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Birding in SE Minnesota -
Northeastern Section |
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by Bob Ekblad |
| A highly recommended (hard-copy)
resource is Kim Eckert's "A Birder's Guide to Minnesota". He does
an excellent job of identifying the good Minnesota birding locations by
county - including those in the Southeastern
part of the state. The book is available from ABA Sales or from
the author. Go here for more
information. |
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1
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Colville Park, Red Wing |
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(Goodhue County)
| Directions from Rochester: North
on Hwy 52 to Zumbrota. Take the first exit and drive the length
of the main street through town. Take Hwy 58 north out of town
and continue all the way into downtown Red Wing. Turn right
at the second stoplight onto Hwy 61. Follow 61 to the south and
east out of town (don't take the turn to go across the bridge into
Wisconsin). After the power plant, take the first right turn and
take an immediate right onto the frontage road. This road
backtracks to a tunnel under Hwy 61. Go through the tunnel and
directly into the park. |
Seasonal Ratings:
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| Primary Species: Waterfowl
and gulls,
gulls, gulls. Also can be good for warblers and song birds. |
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Look for waterfowl and gulls at both dock areas and along the
river itself. Also check the woods perimeters for warblers,
sparrows and
other song birds. |
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2
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Frontenac State Park |
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(Goodhue County)
| Directions from Rochester: North
on Hwy 63 to Lake City. Left (north) on Hwy 61 at the stoplight.
Continue north
for 4 or 5 miles to the junction of Cty 2. You can either turn
right
onto Cty 2 at the parking area to go past Villa Maria or you can
continue
to Frontenac Station and turn right there to go directly to the park. |
Seasonal Ratings:
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| Primary Species: Warblers
and song birds. Also gulls and terns and other waterfowl out at
Sand Point. |
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There are several places to visit in this area. In
addition
to hiking the trails along the bluff in the state park, you can also
bird
the streets of Old Frontenac. But the better areas tend to be the
grounds (along the road) of the Villa Maria property and the trail out
to Sand Point. Both of these areas are excellent for migrating
warblers (many field trips are organized with this as the prime
destination). Occasionally the trail out to Sand Point can be a
bit muddy so you may want to plan for the proper footwear by asking
locally. The hike is well worth it, not only for the birds seen
along the way, but also for the gulls, terns, and shorebirds you will
find loafing on the point. |
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3
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Lake City & Hok-Si-La |
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(Goodhue/Wabasha
Counties)
| Directions from Rochester: North
on Hwy 63 to Lake City. At the stoplight you can choose to go to
the right to the overlook to check the birds on Lake Pepin, straight
ahead to get to the point for another view of Lake Pepin, or to the
left (north) on Hwy 61 for more views of Lake Pepin and a stop at the
Hok-Si-La park. |
Seasonal Ratings:
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| Primary Species: Waterfowl
and gulls. Also warblers and song birds at Hok-Si-La. |
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Overlook & The Point - These spots offer good
vantage points to view the birds on Lake Pepin. Most often these
will be the various assortment of waterfowl, gulls and terns.
However, occasionally scoters will be found here, and one occasion, a
Pomerine Jaeger showed up, much
to the enjoyment of the birders in the state. Most sighting of
Jaegers in the state are reported from Park Point in Duluth where they
are seemingly miles out over Lake Superior and only when strong NE
winds push them toward shore (and they are usually Parasitic Jaegers),
so this was a real treat
to have a jaeger hang around and give a show.
Hok-Si-La - There are several trails you can hike on in
this former Boy Scout Camp. The trails along the water are quite
good,
but also expect to find good birds along any of the other trails,
especially
during migration when warblers and sparrows are plentiful.
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4
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Reads Landing |
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(Wabasha County)
| Directions from Rochester: East
on Hwy 14 (or Cty 9 or Cty 2). Left on Hwy 42 to Kellogg. Left on
Hwy 61 and proceed north past Wabasha. Reads Landing is just off
the edge of
the road on the right (watch closely). |
Seasonal Ratings:
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| Primary Species: Waterfowl
(especially mergansers in late Fall) and Bald Eagles in the Fall and
Winter |
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Reads Landing is best known for Bald Eagle watching in the
winter. Views of the river are best just before the road turns
back to Hwy 61, right by the train tracks (watch for trains). You
can also spot Common Goldeneye and Common Merganser here in the late
fall and winter.
Continue north on Hwy 61 to the overlooks for views of the
river and Lake Pepin. The area stays open in the winter at the base of
Lake Pepin (actually just a wide spot in the Mississippi River) where
the Chippewa
River flows into the Mississippi River. The views here can be
awesome
at times. The Bald Eagles can congregate here in quantities that
rival those pictured in the Chilkat Valley of Alaska. Also, Common
Mergansers congregate in this area in the early winter as well.
