Tag Archives: MN North: Upper Red Lake – Big Bog

The Big Bog / Upper Red Lake Boreal Forest Birding

Year 9

This blog post completes my information about birding The Big Bog and nearby areas. It is worth reading my other posts to help with your research. Unlike Sax-Zim Bog which is near Duluth and may have large crowds, you will be alone as you bird this region. In fact, on many back roads you will NEVER see another car. As there are zero services, or often buildings / homes of any sort, you must be prepared. This is truly a wilderness area. Do not expect to utilize eBird or other social media services as you bird the Upper Red Lake Boreal Forest. You will be 100% on your own, which is actually quite enjoyable!

Other Posts in this Series:

  1. Big Bog and the Great Plains
  2. Minus 32F Birding Success
  3. SuperB Owl Sunday

My final bird which I very much enjoyed was found just before the land switched over from grasslands to the Boreal Forest on Fourtown Road NW, was a Sharp-Tailed Grouse. See my maps and explanations starting beneath the grouse images.

And now the maps. Understand these Google Maps screenshots do not cover the “Lost River State Forest / Lake Bottoms” or “Shoreline Drive NE” areas discussed in the “Minus 32F Birding Success” post. The true area of The Big Bog makes Sax-Zim Book look puny.

Map #1: A dirt road that runs basically due north 47 miles to Warroad. Think of Admiral or McDavitt Road in Sax-Zim Bog (Boreal Forest) but that goes on and on and on. Zero services.

Map #2: Zoomed out to both show other birding areas, and provide road names for Map #1. Download Google Maps for Offline Usage (see my post). Much of the time you will NOT have cell coverage. The Grasslands area would be good birding in the summer.

Map #3: Region-wide satellite mode perspective. Click / Press upon any image to view at full size.

Minus 32F Birding Success!

Year 9,

Well … my trip has started out with the forecasted light winds, but man … was it cold yesterday morning, -32F (-35.5C). I drove back roads on the way to my first targeted area. Although I did not see a single bird (too darn cold), the habitat was fantastic and merits a return when the mercury warms a touch.

Proof of the Outdoor Temperature (actual, not chill factor)

The first real stop of the morning was Shoreline Drive NE in The Big Bog near Upper Red Lake. This road has wild rice farms (strange juxtaposition of words) right next to the edge of the boreal forest. This spot has been successful for me in the past, and did not disappoint. I found this beautiful Northern Goshawk in the same exact tree in which I have found Northern Hawk Owls in year’s past. Normally Goshawks spook easily, but I think because of the cold this bird was quite willing to let me be present.

I’ll give you one guess where I went next?! In fact I spent some time talking with both “Farmer Vern” and the US Border Patrol for very useful birding information!

Yes, although I was not lost, I had arrived in the Lost River State Forest north of Roseau, Minnesota. I very much enjoyed my birding and must thoroughly recommend the habitat introduced to me by my new friends … The Lake Bottoms! If one takes Roseau County Hwy 16 west from Hwy 310, and then drives north on Cty 123 to just over the Roseau River Bridge, there you will find “The Lake Bottoms”. While not Boreal Forest, it is a DNR managed wildlife area, and is most excellent. I even saw a lifer here, a bird I did not even know existed two weeks ago … the Gray Partridge. Photography was difficult because snow was now swirling near the ground.

Gray Partridge

And perhaps the Queen on the Day. I think this is a female Northern Hawk Owl due to its size. Getting near the bird was a real challenge. I did not have snowshoes (shame on me), and had to struggle through snow up to mid-thigh. In fact, this is when I talked with Farmer Vern. He had a good laugh at my struggle through the snow!

Northern Hawk Owl