lakes. At Rice Lake NWR, it’s possible to see Bald Eagles perched on seemingly every Muskrat house around the lake during fall’s waterfowl migration. Watch for Bald Eagles competing with Common Ravens for a meal along area roadsides as they scavenge the road-killed deer.

The Sandhill Crane is among Minnesota’s largest bird species, standing about five feet tall with a wingspread of nearly seven feet. They are birds of wet meadows and open landscapes. While Sandhill Cranes are a protected species in Minnesota, there is regulated hunting in some states, including North Dakota. They migrate south for the winter, disappearing from Aitkin County around the end of October. Look for them at Grayling Marsh, Rice Lake NWR, County Road 1 north of Aitkin, along Kestrel Avenue north of Tamarack area and near McGregor.

Winter Owls – Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk Owl and Boreal Owl

The Snowy Owl nests in the arctic tundra of Canada and Alaska. During most winters, these large, white raptors appear in northern Minnesota to hunt voles, mice and other small animals. When migrating into Minnesota, they can be found hunting for food in railroad yards and other urban areas of the state. They are often found sitting on the ground or perching atop buildings and utility poles. The collection of open fields, sod farms and rice paddies along County Road 1 north of Aitkin, along State Highway 210 between McGregor and Tamarack and County Road 16 south of Tamarack have proven to be reliable sites for Snowy Owl. In addition, the open fields near McGrath and along County Road 4 could host these visiting owls.

The Northern Hawk Owl gets its name because it is shaped and flies like a hawk. Not often seen in Minnesota, this medium-sized owl does drop in occasionally from Canada during the winter. The most likely spots to find them in northern Minnesota are in and near coniferous forests and bogs. During its visits, this owl is often seen perched at the very top of a tree or utility pole during the day. Search areas with open fields and meadows with a few tall trees or utilities poles that the owls use as perches. Better areas have been County Road 1 north of Aitkin, County Road 18 and County Road 5 north of Palisade and County Road 73 NE of McGregor.

Great Gray Owls are uncommon in Minnesota and aren’t really abundant anywhere. Although they seem to be more easily found during the winter months, Great Gray Owl is a permanent resident of, and nests in, the remote areas of northern Aitkin County. Their populations fluctuate with the availability of prey animals, and Great Gray Owls are most easily found during the periodic irruptions or ‘invasions’ that follow the periodic crash of their preferred, small mammal prey. Irruptions have taken place four times since 1995, most spectacularly during the winter of 2004-2005 when more than 5,500 Great Gray Owls were found in northeastern Minnesota. Daily counts of more than 200 individual Great Gray Owls in Aitkin County were tallied!

The best chance of finding these elusive owls is by searching along County Road 18 and Pietz’s Road (320th Place), the Hedbom Forest Road or Kestrel Avenue north of Tamarack at dawn or dusk.

Found in Tamarack and Black Spruce bogs, where they feed by peeling the bark from dead and dying trees, finding Black-backed Woodpecker has become more reliable in NE Aitkin County in recent years. Their glossy black back and heavily barred sides and flanks separate them from other woodpeckers. Like the similar American Three-toed Woodpecker, males have a brilliant, golden-yellow crown which is black in the females.

Better areas in recent years for Black-backed Woodpecker are the Hedbom Forest Road (particularly the thick spruce bogs just before the St. Louis County line) and the Remote Lake Solitude Area (a pair has been found each of the last few summers).