Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Friday, February 19, 2010

Sax-Zim Bog



We took a little mini-vacation this week with our friends Gary and Rosie. The object was to check out the Sax-Zim Bog. I had been in the area numerous times previously but only in the summer, when my brother lived near Eveleth, Minnesota. Then it was for fishing, as we had a secret "honey hole," near the small town of Melrude. This time it was for a different purpose. Ice fishing is not for me!

The Sax-Zim Bog is known statewide as a great area for birding. It's not exactly as scenic as the great pine forests of the northeastern "Arrowhead Country," which encompass the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness. Bog here means low lying wet areas of scruffy tamarack, spruce and white cedar. Scattered about one sees a few hayfields and some not very prosperous looking farms. The towns are also minute with few, if any, appearing to have much going for them The area has no lakes to offer as an attraction for tourists. Much of the land is held in various public forms.
What attracts here is a special collection of birds. Some are permanent residents like the Northern Goshawk, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Great Gray Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Black-billed Magpie, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. These are birds which are not often seen in other parts of the state. Others are visitors from across the border in Canada. If food is short in Canada during the wintertime, Rough-legged Hawks, Snowy Owls, Northern Hawk Owls, Northern Shrikes, and several kinds of Crossbills and Redpolls may appear. If they appear in great numbers as the Great Gray Owls did in 2005, it's called an "invasion." These are the kind of invasions we like!

I have seen Great Gray Owls flyfishing in the mountains of southwestern Montana. This time I hoped to see them here along with several other owl species. It was not to be, but we had a great time anyway. Here are just a few of the highlights.

The Pine Grosbeak family.

The Pine Grosbeaks, who live in the boreal forests of Canada were a "lifer" for me. We saw several small flocks hanging around "feeding stations." What a gorgeous bird. The males with cranberry wine coloring and black and white wingbars.




We had hoped to see some Boreal Chickadees but instead the Blackcapped versions were busy zipping about everywhere.
In days gone by, I would have been quite astonished to see a Ruffed Grouse sitting in the bushes before getting a shot off. Even my hunting dogs seemed startled, compared to the pheasants whom they usually tracked quite readily. Now that I'm pointing a camera instead of a gun it seems a little easier.


Another bird I was quite pleased to see were flocks of Evening Grosbeaks. When my brother lived near Eveleth we used to see dozens at his feeders. Now they seems quite rare. Perhaps there content to stay further north or perhaps there numbers might sadly be declining. We saw them both feeding in the ditch along the road and high in a several trees working on some kind of berries. Adding to our list of sighting were red-breasted nuthatches, crows, goldfinches, blue and grays jays, a hairy woodpecker, a raven and a bald eagle.

I do suspect, however, that summer in this area would produce a bumper crop of our alternate state bird - the giant bloodthirsty, supersized Minnesota mosquito. Winter looks to me like the best time for birding in the Sax-Zim bog!

20 comments:

  1. those mosquitos rule here too along with their cousins the "black flies" and "no-seeums"... June - July 4th. I swear they all leave on July 5th!

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  2. Lucky you to see those Evening Grosbeaks. I think only one was spotted the entire weekend of the Sax-Zim festival.

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  3. Interesting Post! Nice photos and that mosquito looks pretty ferocious.

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  4. beautiful birds...some i had never seen before..thanks for sharing.

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  5. Great photos. Beautiful birds.

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  6. thanks for the lovely photos....I would never get to see those wonderful birds without you.

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  7. What a great post! Love that ruffed grouse! :-) And the Grosbeaks! You do see birds we don't. Thanks for sharing. (I thought you might have some type of adventure... you know... a familiar tree wrapped in blue tarp?) ha. Have a great weekend.

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  8. My mom loved Chickadees. I loved the Grosbeak with the long neck! I don't like ice fishing either. No fun sitting out in the cold for me.

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  9. You certainly are getting to some great places TB and I am loving reading and seeing them through your eyes.

    Besides the mosquitoes, this seems like a wonderful place to be. I find that these way out tiny places hold much for us nature loves as they are unspoilt areas most of the time and we can find so much of interest there.

    Of course, the fishing should be great too. :)

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  10. Oh, those Grosbeaks are so beautiful! I especially love the coloration of the Evening Grosbeak...wow. Lucky you!!

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  11. I have seen all except the beautiful cranberry colored grosbeaks right here at my feeders! BTW, thanks for the comment on my "Eye" blog and I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for your loss. I can relate...

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  12. Wonderful post. I do love those grosbeaks.

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  13. Hi!
    What a great fun you had bird watching! We see the rose-breasted grosbeak here ... it's always so amazing to see the variety from around the country.
    I love their little song ... I recorded it once (on my cellphone ;o) from the kitchen window.

    Your pic of the mosquito makes me REALLY appreciate the cold months we have here in the N.E.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog too... and Yes, middle school students are their own special breed. Gotta love them... they need a lot of assurance during those tender years.

    Have a wonderful weekend! ~Maria

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  14. I remember hearing the drumming of the Ruffed Grouse when I was a young woman and lived in New Hampshire. I am curious about this bog you visited. Beautiful wild orchids bloom in New England bogs. Do you know if there are orchids in the Sax-Zim bog in summer? If there are I hope you take pictures!

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  15. Evening grosbeaks are still on my list to see! What a nice shot you captured of this little fellow! Funky name there..Sax-zim bog..but it looks like it was worth the trip...you got some neat shots of some neat birds!!

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  16. Sorry don't mean to clutter your blog comments...but if you send me an e-mail address .. I will send you some specific info about where to bird on Sanibel and a few off island destinations. My address is Siennablu@aol.com label it Sanibel..so I recognize its from u and not throw it in the spam pile!

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  17. Oh I'm so jealous you saw the Evening Grosbeaks! They are so beautiful.

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  18. Nice birds! The only one of those I've seen is the Evening Grosbeak... they were actually in Alabama several years ago.

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  19. I LOVE THESE PICTURES!

    and I like both of your blogs...

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