Sax-Zim Bog Birding Festival: Day 4

We have finally made it to the end of my four day trip in the northern tier of Minnesota. So far I have seen eight lifers including Great Black-backed Gull, Boreal Owl (300!), Northern Hawk Owl, Ruffed Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Pine Grosbeak, and Hoary Redpoll. But will I get more to add to that list? Let's find out.....

Monday morning marked the end of our trip. I decided to try to get a couple more lifers before I left. My dad and I headed 1 hr 30 min up to Sand Lake along Lake County Road 2 to look Spruce Grouse.Snow and clouds gave the silent north woods an eerie appearance as we entered the Superior National Forest. When we got to Sand Lake it seemed that not a creature was stirring, not even a grouse :) We met several other birders that were out looking for them also but they had no luck. We followed birder Mike Hendrickson

(http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/) since he knew where he was going. We searched many locations where they are regularly seen without any success.

Since it appeared that the grouse were not going to come, my dad and I birded Two Harbors, a town along Lake Superior. All we found were Herring Gulls, but one did have a deformed bill.

Not much else was seen that morning so we decided that it would be best to be on our way home. Split Rock Lighthouse was only a few miles up the north shore so we stopped there for a few minutes before we headed back.The trip came to an end and we were headed home. I would like to thank my dad for the great trip, I could not have done it without him!