Tag Archives: MN North: Pine Island State Forest

Toomey Time Birding & Spruce Scent Branches (Lynx et al)

Year 13,

This is my favorite birding time of year … fall migration. While it’s possible to get totally skunked while out on an excursion, it also is just as likely that one will have an amazing time … sometimes with unusual migrants. Remember, if you discover a cool bird, during Autumn if a good source of food is present, birds will linger in the immediate vicinity. Compare that to spring migration when it is a mad race to reach breading grounds to claim prime habitat.

Yesterday I drove Toomey-Williams & the Fiero Truck Trail in Minnesota’s Pine Island State Forest (west of Big Falls via Koochiching County Highway 30 … just south of International Falls). This is true wilderness. Expect to be “off the grid” and see zero other humans / cars except during grouse hunting season (starts September 19th). Even during hunting season, once the initial rush dies down, the woods become tranquil once again.

The bird of the day on both forest roads was definitely Broad-Winged Hawks. It is obvious the juveniles now must also now hunt for themselves, and parent birds are only occasionally feeding their first of year young. In 90 minutes of birding I saw ten broad-winged hawks, with most letting me watching their attempts to catch breakfast. Here is one such hawk …

Meanwhile over near Lake Superior I have been having great fun in the Greenwood Boreal Forest and Bog region. Both species of grouse are making their presence known early in the morning. I always find it comical that male grouse start strutting their stuff once more in the fall. I am pretty certain the ladies turn down their advances. Who wants to hatch grouse chicks in the middle of the Minnesota winter?!

Ruffed Grouse Stutting

Spruce Grouse Surveying

Finally I promised a “spruce scent” time. Enjoy this video of three different kinds of mammals checking out the spruce tree branches … black bear, Canada lynx, raccoon, and me … a human! (video link for blog email subscribers)

Toomey-Williams Forest Road

Year 13

I managed to take a quick birding escape a few days to “perhaps” my favorite spot in Minnesota for birding … Toomey-Williams Forest Road in the Pine Island State Forest. While my results were not fantastic, I did see many Red Crossbills and Broad-Winged Hawks. I am really beginning to wonder in the crossbills are irrupting south this year … the numbers are amazing.

Red-Crossbills

Broad-Winged Hawk

Birding Pine Island State Forest / Fiero Truck Trail

Year 13

If you like to bird Pine Island Forest west of Big Falls, which includes Toomey Williams Forest Road, Pine Island Forest Road and Fiero Truck Trail, this morning 3.5 miles north of Pine Island Road on Fiero Truck Trail there are now “no trespassing signs” on both sides of Fiero Truck Trail posted by the Red Lake Nation starting at Trapper Jim’s Corner (exactly 3.5 miles north of Pine Island Forest Road).

I suspect this is part of the dispute between the Red Lake Nation, the State of Minnesota and the federal government … mainly over Upper Red Lake which is 19 miles distant. Given the new signs, I turned around at Trapper Jim’s Corner, but the road is definitely still open. Continuing north eventually allows a person to exit the wilderness towards Littlefork via County #77, but would be trespassing on posted tribal lands. Thankfully the first 3.5 miles includes the best birding habitat on Fiero Truck Trail. I realize ownership of this land is in dispute. However, given the popularity of this wilderness area, I wanted folks to be informed. I saw zero “no trespassing” signs anywhere else which included Toomey-Williams, Pine Island and the first 3.5 miles of Fiero Truck Trail.

This is the Google Maps Link to Trapper Jim’s Corner