The final mile before reaching County Road 3 made up of a mixture of farmlands and small stands of trees where it is possible to come across Great Horned Owl, Eastern Bluebird, Barn Swallow, Eastern Kingbird and other field nesting species.

Winter birding along County Road 1 can be very special. There usually aren’t too many birds around, but what is lacking in quantity is made up for in quality. For years, there have been several Snowy Owls around the pastures and sod farms, usually appearing in November. Normally there are between two and four to be found, but there have been as many as 12 seen some years. Most winters will also turn up a few Northern Hawk Owl, Northern Shrike, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Snow Bunting, Common Redpoll, as well as over wintering Rough-legged Hawk, Black-billed Magpie and Sharp-tailed Grouse. The fruit trees around these farms can be filled with flocks of Bohemian Waxwing.

Traveling County Road 1 can also turn up some animals of interest. Gray Wolves have been seen on a fairly regular basis as well as Coyote, Red Fox, American Badger, Snowshoe Hare, White-tailed Deer, Raccoon and Porcupine.

Two blocks north of the stop light in Aitkin, turn left on County Road 15, which follows the Mississippi River. After the snowmelt in early spring, the flooded fields along County Road 15 can be a birders paradise. Known locally as the Cedarbrook Road, these newly formed lakes hold a multitude of ducks, geese, gulls and swans. Look for shorebirds in the exposed mudflats, species including sandpipers, dowitchers, plovers and snipe are but a few of the birds that stop here during migration. Red Knot, Hudsonian and Marbled Godwit, American White Pelican, Wilson’s Phalarope, and even Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret have used these fields to refuel for the rest of their journey. Once the floodwaters recede, the fields dry out and become home to common grassland species.

Contact Information: Minnesota DNR, Area Wildlife Office, 1200 Minnesota Ave S, Aitkin, MN 56431 Phone: 218-927-6915.