Birding in Minnesota for Owls and More |
Day 1: Arrival into Minneapolis; and Afternoon Birding at Sax-Zim Bog and More Fly (or drive) to Minneapolis by 10 AM on the first day of the trip. Or, fly in the day before (but slight additional cost for extra night in Minneapolis). After picking up at the local hotel anyone who flies in the night before, we will meet the other participants at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport by 10:30 AM. After a couple hours of driving we get to Duluth, and we will likely next go to Sax-Zim Bog to look for Northern Hawk Owl and/or Great Gray Owl. If things are going really well and we still have time, we will possibly look for Snowy Owls in the Duluth harbor. Depending upon our birding and likely by 5 PM, we will arrive at our Duluth hotel and check in. We will have supper together as a group and have a brief trip orientation and confirm breakfast and gathering plans for the morning. Day 2: Bird Sax-Zim Bog After breakfast at the hotel, we will start back for Sax-Zim Bog for grouse, owls, winter finches and winter regulars in the morning hours. During the afternoon, we will try a few good spots in the Duluth area for Bohemian Waxwings and Snowy Owls (likely right on the ice off the Duluth harbor). At dusk, we will take a quick drive and scan for Boreal Owls. If we are fortunate, we will get a call about a recently seen Boreal Owl, and we will go directly to that location (cutting short our dusk drive and maximizing time for getting to bed after a long day birding). The guide will be well prepared to receive this call, based upon his contacts with the Duluth birding community. At supper, we will plan for our early start the next morning. Day 3: Birding Northern Lake County After an early breakfast, we will head towards northern Lake County right before 6 AM so that by 7:30 AM we will be in Spruce Grouse country. Besides getting looks at Spruce Grouse, we will try any areas where owls may have been reported. We will also look for any of the more difficult to find winter finches and will enjoy looking at the more abundant species again. Day 4. Birding Aitkin County After breakfast, we will head towards Aitkin County. After a 45 minute drive, we will have good looks at Sharp-tailed Grouse at a reliable site. We will then try several stakeout sites for owl species which we may have not yet found, and likely enjoy several winter finch species as well. In the afternoon, we will head back to Duluth to view gulls at reliable gull sites there or go back to Sax-Zim Bog. Plans after finding the Sharp-tailed Grouse and into the afternoon might change so that we can focus on any winter species we have not yet found. Nonetheless, at some point during the trip, we will try good sites for the wintering gulls. At supper that night, we will make plans for the morning. Day 5. AM Birding for Any Missed Species and/or Surprises, and PM Flights Home After an early breakfast, the group should gather with their bags packed. We may spend 6 AM to 10 AM birding any key spots with birds reported which we may have missed. That being said, we may have already had good looks at all our target species, and we may start a little later birding just a few hours before heading back to the airport. Flights should be planned for leaving after 1:30 PM that afternoon. We will drop the group off at the airport just after 12:00 noon. The guide will be available to bird with anyone a little more if they have later flights that day. Important Note: If Gyrfalcon and/or Boreal Owl are reported near Duluth, we will change some of the plans above to accommodate viewing these species. This will either add a tough to get species and/or reduce our birding at dusk. Blizzard Warning: Snow storms and blizzards can change plans on this trip. Last year, 1 of the 3 trips had a blizzard, costing 1 day of birding. 2 trips ran without any snow difficulties. For those losing out on the birding due to blizzards, we will make a credit to each participant on the trip for a future birding trip to make up for this loss. Sadly, we cannot recoup any costs other than gasoline here and in some cases rental car expenses. Any savings we have here, we will pass along and then pay another $100 for each day loss as a credit on future trips. This will max out at $300 for 3 lost days. If you want to discuss this policy more, please call Charles at 720-320-1974. |
For more information or to register for this trip, call Charles toll free at 888-203-7464 or Charles directly at 720-320-1974 or by email at info@PIBird.com. |
Detailed Itinerary |
Photo by Bill Schmoker |
Photo by Bill Schmoker |
Photo by Bill Schmoker |