Tag Archives: MN Central

Willowsippi WMA Birding

Before there was Sax-Zim Bog, there was the Willowsippi Wildlife Management Area (WMA)! Sax-Zim has gotten all the publicity over the past decade, but this WMA which is not too far from “The Bog” as the crow flies (or the Great Gray Owl) has a great combination of flatlands, wetlands and Boreal Forest. This used to be where birders in the know looked for Great Gray Owls. 320th Place Road off Aitkin County #18 was the “Admiral and McDavitt Roads” of Willowsippi (Google Maps link). In addition this WMA is only a few miles distant from the Mississippi River (think bird migration highways).

Three mornings ago I drove the 90 minutes over to this region for some birding. It was a fun and very birdy time. How else may one describe seeing 39 Sharp-Tailed Grouse? I need to find their LEK to watch some serious dancing this winter.

In addition, this Northern Shrike and its much bigger Bald Eagle friend were searching for a kill.

Give this area near Hill City a try! Coming from the Duluth area or Sax-Zim Bog you will even get to visit the “Catfish Capital of the World“!

Boreal Forest Bog Tour

As noted with yesterday’s post about Surf City USA on Lake Superior, the weather up here in the Northland has been horrible. During these super poor birding conditions, I often go exploring. Sometimes I find my explorations have really bad potential (like yesterday NW of Sax-Zim Bog), but occasionally I find routes where the habitat looks grand even if I don’t see many birds. Two days ago I explored over toward Aitkin and a Boreal Forest Bog Area which Kim Eckert describes in his Birder’s Guide to Minnesota. Before Sax-Zim Bog became famous, this was where folks went in search of Great Gray Owls … County 18 and Pietz’s Road. Obviously I had to first get over to the area, and my mapped route travels along Boreal Forest Bog (County Rd #8) and the Mississippi RiverĀ  (Great River Road / Hwy 10). In better conditions, I suspect this could be a very good bird outing. One could shorten the drive from the Duluth area a bit by taking US #2, but I have never seen much along the stretch from Hwy 53 to Floodwood. Regardless, here is my map.


I have seen a few birds over the past week, but the pickings have been poor.

Wet Birds (Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Ruffed Grouse, Bald Eagle, Spruce Grouse)

Western Grebes Dancing!

Have you ever seen Western Grebes Dancing? If not, or you would just like to see this great spectacle once again, I have personally arranged a tour conducted by the locals on Lake Osakis (west central Minnesota … Osakis, Minnesota). For years the Grebes have danced as they courted on Lake Osakis. While there is no charge to take the boat tour (an 11 passenger pontoon boat), a donation to the Alexandria Area Let’s Go Fishing organization is HIGHLY encouraged! There is NO guarantee the Grebes will dance for us, but we will be visiting during the window when mating normally occurs.

You MUST contact me by email ASAP, and the spots are on a first come, first serve basis. My email address is RichardHoeg{at sign}GMail.com. You should be able to figure the email address out, but automated webbots cannot!

Basic details (specific details provided upon confirmation):

  • Wednesday, May 25th at 9:30 am on Lake Osakis (meet at 9:15 am)
  • Depending upon demand, another tour might run in the early afternoon.
  • No bad weather dates!

Photo Credit: Audubon.Org