Spring Birding on the Gunflint Trail

The bright green of new growth, the smell of pine
needles in the sun, and the songs of warblers in
the trees­ these are some of the pleasures of
birding in spring along the Gunflint Trail in
Northern Minnesota. The highlights of the quest
for birds along the Trail are calling owls,
nesting songbirds, and the chance to see and hear
boreal birds more common farther to the north.

Some owls begin the nesting season before spring,
but the chance to hear owls calling lasts into
May. Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, Northern
Saw-Whet Owls are frequently heard after dark
from resorts and cabins along the Trail, and the
Gunflint Trail is one of the few places in the
Midwest where one has a chance to hear Boreal
Owls. Just pick a calm, dry night, step outside
your lodging, and give a listen.

Nesting songbirds provide endlessly interesting
sights and sounds in the spring. The varied mix
of woodlands along the Gunflint Trail offers the
chance to hear and see 26 species of wood
warblers (18 species are relatively common), a
group of birds sometimes referred to as "jewels
of the forest" for their bright colors. From late
May through the month of June, you'll hear
warblers singing in the morning almost anyplace
you stop along the Trail. Listening and then
watching for singing birds is the best way to catch a glimpse of warblers.

The Gunflint Trail is famous among birders for
its boreal species­birds that are common in the
inaccessible far north, but not usually seen in
Minnesota.  American Three-toed Woodpecker,
Black-backed Woodpecker, Philadelphia Vireo,
Boreal Chickadee, White-winged Crossbills, and
Evening Grosbeaks are all species that can be
found along the Trail. None of them is easy to
find, but there are few places like the Gunflint
Trail, where you have a chance looking and
listening from a roadside or from near your cabin.

Spring singing is one of the high points of the
birding year. In most songbird species, males
begin singing as soon as they return from the
south. They sing to attract mates, and once
successful, they sing to define and defend their
territories. Along the Gunflint Trail, this means
that from May into July, the morning chorus of
bird song is a deep pleasure. Learning the songs
of various species is one of the best ways there
is to connect with nature, but even if you don't
know which song goes with which bird, the sound
of birdsong can renew your spirit.

Birds can be quite particular about their nesting
habitats, and this can help you find birds that
are hard to find otherwise: look and listen for
Canada Warblers along creeks where there are
groves of mountain maple, for Black-throated Blue
Warblers in older stands of sugar maples, and
listen for the bright, complicated song of
Northern Waterthrushes along riversides.

The Gunflint Trail has two distinct landscape
zones, and these determine where to look for
which species. The base of the trail, from Grand
Marais up to around the middle of the trail, is a
mixture of habitats, with fewer conifers. Look
here for many of the wood warblers, and for
Philadelphia Vireos and Evening Grosbeaks. Stops
along creeks, rivers, and lakes can produce many species in this zone.

 From the middle of the trail out to the end, the
landscape is more boreal­rocky soil and
coniferous forests. This is the place to look for
rare woodpeckers, crossbills, and Boreal
Chickadees. The end of the trail is also the site
of the Ham Lake fire of 2007. Watching how the
forest comes back from a fire is one of the
wonders of nature, and there are several spots
along the Gunflint Trail where it will be easy to watch this spring.

Burned-over areas are also prime nesting areas
for birds that use cavities; along the Gunflint
Trail that can mean great opportunities to see
six species of woodpeckers, American Kestrels,
Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, and others.
Look for areas with charred, standing trees, and
then just watch for activities. These species
will be active around nests in May, June, and
July, when there can seem to be young birds everywhere.

Searching for birds along the Gunflint Trail in
spring promises an engaging outdoor experience,
along with the beauty of wildflowers, the smell
of the spring forest, and the joy of getting
outside in a beautiful, wild place.

Those wishing to experience spring birding with
expert guides are invited to register and attend
the Spring Boreal Birding and Northern Landscapes
Festival.  Please see:
http://www.northhouse.org/birding/spring/index_spring.html

For general Gunflint Trail information, birding
information, go to: http://www.gunflint-trail.com/ or (1-800) 338-6932.

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