Magpies are common out west, and are definitely expanding their range into Minnesota, but would still be considered rare in NE Minnesota. I watched a family of seven Black-Billed Magpies up at Sax-Zim Bog this morning. The magpies were hanging around the intersection of Zim Road and Hwy #7. Use your ears, and you’ll likely find them. They were on both sides of the highway, and often foraging right next to the RR tracks (south of Zim Rd).

This is a repeat performance from my birding experience over on Northstar Lake two weeks back. It was delightful.

While people always think Great Gray Owls in the winter, and warblers in the summer at Sax-Zim Bog, I think grassland birds! Just south of the Boreal Forest (i.e. a couple of hundred yards), there are some excellent meadows and pastures which grassland birds love. A favorite birding summer drive of mine takes the route shown below …

This route yields (see birding map)

• American Goldfinches
• Black-Billed Magpies
• Bob-o-links
• Dickcissels (irruption years like 2021)
• Eastern Kingbirds
• Hawks (hunting for their young)
• Killdeer
• Meadowlarks
• Sparrows (lots of them)
• and more …

This past week I went in search of Dickcissels. While this bird may be seen at many grasslands this summer, an irruption year, the Bog truly yields numbers.

Dickcissels

Dickcissel Singing Out (video link for email subscribers)

Unexpectedly I also found a family of five Killdeer. While killdeer are not rare, the chicks were born late and could not be more than a day or two old.

Have you ever stopped to think about the “circle of food”?