Birding the Sax Zim Bog
I went on a birding trip in February and wrote about it very slowly over the last 4 months. Also bird pictures.
We fly into Duluth, MN and drive an hour north to the Sax Zim Bog. The target? The Great Gray Owl! A big ole boy, one of the biggest owl species. These buddies are really hard to see, so your best chance is to go to Northern Minnesota in the middle of winter. We hired a birding guide, Gregg, to take us around the bog and help us to see all of our target species, but specifically our buddy, the Great Gray!
Day 1 was COLD! It was like 4 degrees, and hella windy. My weather app said it felt like -15 degrees. I didn’t know I could feel so cold. It was windy and snowy, and this is BAD for seeing owls. The window to see them is pretty slim. The Great Grays are nocturnal, so the hour after dawn, and the hour before dusk are your best options. So we get up at like 5:30am to get ready to start looking. But we don’t find our boy. Too windy says Gregg, and that we would have more luck tomorrow.
The weather didn’t stop us from seeing lots of great birds though! I added a bunch to my life list (as in I was seeing lots of new species for the first time). We got Common Redpolls, White Winged Crossbills, Snow Buntings, Wild Turkeys, Pine Grosbeaks, and a Boreal Chickadee. It is a lot easier for me to cross birds off my life list, because I am still a relatively new birder, so there are a lot more species for me to see for the first time! I went to Minnesota with Kyle and Shawna, who have birded A LOT more than me, and so less of these species were new for them. They also appreciated all of the great birds we saw that day, but we remained determined to see this owl! We drove and scanned along the trees, looking for the right shaped lump, a Great Gray hiding in plain sight. Day 1 ends, no Great Gray. We get back to our cabin around 6:30pm, totally exhausted and ready to go to sleep in a couple hours, to wake up and try again. The weather says it is supposed to be colder tomorrow.
Day 2, we wake up, 5:15 this time, to make sure we have PLENTY of time to be out and birding before the sun comes up. The short, maybe 20 feet walk from the cabin door to our rented Jeep Compass is painful. Our skin is burning from the cold. This early, it is -34 degrees out. We rendezvous with Gregg, and start our search again. Driving down roads in the bog, scanning out our windows for blobs that could be owls. We pull onto a pretty main, big road in the bog. It is just after sunrise, about 6:45, and we see 15ish cars pulled off on the side. This can only mean one thing. They’ve got the Great Gray.
Dozens of scopes, cameras, and binoculars are all pointing in the same direction. We have got the owl. When a rarity such as this presents itself, your immediate fear is: What if it flies away before I see it? We pull off the side of the road, and jump out of the car. I don’t take the time to probably gear up. There is no time! We spot him in our binoculars. He is across the street aways. It isn’t an amazing view, but we can see him! The next fear that manifests: What if the owl flies away before I can get a picture? I start snapping away, dozens of photos of our guy.
The adrenaline that had been fueling me starts to wane, and I realize just how fucking cold I am. I return to the car to get properly geared up. Put on my second pair of gloves, my puffy coat, my hat, my scarf. Time for more pictures, more looks of our pal, the Great Gray. While we were there, even more people showed up, all excitedly witnessing what surely most of them traveled far to see, this incredible owl.
After probably 30ish minutes of appreciating our owl in the -30 degree weather, we head back to the car. I don’t know if I can even describe -30 degrees. A few times while out I needed to deglove and rub my eyes, because my eyelashes were freezing together, making it difficult to open my right eye all the way. In the porta potties, there were drips of frozen piss coming off the urinals. My toes were so cold it took most of the day before I had feeling in them again, and considered secretly if frostbite was a viable possibility. I thought perhaps my cloth face mask might help, get some protection to my very little bare skin. But as soon as I breathed onto the mask, the moisture in my breath froze, making it instead a little ice pack pressed against my already impossibly cold face. We get in the car, blast the heat.
Collectively, we let out a great big sigh. We have seen our Great Gray. Prior to this existed a fear. We traveled so far, used up valuable vacation time, spent 1000s of dollars, all to see this owl. If we didn’t see him, would it have been a waste? Obviously not. All of the birds we saw were amazing, and the experience so great! But it might have left us with a sense that our trip was not a success. It certainly would have hung heavy over the rest of the trip. We couldn’t fully relax into our birding vacation, when the possibility of missing the owl still lingered. But alas, with our sighting that morning, it meant the rest of our time was just bonus! We didn’t need to fret that our primary target would be unseen, for he had got him! We got the Great Gray owl.
