Minnesota in Winter

Traveling to Minnesota in the depth of winter may seem to defy reason, but for the birdwatcher, the season and place combine to produce a mouth-watering array of species. Northern owls always inspire the greatest interest; we’ll look for Snowy, Great Gray, and Northern Hawk Owls, and if we’re particularly lucky, we may find a Boreal Owl. Sharp-tailed and Ruffed Grouse are usually easier to find at this season, when energy demands dictate that they feed frequently and often conspicuously during daylight hours, and we have a reasonable chance at Spruce Grouse. Past tours have recorded as many as six species of woodpeckers, including Black-backed and American Three-toed, and the standard cadre of regular winter finches—Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbill and Common Redpoll—are sometimes augmented by less predictable species including White-winged Crossbill and Hoary Redpoll. And if regular winter residents such as Northern Shrike, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and Bohemian Waxwing weren’t enough, each year seems to harbor a surprise or two. Recent tours have recorded Ivory and Slaty-backed Gulls, Harlequin Duck, and Townsend’s Solitaire. There are also some great mammals—we’ve seen Moose on half our winter trips. We have also seen Gray Wolf at close range, and once a Lynx!

Weather conditions, including temperature and snow depth, vary from year to year. Food resources, and by extension bird population levels, fluctuate as well, so no two consecutive winters are the same. The weather can be challenging, with wind, snow, and sub-zero temperatures possible, but by dressing appropriately we’ll find deep winter surprisingly manageable, the landscape beautiful, and the birds well worth the effort. Our itinerary will remain flexible, allowing us to travel to the places where our target birds are most likely to be found.