?? a beginner’s guide to bird watching





explore minnesota | minnesota outdoors | flock together | loons on the lake [ [link removed] ]





by katie koranda

It turns out Blue Jays aren’t actually blue. Not in pigment anyway. It’s all light fracturing and scattering — the same science that makes the sky or the ocean blue. Blue Jays were my spark bird – a bird that ignites your passion for birding. Little did I know that birding itself would be a spark, igniting a passion for finding fossils, rock-hounding, and simply being in nature. 






camera roll of birds — Heron, Eagle, and American Goldfinch [ [link removed] ]





what to pack

birdwatching in Duluth [ [link removed] ]

 

Binoculars are a must, but don’t be intimidated by the choices. There are lots of options at all kinds of price points. You can also check out *birding kits* [ [link removed] ] — complete with binoculars, guide books and park-specific bird lists — for free at most Minnesota state parks.

 

Footwear matters. I learned early on to be prepared for anything, especially if you’re birding in the spring. I recommend waterproof hiking boots. Don’t forget sunscreen and bug spray, depending on the season! 






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believe it or not, you can even see pelicans in minnesota at certain times of the year.
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where to go

pelicans at Voyageurs National Park [ [link removed] ]

 

You can bird anywhere. Literally. Sometimes rare birds are spotted in parking lots. Speaking of rare birds, there are *groups that track them* [ [link removed] ]. The DNR has everything you need to know, including *birding checklists* [ [link removed] ]. You can also check out whatever parks are near you and monitor the conditions and trail difficulty on the *All Trails [ [link removed] ]* app.

 

Birding in a state park or regional park is my first choice. I will always have a soft spot for *Wood Lake Nature Center [ [link removed] ]*, the first place I ever went birding. My binoculars hadn’t come yet, and I went out during spring migration to see what I could see. I will never forget turning the corner and coming face to face with a green heron — a bird I didn’t even know existed.

 

Believe it or not, you can also see pelicans at Wood Lake at certain times of the year. These semi-tropical birds stop there — for up to a few weeks sometimes — during fall migration. 






Reel: Salt Lake [ [link removed] ]





*SALT LAKE IS HOME TO 150+ BIRD SPECIES* [ [link removed] ]






 

identification nation

chickadee on a spruce tree [ [link removed] ]

 

Start by reading up on birds in Minnesota. When you’re on the trail, you can identify birds by appearance and song with the *Audubon [ [link removed] ]* or *Merlin bird ID [ [link removed] ]* apps. You can even track migration patterns with *BirdCast* [ [link removed] ].

 

A lot of people like to keep a life list to record all of the species they see over the course of their life. You can purchase a simple notebook or just bring your phone. The Audubon and Merlin apps have life list functions. 






*LEARN MORE ABOUT BIRDING* [ [link removed] ]











Author Portrait of Katie Koranda [ [link removed] ]



*Katie Koranda* is a writer and photographer with experience at two of the nation’s top public radio stations, newspapers, a global nonprofit, and a Fortune 100 company. As a Minnesota transplant, she loves exploring —and writing about — what this great state has to offer.






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?? *See the best waterfalls in the state >> [ [link removed] ]*

 

?? *Find wildflowers in Minnesota >> [ [link removed] ]*






"from top to bottom: Loons on the lake, photo by Clark Young  |  Heron in Altura, photo by Tom Fisk  |  Eagle at Voyageurs National Park, photo by Mary Mathis  |  American Goldfinch in Bloomington, photo by Shannon Kunkle  |  bird watching in Duluth, photo by Visit Duluth  |  Pelicans in Voyageurs National Park, photo by Mary Mathis  |  Reel still of Salt Lake, video from Explore Minnesota  |  Chickadee in Shevlin, photo by Gary Fultz  |  Katie Koranda's author bio portrait"






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