Minnesota / Wisconsin: Trinity Mountain Outdoor Adventures Magazine; Natural History Eco-Tours & Travel

In mid September we drove from Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN to Grantsburg, WI, to visit the famed Crex Meadows Wildlife Area. From downtown Minneapolis it took us about an hour and a half to get to Grantsburg, because we stopped at the Marshland Visitor Center on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River, where you can find purple fringed orchids, sphagnum moss and skunk cabbage.

The Crex Meadows Wildlife Areas consists of 30,000 acres of wetlands (many of them created by dikes), brush prairies, and oak and jack pine forests. The American Bird Conservancy includes Crex Meadows as one of the 500 Globally Important Bird Areas in the United States. It is home to over 270 species of birds, nearly every mammal found in Wisconsin, and a wide variety of reptiles, amphibians and insects.

In the fall visitors may see as many as 50 bald eagles, 8,000 sandhill ranes, 12,000 Canada and snow geese, 20,000 coots and thousands of ducks. It has breeding populations of timber wolves, ospreys, bald eagles, trumpeter swans, Karner blue butterflies, Blanding turtles, and red-necked grebes. In addition it contains several varieties of wildflowers and important native grasses.

We drove north out of the Twin Cities on I 35 to MN Highway 70 and headed east to Grantsburg. Once we were in Grantsburg we followed the painted yellow geese on the road to Crex Meadows, about two miles outside of town. At the Visitor Center I picked up a map, and talked to one of the volunteers, who pointed out where the sandhill cranes, one bald eagle nest, four osprey nests, and the resident timber wolf pack could be found.

We no more than headed down our first dirt road into the wildlife area than we saw a doe white-tailed deer. And then, about a half mile further down the road my wife Diane spotted a family of three sandhill cranes near a small pond right next to the road. My daughter Tawnya grabbed the Canon Rebel camera with the 200mm AF lens and took several pictures of the magnificent birds as they fed within 50 yards of our vehicle.

Sandhill Cranes

As we drove away from the sandhills we saw a Cooper's hawk fly overhead. We also saw several great blue herons, great egrets, more sandhill cranes, Canada geese, and several family groups of trumpeter swans as we continued our slow drive. In order to see the birds better I grabbed a pair of binoculars, and put on a pair of Walker's Game Ears, from Affinity Medical Technology, which manufactures and recently began marketing the Game Ears.

The binoculars helped me see the birds better, and, with the Game Ears I could hear the guttural calls of the cranes, the honking of the geese, and the whoo-whoo of the swans even though they were from 50-200 yards away. Because it was windy I turned the volume up, and then with another dial I turned the Frequency Adjusting Control to block out the sound of the wind and blowing vegetation, which allowed me to hear the birds more clearly.

I've used amplified earphones for hunting before, but had never thought about using them for birding until this trip. Listening to the far off calls of all those birds made me realize what an asset the Game Ears would be in all of my birding endeavors. By using them I would be able to hear birds much better when they were far away, when I was in a deep woods, and when other sounds blocked out the sounds of the birds. They would become part of my birding paraphernalia, or "toys", as my wife calls them.

As we drove down the road we saw several different types of habitat, from small ponds and large marshes of cattail, bulrush and phragmites, to sandy prairies of native grasses, to jack pine and oak savannas. In several areas the ground was covered in a riot of colors with late summer wildflowers; including yellow-gold sunflowers, blue and purple asters (there are five different species here), purple rough blazing star, silvery sage, and several species of white composite flowers. I took pictures of any "new" species to add to my growing archive of flower photos, so I could identify them later.

We continued down the road until I spotted a flock of about 20 great egrets flying overhead. As I stopped the car the flock swung lower, looking as if the birds wanted to land. I quickly grabbed the Canon Rebel, and took a coupe of shots as they came closer. The, to our surprise the birds landed in the pond about fifty yards from the vehicle. I got several shots of the birds as they landed, and will post them as soon as they are developed.

