Birders and Bird Watchers will enjoy watching a wide variety of birds.

Around the lake you will commonly find Loons, Bald Eagles, Pelicans, Ravens, Turkey Vultures, Great Blue Herons, and many types of Ducks.

Northern Boreal Birds unique to our area include:

Ruffed Grouse, Snowy Owl, Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Boreal Owl, Northern Goshawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, Gray Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian Waxwing, Snow Bunting, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Hoary and Common Redpolls, Spruce Grouse, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Winter Wren, Sedge Wren, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-winged Warbler, Mourning Warbler, and Connecticut Warbler.

Some unique bird watching opportunities:

• We are in close proximity to Sax-Zim Bog - One of the top birding locations in the state of Minnesota, which is nationally famous. Bird Watchers Digest named the Sax-Zim Bog as one of the "25 Must-See birding hotspots in North America"! There have been numerous Sax-Zim Bog Winter Bird Festivals (birders from many states attend) – winter is a great time to view birds! (located south of Virginia, MN and west of Hwy 53)
  
  
• Nearby Great Blue Heron Rookery.

• Close proximity to Voyageurs National Park, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Superior National Forest, and Kabetogama State Forest (we have vast areas of wild and public lands that harbor boreal birds).
  
  
• We have an abundance of gravel roads that provide accessibility and a great opportunity to see Ruffed Grouse and many other birds.
  
  
• Our close proximity to the Pelican River results in a lot migratory birds in the fall (it’s like a super highway for migration). Also, a beaver pond near the Pelican River holds many migratory birds, providing a unique viewing location.
  
  
• There are three free bird watching pamphlets specific to our area:
  
  
  1. Bogs to Rocks, Birding in Far Northern Minnesota
  2. Bird and Wildlife Viewing in Voyageur Country of Northeastern Minnesota
  3. Birding & Wildlife Guide, The Iron Trail (not the actual guide)

Plus, don’t miss the unique American Bear Association’s Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary.