Field Trips
Sax-Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival
February 17-19, 2011
*All field trips include a box lunch of 6-inch sub sandwich, chips, and bottled water.
Blue Jay
Friday, February 17th NEW TRIP ADDED
FIELD TRIP IS FULL! SORRY!
Friday, February 17th
Great Gray Owl Dusk Search
• Board the school bus at 4:00 p.m. at the Meadowlands Community Center.
• Leave parking lot by 4:00 p.m.
• Back at the Meadowlands Community Center at 6:00 p.m.
We will meet at the Meadowlands Community Center at 4:00 p.m, leaving by 4:30 p.m. We will return at 6:00 p.m. This trip is just look for any Great Gray Owls along the roadsides during the dusk hours. Great Gray Owls in non-irruption years are normally most active during the dawn and dusk. Sometimes on dark cloudy days you can spot a Great Gray Owl during daytime hours. We will concentrate on those roads that in the past have favored Great Gray Owls.
Saturday, February 18th – Field Trips
Sax-Zim Bog
• Board the bus at 6:30 a.m. at the Meadowlands Community Center.
• Leave parking lot by 7:00 a.m.
• Trip ends at Meadowlands Community Center at 3:30 p.m.
The Sax Zim Bog is on most birders’ list of places to go to see northern birds. On this trip, the leaders will take you on several back roads in search of northern birds and Minnesota specialties. We will bird in the early morning hours to look for Great Gray Owls hunting along the roadside for voles and mice. We’ll also stop at local feeding stations for Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, and possibly Gray Jays, Boreal Chickadee or a Hoary Redpoll. We’ll also stop at a few known spots to look for Black-backed Woodpeckers and Three-toed Woodpeckers working the trunks of tamarack and black spruce trees. If there are any stake-out locations for Northern Hawk Owls or Snowy Owls, the trip will visit these location as well. Other birds such as White-winged Crossbill, Red Crossbill, Black-billed Magpie, Northern Shrike, and Snow Bunting are all good possibilities to see on this trip.
There will a portable bathrooms at one of the feeding stations and along the Zim Road on the north end of “bog”.
Duluth
• Board the bus at 6:00 a.m. at the Meadowlands Community Center.
• Leave parking lot by 6:30 a.m.
• Pick up participants at the Perkins Restaurant at the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth at 7:15 a.m.
• Back at the Perkins Restaurant at 3:00 p.m. and back at the Meadowlands Community Center by 3:45 p.m.
This trip heads right to Duluth to look for Snowy Owls at the International Airport and down in the harbor areas. We will also visit the landfill outside of Superior Wisconsin to look for Thayer’s Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, and possibly find a Great Black-backed Gull or a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Last year, a Slaty-backed Gull was seen several times at the landfill. We will head back to Duluth search the harbors in the event a Gyrfalcon is spending the winter near the grain elevators. If there are any stake-out Varied Thrushes or Townsend Solitaires in the Duluth area we will make sure to stop to find these casual western visitors. We’ll also stop at the Canal Park area to see if any gulls are loafing on the break walls and scan through all the Common Goldeneyes for anything different such as a Long-tailed Duck, scoter species, or possibly a Harlequin Duck. We’ll also stop at a feeder outside of Duluth to look for northern finches.
If you are lodging in Duluth and would rather not drive to Meadowlands to board the bus for this trip, note that the bus will stop at the Miller Hill Mall Perkins Restaurant parking lot to pick birders at 7:15 a.m., and returning there at 3:00 p.m. Please park your car in the mall parking lot and walk over to the restaurant. Directions to Perkins Restaurant if you are lodging along I-35, London Road, or in the Canal Park area in Duluth: Take I-35 to 21st Avenue West and exit on 21st Avenue West/U.S. Highway 53. Go north through 3 stoplights. When you come to the 4th stoplight (near the Home Depot) take a left turn toward the Miller Hill Mall and look to your right and you will see Perkins Restaurant. If you are lodging up near the Miller Hill Mall area (along U.S. Highway 53) you can walk to Perkins and leave your car at the hotel.
Aitkin County
• Board the bus at 5:30 a.m. at the Meadowlands Community Center.
• Leave parking lot by 6:00 a.m.
• Pick up participants at the Stardust Motel in Floodwood at 6:30 a.m.
• Back in Floodwood at the Stardust Motel at 3:30 p.m. and Meadowlands Community Center by 4:00 p.m.
We leave Meadowlands and drive to Floodwood. Along the way, we’ll keep an eye out for Great Gray and Snowy Owls. From Floodwood, we head south on State Highway 65 to State Highway 210 (Cromwell), then west on 210 to Tamarack. Tamarack has been a popular destination during the winter months to view Sharp-tailed Grouse. Sometime the grouse will even display in the middle of winter. We will stop at a few fields to look for Sharp-taileds in the early morning hours. There is bog habitat north of Tamarack that has been good for Black-backed Woodpeckers and occasionally Three-toed Woodpeckers. There are feeders along the way that are worth investigating for winter finches. The field trip then heads west to McGregor in Aitkin County, then north to Palisade. Along the way, we should see Snow Buntings in the fields and Northern Shrikes up on telephone poles or trees. From Palisade, we will head to Aitkin County Road 18 to spend some time looking for Boreal Chickadees, winter finches, and possibly owls such as Great Gray or Snowy. Northern Hawk Owls have also been found here hunting in the open fields.
If there are any stake-out owls nearby, we will make sure to stop at those locations. There should be good numbers of Rough-legged Hawks in the open fields. Aitkin County Road 18 is one of the best locations in Minnesota to look for Great Gray Owls, a permanent resident that breeds there. If you are lodging in Floodwood or Cloquet, the bus will be stopping at the Stardust Motel in Floodwood at 6:30 a.m. and dropping birders off at there at 3:30 p.m.
We will make restroom stops in Cromwell, McGregor, and Palisade.
Saturday, February 18th – Optional Field Trips
Bird Photography I & II with Paul Bannick
Paul will work with a small group to improve bird photography skills. He will look at technical considerations of depth of field, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, shooting modes and lens selection as well as finding, stalking and being unobtrusive with subjects. Paul will shoot with students and work individually with them on accomplishing their objectives
Bird Photography I 6:00am – 12pm
Bird Photography II 12pm – 4:30pm
Meet Paul Bannick at the Meadowlands Community Center at the starting times for each session.
Max 10 people per session.
Observing & Banding Northern Shrikes with Ryan Brady
Ryan will lead a group around Sax-Zim Bog looking for Northern Shrikes to band as part of his project. Ryan will teach participants on how to age Northern Shrikes in the hand. Come along and observe Ryan on how traps shrikes and methods he uses to collect data on Northern Shrikes. This is a great opportunity to be part of a project and also observe close up views of Northern Shrikes!
8:30am – 12pm
Meet at the Meadowlands Community Center at 8:30am for carpooling.
Max 15 people.
Sunday, February 19th – Field Trips
Sax-Zim Bog
• Board the bus at 6:30 a.m. at the Meadowlands Community Center.
• Leave parking lot by 7:00 a.m.
• Trip ends at Meadowlands Community Center at 3:30 p.m.
The Sax Zim Bog is on most birders’ list of places to go to see northern birds. On this trip, the leaders will take you on several back roads in search of northern birds and Minnesota specialties. We will bird in the early morning hours to look for Great Gray Owls hunting along the roadside for voles and mice. We’ll also stop at local feeding stations for Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, and possibly Gray Jays, Boreal Chickadee or a Hoary Redpoll. We’ll also stop at a few known spots to look for Black-backed Woodpeckers and Three-toed Woodpeckers working the trunks of tamarack and black spruce trees. If there are any stake-out locations for Northern Hawk Owls or Snowy Owls, the trip will visit these location as well. Other birds such as White-winged Crossbill, Red Crossbill, Black-billed Magpie, Northern Shrike, and Snow Bunting are all good possibilities to see on this trip.
