late this spring about birding in Minnesota which I was pleased were picked up quickly. Remember these libraries are community supported and free.

Yesterday morning I walked the Warren Woessner Boardwalk on Blue Spruce Road. Canada’s National Bird, which I still think of as a “Gray Jay” posed nicely for me near the boardwalk. This bird is now named a “Canada Jay”.

Anyhow, get out there and enjoy the migration. Unlike the Spring migration when birds are in a hurry, if a suitable food source is present, birds will often linger during the Fall migration for days and days at a given site.

The Young Birds of Summer! (Fledglings)

Year 11, ,

Yesterday morning I spent 30 minutes with Steam Shovel Sam and Sally’s kids. The juvenile osprey can now fly, but prefer to stay perched near the nest and beg. I watched the two youngsters screaming / begging for a long time, and when they got excited I knew food had to be in the “delivery mode”! Quite frankly I could not see a parent osprey, but if your eyesight is capable to seeing fish under water, the ospreys could obviously see their parents coming back from a fishing trip long before I was able to see anything which leads me to this comment. When birding learn the birds! Birds will let you know by their actions when there will be a change in the environment. Such was the case with the Osprey Fledglings, which then made a quick, fast flight back to the nest. Apparently feedings at this point still happen only at the nest, not out on dead snags.

The Dead Snag … two youngsters

Osprey Fledgling #1

Osprey Fledgling #2

Parent Bring Fish (youngsters are hiding in nest)

Before a bunch more “youngster / fledglings” photographs, this Cedar Waxwing did pose nicely for me on McDavitt Road in Sax-Zim Bog yesterday morning. The ground fog had just burned off, and I was listening for juvenile Great Gray Owls (none heard). As a fyi this is the time of year to get out in the woods or grasslands and look for juvenile raptors. They beg a lot and are lousy hunters.

And the other “young of year” images … all taken north of Duluth in Sax-Zim Bog or what I call the South Bog.

Trumpeter Swan Family

Sandhill Crane Family

Wild Turkey Family

Ruffed Grouse Family

Sandhill Crane Adults near Floodwood Bog (newly mown grasslands ALWAYS attract birds. The much shorter grasses make insects much easier prey)

Bog Bluebirds!

Year 11,

This post will begin a series of entries to my blog about “Grassland Birds”! It is time to get out in the countryside and enjoy summer, the grassland birds, and explosion of colors. The Black-Eyed Susans are starting to blossom, and the grassland birds are having their young. Nature is providing a feast for the eyes.

With respect to the Black-Eyed Susans I have two favorite spots both of which should be visited early in the morning. The first is just south of Sax-Zim Bog. MacArthur Road which is just west of the Cloquet River Bridge on County 8 already has flowers in full bloom. Here are the Google Maps GPS Coordinates for the turn onto MacArthur Road (County #868) off County #8. I love this dirt road for its varied habitat … forest, farms and wetlands. While the Black-Eyed Susans are in full bloom on MacArthur Road, soon my focus on these flowers will shift to near Gowan, Minnesota (just east of Floodwood). Visit very early in the morning when the skies are clear, but ground fog is present. There are thousands and thousands of Black-Eyed Susans along the pipeline right of way. The pipeline company obviously planted the flowers. Here is a post from last summer which will help you understand why an early morning trip should be in your plans.

Did I mention Sax-Zim Bog Bluebirds? Yup! In over 10 years as a volunteer naturalist in the Bog I have never seen bluebirds, until this week. My apologies that the images aren’t as good as I would like. The bluebirds forced me to photograph them while looking directly into the sun … lousy for photographs.

If you decide to cruise the backroads both for wild flowers and birds, pay attention to any freshly mowed hay (and hay bales). Birds understand that freshly mowed hay means easier eating. Bugs find it now much harder to hide in the tall grasses, as the grasses are no longer tall! In addition to hay bales, check out cows! Bessie can provide a nice bug hunting platform for birds seeking bugs. Although the birds in these images aren’t very exotic (starlings), I enjoyed their hunting activity!

Bluebirds in the Bog (Just north of Dart Road on Cty. #201 area)

Cow Hunting Platforms for Starlings