One does not think of “grassland birds” and the Northland at the same time. Boreal Forest is the habitat which quickly comes to mind in our area, but if you know where to look, there are some great grassland habitats both in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin.

Driving Wisconsin 13 towards BayField but not further than the Cloverland Town Hall and the Johnson Mitigation Wetlands provides excellent grassland habitat (once one leaves US53 a few miles behind). I found this Upland Sandpiper (a rare find for our area) on Poplar River Road. Believe it or not my viewing opportunities for this bird are already getting shorter. Within a few weeks it will be one of our first southward migrants … on its way to South America.

The other area I like is the farmland in and around Meadowlands, and just south of Sax-Zim Bog. A drive through the grasslands may be combined with some great Boreal birding only a few miles apart. This Dickcissel, which is always a later arrival (and some summers not at all) , was advertising for a mate on Andrews Junction Road.

And of course … old reliable, the Bobolink!

Finally a grassland drive is quite pretty right now. The wildflowers are beginning to be spectacular. It is Lupine time near Lake Superior!