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5
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McCarthy Lake WMA |
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(Wabasha County)
| Directions from Rochester: East
on Hwy 14 (or Cty 9 or Cty 2). Left on Hwy 42 to Kellogg. Right
on Hwy 61 and
then right away turn left on Cty 84. Follow Cty 84 to the
WMA. |
Seasonal Ratings:
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| Fall |
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| Primary Species: Orchard
Oriole, Lark Sparrow, Bell's Vireo. Bald Eagles in the Fall and
Winter |
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The birding along Cty 84 can be quite productive. Look
for Lark and Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel and meadowlarks anyplace
along the road. Also check each of the wet areas along the way
for waterfowl and waders. The WMA parking area is a good spot to
stop and take in the birds of the open
area. Take the hike to the west to the tree and shrub surrounded
lake
to find Orchard Oriole, Bell's Vireo and Willow Flycatcher. The
Nature
Conservancy land south of the WMA parking area (small road to the east)
is
the location of the first hack tower used to release Peregrine Falcons
to
help them come back from almost being wiped out by DDT. Bird the
area
around the buildings for warblers, vireos and several of the same
species mentioned above. |
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This is a good spot to view waterfowl in the spring and
fall. The area has been a traditional resting area for Tundra
Swans in late October and into November until the ice over conditions
force them out. Although there are still swans present in the
fall, the recent trend has been for
the birds to congregate further north along the Wisconsin side of the
river
by Alma (drive up to Wabasha to cross over and then head back down to
Rieck's Lake just north of Alma). |
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7
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Whitewater SP / WMA |
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(Winona County)
| Directions from Rochester: East
on Hwy 14 to St Charles. North on Hwy 74 to the Whitewater State
Park. Continue North
through Elba and bird along the road all the way to Weaver on Hwy 61. |
Seasonal Ratings:
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| Primary Species: Song birds,
sparrows, warblers at the park. Waterfowl, shorebirds, Red-shouldered
Hawk (north of the WMA Headquarters) and, in winter, Golden Eagle and
Townsend's Solitaire. |
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Stop in at Whitewater State Park as the first stop along the
way. Check out the trails around the swimming area by the nature
store.
Also stop in at the park headquarters and nature center building
(further
north, after you cross the river) where you can check out the action at
their
feeders and hike some of the trails near the nature center.
A side trip to visit the Altura sewage treatment ponds might
be in
order during shorebird migration time (for those of you who experience
withdrawal
symptoms when you don't get enough of that special kind of air).
As
you are passing through Elba, take Cty 26 to the right and up the hill
(about
4 miles) and, just before the stop sign, turn right and go up the hill
to
the ponds. Be aware that there is a no trespassing sign on the
gate that might not be visible if the gate is open. The view is
quite adequate from outside the fence.
Just after you pass through Elba, check for Townsend's
Solitaire (uncommon) in the junipers near the cemetery and also on the
juniper hillside further north of town.
Check out the pond/marsh across from the WMA headquarters
building. Red-shouldered Hawks can be found here. Also
check the activity at
the feeder by the building. A mile or so further up the road
there
is a pool on the left that is good for many species (waterfowl, waders,
etc.). Occasionally, Common Moorhen are found here as well.
Also watch the shrubs along the roadside for warblers and
songbirds. Red-shouldered Hawks are often heard calling just east
of this pond. Also, in winter, watch for Golden Eagles soaring or
perched high up on the hillsides.
When you get to Cty 30, hang a left and take a side trip up to
the area where the stream is wider (and usually full of ducks).
Given the presence of waterfowl, also watch for Golden Eagle in the
area. Continue back to Hwy 74 and turn left on it to continue
checking out the wildlife
management area (stop anywhere along the way - especially when you see
water)
all the way up to Weaver on Hwy 61.
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8
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Prairie Island, Winona |
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Top |
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(Winona County)
| Directions from Rochester: East
on Hwy 14 to Winona. Cross over Hwy 61 and go straight on Pelzer
St. Proceed past Theurer Boulevard (on the left) and continue
onto River View Drive. Turn left on Prairie Island Road. |
Seasonal Ratings:
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| Summer |
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| Fall |
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| Winter |
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| Primary Species: Waterfowl,
gulls, marsh and woodland birds. |
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The first section of Prairie Island Road is along an elevated
dike
that takes you through marshland and woods. Check the marsh and
lake
area for ducks and grebes. A rare White Ibis was found along here
several years back. About a mile and a half along the road
you will find Prairie Island Park where you can find migrant thrushes,
warblers and vireos along with the usual assortment of resident
woodpeckers and nuthatches. Continue up the river on the dike
road as you leave the park. Watch for Green Heron, Great Egret,
Common Snipe, Osprey, terns and rails along the way. Stop at the
various pulloffs and boat landings along the way to scan the river for
waterfowl and anything else you can find. One good spot to check,
even in hunting season, is the spillway area. You can pull into
the parking area just past the campground or walk the short dike to get
right above the spillway where you can view the birds in the waters
upstream of the spillway. In Nov of 2001 all three scoters were
found
at this location. You can continue on up to Minnesota City and
return
to Winona via Hwy 61 or simply reverse your route and see if you can
find
something you missed on your way through the first time.
Other spots to visit in the Winona area are Lake Winona and
Woodlawn Cemetery. Lake Winona runs parallel to Hwy 61 and is
split in the
middle by Huff Street. Woodlawn Cemetery is across Hwy 61 from
the
lake. Take Huff St. across Hwy 61 to Lake Blvd, turn right and
then
enter the cemetery on your left. The cemetery is open to visitors
during
daylight hours.
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9
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Lewiston Sewage Ponds |
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Top |
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(Winona County)
| Directions from Rochester: East
on Hwy 14 to Lewiston. Exit into Lewiston by continuing straight
towards the business district where Hwy 14 bears to the left.
Turn right at the stop sign and proceed south out of town on Cty 29.
Turn right (west) on Twnship 8 at the first crossroads and drive down
to the ponds. Please do not trespass. The ponds can be
viewed from the road or by the gate. |
Seasonal Ratings:
| Spring |
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| Summer |
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| Fall |
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| Winter |
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| Primary Species: Waterfowl and
shorebirds. |
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This location has a good history for attracting many species
of shorebirds. Red-necked Phalarope have been seen here several
times. |
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