Next we came to a several food plots of sunflowers and corn, where we saw several flocks of sandhill cranes (1000+ in all) and several flocks of Canada geese. We watched and listened in wonder as the sandhill cranes landed and fed, all the while making their guttural croaking sounds. As it always does, the sounds of wild animals brought to me a sense of peace, a dormant memory of a less complicated, less stressful time in human history; which is why I enjoy the outdoors so much. It fulfills some inner need within me to commune with nature.

We followed the road until we got to a location where the volunteer at the nature center said there was an osprey nest. The nest was clearly visible, from even a quarter of a mile away. And when we looked at it through our binoculars we could clearly see an osprey sitting in the nest. As I again put on my Game Ears I could hear the distant sounds of sandhill cranes, Canada geese and trumpeter swans. Then Tawnya noticed a large bird soaring overhead, which turned out to be a bald eagle, that stayed overhead for several minutes as we drove down the road.

Sandhills at Sunset, by Tawnya Michels

Our next stop was near the area where the volunteer said the Crex Meadow wolf pack had a burrow. Since it was early afternoon I did not expect to see or here the wolves, but I wanted to mark the location and look it over in the daylight, so we could come back in February or early March, during the breeding season, when we were most likely to hear the wolves howling.

We left the scenic parking area overlooking the wolve's home grounds, and headed toward one of the dikes that created a large marsh, hoping to see more waterfowl, and wading birds and shorebirds. And, we were not disappointed. As we drove slowly up to the shore of the marsh we saw a family of sandhill cranes, two pairs of trumpeter swans, several families of Canada geese, and several shorebirds. When I got out my binoculars I could clearly see both greater and lesser yellowlegs, dowitchers, solitary and spotted sandpipers, and a Wilson's phalarope.

Several other birds were too far off to determine what they were, so I intend to get a pair of higher powered binoculars; probably the Stokes DLS 10x42 Birding Series from Eagle Optics, and possibly one of their Raven Straight Scopes with 78mm lens and 20-60 power eyepieces. Good optics are a must for the serious birder, even if my wife does think of them as my "toys".

If you are interested in birding or wildflowers, this is a great destination for a family trip, only a couple of hours drive from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Or you are more than welcome to join us on one of our tours of this area from spring through fall for birds and wildflowers, or in February or March for wolf tours.

Sandhill Cranes

On October 8 we want back to Crex Meadows hoping to see migratory waterfowl. Unfortunately it had been very warm for the last few weeks, so we were a week or two early. We did see several hundred of the several thousand sandhill cranes that were on the refuge, about a hundred trumpeter swans, 12 bald eagles, several dozen northern harriers (gray males, tan females and brown juveniles), hundreds of coots, and pied-billed grebes. We also saw several greater yellowlegs, a small flock of Wilson's snipe, several juncos, blue jays and numerous unidentifiable sparrows.

And then, just as we were leaving we saw a Blanding's turtle in the road; a first for all of us.

Blanding's Turtle

We took several photos of birds and scenery with the Canon PowerShot S3 IS we purchased earlier that morning. When I downloaded the photos to the computer I was very impressed with the quality, even using the 12x optical capability. However, clarity decreased and noise increased when we used the additional 4x digital magnification, especially when the combined magnification was over 24x. Clarity was still quite good at 24x magnification.

On October 15 we drove back to Crex Meadows. As we drove north out of St. Paul we kept a watchful eye on the sunrise, which promised to be spectacular. Both Tawny and I are sunrise and sunset watchers. If you want to see a great light-show get up early or stay up late, and watch the sunrise and sunset on partly cloudy days. It's as if God is saying, "You want to see something spectacular? Watch this." And Tawnya and I always do.

On this particular day we kept watching to see what would unfold. As we reached the Minnesota/Wisconsin border the sky began to turn purple, and we quickly found a spot to pull over and take photos as the sky changed from purple, red and orange - to blue and rose.

At Crex Meadow we took photos of sandhill cranes and Canada geese feeding, trumpeter swans resting and a feeding American woodcock.