With the Great Gray crossed off the list, we spent the rest of the morning searching for the Black-backed Woodpecker. This took us an hour north of the Bog, to a forested area where the woodpecker had been reported some days prior. I think we all appreciated the time in the car to warm up, and postpone more outdoor birding till it was a bit warmer outside. Unfortunately our attempts at the Black-backed were unsuccessful, so we returned to spend the rest of the day birding in the bog. A highlight of that afternoon’s birding was walking a path out from the visitors center called “Gray Jay Way”, where we got much better views (and pictures) of the Boreal Chickadee.
I had assumed prior to our arrival at Sax Zim, that it was like a state run wildlife refuge. But it isn’t. What we refer to as Sax Zim Bog is just the boggy habitat where birds like to kick it between Sax road and Zim road. All of the birding infrastructure around this area was built up by birders who wanted to make it more accessible. An organization was founded by birders of the bog, Friends of Sax Zim Bog. They have worked to protect the bog and the habitat it offers to birds. They have also bought up some land in the bog for the sake or preservation, and have built trails, and boardwalks, so people can bird more easily. The Friends of Sax Zim Bog have put up tons of bird feeders in order to have a greater concentration of birds (and to help the birds get food in the scarce winter months).
The most metal shit they do is put out fucking deer carcasses for the birds to eat. So like, you are walking down a nice little path, with a nice little sign, go on a nice little walk on the boardwalk, you get to the end of it, you see a seed feeder, and a suet feeder, and lots of little birdies, and then A DEER CARCASS on a stick, like some fucking sacrfiice left on an altar in a woodsy cult. It fucking rules just seeing these cute little birds just eating the flesh off the bones of a deer. I did at one point see a little white tailed deer run about towards us at the end of one of the boardwalks, and thought it must be kind of traumatic for them to see these displayed carcasses of their cousins, or whatever. They didn’t seem to mind though.
It is certain that with the 4 of us birding together, I am the least experienced. I take the longest to ID a bird, I can not discern a bird call to save my life, often when a bird is spotted, I need a lot of guidance to actually find it in my binoculars, I generally just know less about birds than the others in my group. Generally this isn’t something that bothers me. I feel great about having hobbies and passions and not feeling as though I need to be an expert in order to enjoy them and identify with them. Too much shit has this gate keeping energy to it, that if you don’t know everything, you are a poser for pretending to like it. And OFTEN it is dudes that want to make you feel stupid or undeserving of a hobby if you haven’t memorized as many facts about something as they have. I just call bullshit on that! I like having lots of hobbies and passions! I like that many things bring me joy! I feel so great about liking lots of stuff, and not necessarily being an expert in any of them. I am a Sounders fan, but I can’t name every player. I love drinking whiskey, but I haven’t tried most. I like to read novels, but I have never read Faulkner, Kerouac, or Hemmingway. And I like to bird, even though I probably can’t always even ID every bird that flutters into my backyard. I am so grateful that Kyle is such a patient teacher. He knows so much, and never makes me feel stupid for knowing less. He goes out of his way to equip me and support me. It makes birding a super fun and accessible hobby for me to engage in! And of course, this inclusive and supportive vibe was also the case with Shawna and our birding guide Gregg! Everyone was super awesome! I guess I just say all of this to set you up for the next part of our story. Even though I am the least experienced, I too have something to bring to our birding experience.
We were drawing near again to dusk on our second day. Time to be on the lookout for owls. We are driving now down a much smaller road than the one where we found our owl that morning. That road was a large 4 lane road that ran parallel to train tracks. So when we saw the Great Gray, it was from maybe 1000 feet away? This road now though is a small two lane road with no other cars in sight. We drive slowly down this back road, watching the light fade with every passing minute, we scan and search for owl blobs, knowing our window to see one this evening is small and fleeting.