There will a portable bathrooms at one of the feeding stations and along the Zim Road on the north end of “bog”.
Duluth
• Board the bus at 6:00 a.m. at the Meadowlands Community Center.
• Leave parking lot by 6:30 a.m.
• Pick up participants at the Perkins Restaurant at the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth at 7:15 a.m.
• Back at the Perkins Restaurant at 3:00 p.m. and back at the Meadowlands Community Center by 3:45 p.m.
This trip heads right to Duluth to look for Snowy Owls at the International Airport and down in the harbor areas. We will also visit the landfill outside of Superior Wisconsin to look for Thayer’s Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, and possibly find a Great Black-backed Gull or a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Last year, a Slaty-backed Gull was seen several times at the landfill. We will head back to Duluth search the harbors in the event a Gyrfalcon is spending the winter near the grain elevators. If there are any stake-out Varied Thrushes or Townsend Solitaires in the Duluth area we will make sure to stop to find these casual western visitors. We’ll also stop at the Canal Park area to see if any gulls are loafing on the break walls and scan through all the Common Goldeneyes for anything different such as a Long-tailed Duck, scoter species, or possibly a Harlequin Duck. We’ll also stop at a feeder outside of Duluth to look for northern finches. If you are lodging in Duluth and would rather not drive to Meadowlands to board the bus for this trip, note that the bus will stop at the Miller Hill Mall Perkins Restaurant parking lot to pick birders at 7:15 a.m., and returning there at 3:00 p.m. Please park your car in the mall parking lot and walk over to the restaurant. Directions to Perkins Restaurant if you are lodging along I-35, London Road, or in the Canal Park area in Duluth: Take I-35 to 21st Avenue West and exit on 21st Avenue West/U.S. Highway 53. Go north through 3 stoplights. When you come to the 4th stoplight (near the Home Depot) take a left turn toward the Miller Hill Mall and look to your right and you will see Perkins Restaurant. If you are lodging up near the Miller Hill Mall area (along U.S. Highway 53) you can walk to Perkins and leave your car at the hotel.
Aitkin County
• Board the bus at 5:30 a.m. at the Meadowlands Community Center.
• Leave parking lot by 6:00 a.m.
• Pick up participants at the Stardust Motel in Floodwood at 6:30 a.m.
• Back in Floodwood at the Stardust Motel at 3:30 p.m. and Meadowlands Community Center by 4:00 p.m.
We leave Meadowlands and drive to Floodwood. Along the way, we’ll keep an eye out for Great Gray and Snowy Owls. From Floodwood, we head south on State Highway 65 to State Highway 210 (Cromwell), then west on 210 to Tamarack. Tamarack has been a popular destination during the winter months to view Sharp-tailed Grouse. Sometime the grouse will even display in the middle of winter. We will stop at a few fields to look for Sharp-taileds in the early morning hours. There is bog habitat north of Tamarack that has been good for Black-backed Woodpeckers and occasionally Three-toed Woodpeckers. There are feeders along the way that are worth investigating for winter finches. The field trip then heads west to McGregor in Aitkin County, then north to Palisade. Along the way, we should see Snow Buntings in the fields and Northern Shrikes up on telephone poles or trees. From Palisade, we will head to Aitkin County Road 18 to spend some time looking for Boreal Chickadees, winter finches, and possibly owls such as Great Gray or Snowy. Northern Hawk Owls have also been found here hunting in the open fields.
If there are any stake-out owls nearby, we will make sure to stop at those locations. There should be good numbers of Rough-legged Hawks in the open fields. Aitkin County Road 18 is one of the best locations in Minnesota to look for Great Gray Owls, a permanent resident that breeds there. If you are lodging in Floodwood or Cloquet, the bus will be stopping at the Stardust Motel in Floodwood at 6:30 a.m. and dropping birders off at there at 3:30 p.m.
We will make restroom stops in Cromwell, McGregor, and Palisade.