We saw a juvenile northern harrier standing on a muskrat hive, which you rarely see. I tried to get a photo of it, but before I could zoom the camera out the bird took to the skies. I did get one photo of it flying.

We also saw a Cooper's hawk sitting on a dead tree limb lying in a pond about 30 yards from the car. But, before we could get a photo the hawk flew off and landed in a tree about 70 yard away, where all Tawnya could get was a dark silhouette.

At one of the dried up ponds we saw over 100 shorebirds feeding on the mud flats; including pectoral sandpipers, and greater and lesser yellowlegs.

Central Minnesota Tours

During mid-September we drove to the Carlos Avery Game Refuge and the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.

Carlos Avery Game Refuge Tours

Carlos Avery is located about 30 miles north of the Twin Cities near Forest Lake. It lies on the Anoka Sand Plain, poorly drained sandy soil with low fertility; it is about two-thirds upland and one-third wetland. The upland forests consist of forests, grasslands and fields The wetlands are about fifty percent shallow marshes and fifty percent open water. It consists of approximately 23,000 acres; 6,000 of which are wetlands impounded by 21 miles of dikes. Over 270 species of birds, including passerines, waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds sandhill cranes, hawks, eagles, owls pheasants, turkey and ruffed grouse have been seen on the refuge.

We often tour this area during the spring and fall bird migrations to view songbirds and waterfowl. Unfortunately a few days before we arrived there had been severe storms and tornadoes in the area, which resulted in several downed trees across the roads, so we could not access much of the refuge. Fortunately we had a back plan to visit the Sherburne National Wildlife Area about an hour and a half away.

Wildlife Science Center Wolf Tours

On October 7 we visited the Wildlife Science Center at Carlos Avery Game Refuge. While we were there I met with Bob Ebsen, Education Director for the Center, and discussed the possibility of my providing seminars on white-tailed deer, wild turkey, ducks, geese and elk biology and behavior; and reading and interpreting animal sign and tracking animals.

We also set a tentative date for a January tour of the facility, to learn about the animals they have. There are 43 gray wolves (including Mexican gray wolves and great plains wolves), 10 endangered red wolves, 5 hybrid wolves, 2 Canada lynx, 1 red fox, 1 skunk, 1 porcupine, 7 birds of prey, 3 bears, 2 gray fox, 3 raccoons and 2 New Guinea highland dogs at the facility.

We will be offering year round trips to the Center from now on. To set up a trip give us a call at least a month in advance.

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

Sherburne National Wildlife Area is about an hour north of Minneapolis, on State Highway 10, and a few miles north of Big lake on Sherburne County Road 5. The refuge encompasses 30,700 acres, consisting of a mosaic of oak savanna, wetlands and grassland openings. It is a transition zone between the eastern forested areas and the western tallgrass prairies of central Minnesota.

While the entire area is excellent habitat for the 233 species of birds recorded on the refuge, and for the variety of wildflowers found here, a central feature of the refuge is the 7.3 mile Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive, which allows visitors to observe the flowers and birds from their vehicles, at selected viewing areas, or any place they choose to stop, get out, hike and look around. However, it is often best to use your vehicle as a blind from which to view the birds and animals.

There is no visitor center here, but there are a couple of information kiosks, where you can pick up information and maps of the area. We used one of the maps to direct us to the scenic drive, where we spotted several varieties of wildflowers, including purple rough blazing star, blue asters, several species of yellow/gold goldenrod and sunflowers, and several other species I could not identify. I took photos for later identification.

Along the drive we watched three families of sandhill cranes land in a marsh behind us, which held great several blue herons and great egrets. Further along we spotted a pied-billed grebe and about 50 double crested cormorants in marsh that was covered with lily pads, a few of the large white flowers with yellow centers still in bloom.

We stopped in an oak savanna to listen to black-capped chickadees, blue jays, a cardinal and a few other birds too far off to identify. Then, as we passed another marsh Diane spotted a huge bald eagle's nest, with one of the magnificent white-headed birds sitting in a nearby tree. As we watched the eagle a small flock of gadwalls joined the mallards and blue-winged teal already on the water.