Suddenly I yell, “stop the car!” for I have seen an blob that looked especially owly. I feel instantly self conscious, what if it was nothing? No one else saw anything? Surely if it was actually an owl, someone else would have seen it first! But within moments of stopping the car, we see across the street, maybe 30 feet away, a Great Gray Owl. Unlike our spotting this morning, with dozens (if not hundreds) of people all looking at an owl over 1,000 feet away, here we are, just the four of us standing just across a little street from the elusive Great Gray.
I can’t explain just how spiritual birding can feel at times. It can take your breath away. There is a surreal quality to living through what you know is a once in a lifetime experience. We all just silently watch (and take loads of photos of) this amazing owl, occasionally glancing at one with a knowing look, acknowledging the rare and special nature of this moment we are sharing. After 10 or so minutes, the Great Gray lifts his massive wings to show off that 4’ wingspan. We accept that our time with this awesome buddy is over, as he takes flight. But wait! He lands in a nearby tree. This isn’t over yet. We watch over the next 30 minutes as he flies from one tree to the next. We watch him dive seemingly effortlessly into the (very deep) snow, coming back up with a mouse in his talons. We watch him land in a tree and then eat that mouse in one bite. It was a relief to see the Great Gray eat, knowing our presence and slight noise wasn’t a deterrent to his hunting.
As the light was finally fading and night fully arrived, and our camera memory cards now several hundred photos more loaded, we got back and returned home for the night. On the drive I was subjected to quite a bit of praise for being the one to spot the owl. And if you know anything about me you know I LOVE praise. It was especially nice to know that I had played an integral role in this experience for our group. Even though I am the least knowledgeable and the least experienced, I still was able to contribute to our overall trip success! Back in our cabin for the night, feeling finally returning to our toes, we all slept well after a great day of birding.
Day 3 starts with a hot tip! Our birding guide Gregg had heard a rumor of a Boreal Owl spotted in Duluth. Normally when you see a bird, particularly a rare bird you post about it on eBird, a website for birders. This allows others who are interested in seeing this bird to use your information to go out and try and see it for themselves. The only exception to this is if a species is marked sensitive, in which case it is usually not posted on eBird till much after the fact, and then its location may still not be disclosed. So when we got a tip of a possible Boreal Owl, this was a big deal because generally this is not information we would have been able to access. (This is why hiring a bird guide is so worth it!). Where the Great Gray is a big ole boy, the Boreal Owl is a tiny little dude. And unlike the Great Gray, there isn’t really anywhere to see it with any sort of expectation or certainty. It is much more elusive and much harder to see. So when you get an insider tip that a Boreal Owl has been seen in Duluth, MN you get in the car and you go! And that is what we did!
After a few hours that morning finishing up our birding in the bog, we headed to Duluth in search of the Boreal Owl. We headed straight to the location where it had been rumored to have been seen. It was a very snowy wooded area. He had apparently been seen right by the parking lot, but in a quick scan, he didn’t seem to be around anymore. We decided to spend some time walking around in the snow to see if we could spot him. We spent about an hour and a half walking through the snowy hills trying to find the Boreal Owl with no luck. And maneuvering around in this snow was not easy. There were some “trails” made by cross country skiers, but as soon as you step off the beaten path, you are trudging through like 2 feet of snow. And as someone is only 5 feet tall, this was no simple task.
After our 90 mins looking around I felt really physically exhausted. A big part of birding is walking around a lot and sometimes this aspect challenges me. I just don’t have the stamina and physical strength that Kyle has, and sometimes I feel insecure about that. I hate the idea of slowing down the group and not being able to keep up, but also I want to practice gentleness and acceptance of my body and what she can and can’t do. I am mostly able to hang in there well enough, but have to fight hard not to feel insecure about my physical capacity when it differs from others. And after trudging along and up switch backs up a large snowy hill looking for this owl, I am exhausted! We leave this nature area, and the 2 feet deep snow, no Boreal Owl under our belt, but with a plan to return at dusk to try again. You see the Boreal Owl is nocturnal and is more likely to be active at dusk anyways. We all agree that we will just pop back right at dusk, scan by the parking lot, and call it a day.
