Tag Archives: MN South: Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

Minnesota Water Bird Summer Excursions

Year 13, ,

Over the past week I have checked out some of my favorite water bird locations … from the Twin Cities Metro … to Central Minnesota … to Northeast Minnesota. I have described each location’s habitat and access method. All are easy birding excursions. I will work from South to North in terms of geography.

Three Ponds Park in Plymouth, Minnesota (Google Maps Link)

Visit this location VERY early in the morning. There will be less “human activity” and birds will be more easily seen (i.e. closer up). Try walking the earthen trails, not just the paved trails. Whenever you reach “an opening”, inch forward into a viewing location. You are less likely to scare birds.

Green Herons

Sherburne Wildlife Drive (Google Maps Link)

These wetlands are located not too far NW of the Twin Cities northwestern suburbs … about a 45 minute drive in “non rush hour” traffic from Plymouth’s French Park. Once again, visit early in the morning. You will be driving a 7 mile “one way” dirt road. Later in the morning there can be lots of birders, and the birds themselves will have finished their early morning feed.

Pied Grebe

Lester River Ravine in Duluth (Google Maps Link)

You will be turning off Superior Steet onto 61st Avenue East … a dead end road that only runs for a short distance to a very small park area near the mouth of the river on Lake Superior. From this parking you may also access the LakeWalk highway tunnel to reach Brighton Beach, but for our purposes … within 30 yards of your parking spot are overlooks looking out over the river and into the ravine plus stairs which allow you to safely climb down to the river where you will find short hiking trails. Belted Kingfishers nest every year in the cliffs opposite the bank where the shores descend. A pair of beavers hang out but are only seen at night, and depending upon the time of year one may see fish eating ducks.

Belted Kingfisher

Sherburne Northern Saw-Whet Owlet!

Year 13

I had a medical appointment in the Twin Cities yesterday (all fine), but I had heard there was a Northern Saw-Whet owl family hanging out in a dead tree at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. While the refuge is definitely not on the direct route south from Duluth to Minneapolis, neither is it horribly out of the way. Thus, I made certain I was on the road shortly after 5 am for my planned detour.

Thankfully, one of the owlets made an appearance after I had waited patiently for one hour. While I understand that “the owlet” is the attraction, these three images demonstrate things to consider for photography:

  1. While everyone “wants the close-up”. I actually think the close-up image is the most boring photograph. Habitat makes a photograph much more interesting.
  2. Given the Northern Saw-whet’s plumage and the tree’s bark (light grays and browns), I chose to underexpose my images by “one stop”. At a fyi, I underexpose most photographs for birds with lighter plumage in direct sunlight to avoid washouts
  3. The final two photographs include habitat, and are much preferred by me.

Sherburne National Wildlife Preserve Prairie’s Edge Wildlife Drive

Year 12

The family gathered in the Twin Cities to baptize our eighth grandchild, but as the younger generation when not at work (or school) tends to sleep in on weekends. Thus early mornings I could go birding and my choice both Saturday and Sunday was to visit the Sherburne National Wildlife Preserve (NW of the Twin Cities). I arrived both days around 7 am, and drove the seven mile dirt road loop. The wetlands and hardwoods makes for a birding Mecca. This time of year different birds are arriving back north from migration daily. This is an excellent place to visit from Spring through Fall. Here is the GPS Google Maps Link.

Just a few of the bird species I saw …

Belted Kingfisher (female)

Eastern Kingbird

Green Heron

Red-Winged Blackbird

Sandhill Crane (and blue-winged teal)

Yellow Warbler

My granddaughter’s baptism! (private ceremony before church)