Birds that have been seen on the refuge include the white-throated, grasshopper and savanna sparrow, ovenbird, yellow-throated, red-eyed, Philadelphia and warbling vireos, black duck, northern shoveler, bufflehead, gadwall, ring-necked duck, blue-winged teal, trumpeter swan, black tern, sandhill crane, black-crowned night heron, ring-necked duck, broad-winged, red-shouldered and rough-legged hawk, Virginia rail, sora, solitary, spotted and upland sandpipers, long-eared, great-horned and eastern screech owls, several flycatchers, and a myriad of warblers and sparrows.

Although we were late for songbirds and many of the wildflowers, and too early for the waterfowl migration, we will definitely be visiting this area later in the fall during the waterfowl migration, and next spring and summer to view the wildflowers, and to watch and listen to the birds of this fascinating refuge, especially since it is a short drive from the Twin Cities.

On October 6 we saw and photographed bald eagles and kingfishers. We also saw several northern harriers, a red-tailed hawk, and I heard chickadees and eastern bluebirds.

Northwest Minnesota Tours

Lake Superior North Shore Tours

On August 8, 2006 we went on a Lake Superior North Shore Tour, including Twin Harbors lighthouse and Goosberry Falls State Park As we drove north out of Mpls/St. Paul on I-35, at about mile 230, we began to see wildflowers we don't have in southern Minnesota. We took pictures of yellow buton-flowered common tansy, lilac-colored aster, pink fireweed, and white daisy. We also saw a few turkey vultures, some species of sparrows I couldn't identify, and black-capped chickadees at Goosberry Falls. The falls were flowing freely over the rock cliffs, and we enjoyed taking pictures and getting our feet wet.

This was basically a "scouting" expedition for wildflowers, and preparation for our Fall Colors Tours later on; and for our Hawk Migration tours in September. It was a great one-day journey for all involved.

Gunflint Trail Tours

For birders the Gunflint Trail in the Superior National Forest, with its 163 species of breeding birds (the most of nay National Forest), is a "must see" area. Visitors can see boreal owls, red and white-winged crossbills, spruce grouse, black-backed and three-toed woodpeckers, redpolls, boreal chickadees, and at least 15 nesting species of wood warblers.

In the Grand Marais harbor birders may see scoters, harlequin and long-tailed ducks, snowy owls, and Thayer's, Iceland and glaucous gulls. One of the best ways to see these birds is to charter a fishing boat for a birding tour.

Spring comes to the Gunflint Trail of the north shore of Lake Superior in short, wild bursts of colorful wildflowers. For those who hunt with a camera or a paintbrush, there is a wealth of vibrant flora waiting to be captured on film or canvas. Marsh marigolds, blood root, tiny azure violets, and several varieties of wild orchids. Other early-appearing flowers include trailing arbutus, spring beauty, violets, linnea borealis (twin flower), Virginia bluebells, and starflower.

In June, the wild strawberries peak; pink (or stemless) moccasin flower, fairy slipper orchids, bunchberry, clintonia (blue bead lily), lacy ferns and nodding trillium all come into bloom.

August brings purple wild iris, Indian pipe, purple vetch, asters, Joe Pye weed, daisies, buttercups, hawkweed, and Queen Anne's Lace, as well as highbush cranberries, red raspberries, wild currants, rose hips and blueberries.

You may see moose anywhere along the Trail, but especially near Northern Lake, 12 miles north of Grand Marais. There are also gray wolves, pine marten, black bears, Canada lynx and river otters in the Forest.

St. Louis River Valley; Fall Colors & Birding Tours

View Trinity Mountain Outdoor Adventures North American Natural History Eco-Tour Schedule.

View a Schedule of the best times to see Minnesota / western Wisconsin Birds and Animals.

View Schedule of when to view the Wildflower Species of Minnesota / western Wisconsin.

View and listen to the Birds of North America.

View and listen to the Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

View the Mammals of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Go to Trinity Mountain Outdoor Adventures Natural History Eco-Tours & Travel Magazine.

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