Minnesota Specialties

Northern Goshawk = late fall/winter months. Best location is Oct/Nov at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory
Spruce Grouse = winter months. Best location is Dec-April gritting on Lake Co. Rd 2 just north of the Sand River
Sharp-tailed Grouse = Aitkin Co. Leks & Sax Zim Bog Leks.
American Three-toed Woodpecker = Hedbom Logging Road & Sax Zim Bog.
Black-backed Woodpecker = Hedbom Logging Road & Sax Zim Bog.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher = Sax Zim Bog & Hedbom Logging Rd.
Northern Shrike = late fall/winter months.
Philadelphia Vireo
Gray Jay
Boreal Chickadee = Sax Zim Bog
Bohemian Waxwing = late fall/winter months. Late fall migrating down the northshore of Lake Superior.
Golden-winged Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Snow Bunting = late fall/winter months.
Pine Grosbeak = late fall/winter months.
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll = late fall/winter months.
Hoary Redpoll = late fall/winter months. Look among large flocks of Common Redpolls.
Evening Grosbeak

Photo by Mark Cohen

During most winters in northeastern Minnesota, birders have a fair chance of seeing the following owls:

Great Gray Owl

Snowy Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Northern Saw Whet Owl

Boreal Owl

The smaller northern owls like the Boreal Owl and Northern Saw Whet Owl are very tough to locate anywhere in northern Minnesota! Boreal Owls & Northern Saw- Whet Owls are very secretive nomadic night owls, making it very difficult in locating any of these owls. To be honest, the best times to look for these small northern owls is during an owl irruption. Boreal Owls and Saw Whet owls are then forced to hunt during day light hours in backyards near bird feeders or along road ways hunting in the ditches. While traveling around northeastern Minnesota, birders can take in some really beautiful habitats like the black spruce/tamarack bog, boreal forests, old growth forests and of course the scenic northshore drive of Lake Superior.

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