We spend the rest of the day in Duluth seeing other new species! We see dozens of Bohemian Waxwings, a particularly beautiful and elegant bird, on the side of a road. We see an American Black Duck kicking it in a tiny and densely populated pond. We see a Townsend’s Solitaire at a city park. A great day of birding with lots of new species!
The day is drawing to a close and dusk is upon us. I already feel so tired and am looking forward to dinner and a shower. But we have a plan to quickly return to the spot the Boreal Owl was found in order to quickly scan the parking lot and see if we get lucky and see him, before totally calling it a day. We get out of the car, ready for our quick 10-15 minute scan, when suddenly we see two dudes, bolting it out of the parking lot, and up the freaking huge snowy hill! And one of the guys has a nice camera with a huge lens. No one runs into the woods like that unless they have a REALLY good inclination as to where they might be able to take photos of an owl! We see these dudes bolting into the woods, and what do we do? We follow them! But these guys aren’t taking the switch backs. They are running right up the side of this huge hill! So we follow. VERY quickly into this I am falling behind, I tell the group to continue without me and that I will catch up. The top of this large hill is probably only about a half mile away, but again, way harder to climb in very deep snow and when you already feel exhausted from climbing it earlier that day!
About halfway up the hill (before it gets REALLY steep), I sort of lose the group. I can no longer see them and am not totally sure of which path they took or how to find them again. Part of me doesn’t mind. I take this moment to catch my breath and rest for a minute. Did these dudes actually know where the owl was? Maybe they too just heard the owl had been spotted and wanted to look quickly knowing there was limited daylight left. I am not climbing this damn steep hill until I have confirmation that there is actually an owl up there. I am too tired and too spent to go on a wild goose chase! As I silently decide that I am content to wait here until the group is finished and comes back down, unless I get direct indication of an owl in sight, I take a sigh of relief that I can rest and not continue on in this punishing hike. But then, Gregg pops out nowhere at the top of the hill and makes eye contact with me. A huge smile across his face as he mouths to me “we got it!” while fist pumping into the air. I am going to have to climb this fucking hill.
I start making my way up the side of this hill. The switchbacks would be easier, but time is not on my side. What if the owl flies away? What if I miss this incredibly rare sighting because it took me too long to get up this hill? Gregg starts barreling down the hill to help me get up. I keep telling him I am fine and to leave me. I didn’t want him to miss the owl, and I certainly didn’t want him to see me struggling up this hill. But Gregg wouldn’t leave my side. He was going to get me up this hill no matter what. So I am trudging and it is so freaking hard. Every like 4 or 5 steps I stop to catch my breath. I am legitimately worried I might get stuck. It is so steep, every step has my feet sinking deep into the snow, and then needing to hoist myself up so high to keep going. I am on all fours basically crawling up the side of the hill. At one point, I literally couldn't get up any farther. I was too exhausted, and it was too steep! I couldn’t get my feet high enough to hoist myself up. But then Gregg just grabs my hand and freaking pulls me up this steep ass hill. On several more occasions where it was seemingly too steep to make my own way up, Gregg just sort of dragged me up that damn hill! After what was probably only like 15 minutes, but felt to me like an eternity, we reached the top!
I catch my breath and slowly make my way down the path, I do not want to scare the owl. I turn the corner and what I see is amazing. Kyle, Shawna, and the two dudes are sitting silently in the snow, and a mere 8 feet away is a sleeping Boreal Owl perched maybe just 5 feet off the ground in a little tree. We sat in silence as we watched the sleepy little guy, snapping dozens of photos. The sun was setting and we knew he would soon wake up. A few minutes go by and he slowly moves his head. He is awake! We sit for another probably 25 minutes and watch him slowly wake up. It was an absolutely amazing thing to witness. This tiny rare bird, mere feet from us, just slowly starting his day.
We took 100s of photos of the little guy. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. And even though I was exhausted, there was something more satisfying about watching this little guy knowing how hard I worked to see him. It was truly once in a lifetime. As the sun set and it was getting dark, we knew we had to leave our little owl and head back down the hill. We needed enough light to navigate through the forest, not to mention how cold it was getting as the sun went down. We are just beaming on our drive to the hotel.
We fly home 2 days later (with more birding in between of course) grateful for our amazing trip to Sax Zim Bog.