Birding in North Dakota
and Boreal Forest in Minnesota

June 4 (arrive) to June 11 (depart), 2011
  with Bill Schmoker as Trip Leader

June 11 (arrive) to 18 (depart), 2011
  with Michael Francis as Trip Leader and        
   John Drummond as Bird Guide
Brief Trip Description:

Day 1:  Arrival into Fargo and get to birding in area
(depending upon flight times)

Days 2 to 4:  From Jamestown
  • Arrowhead National Wildlife Refuge
  • Horsehead Lake
  • Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  • Alkaline Lake

Day 5: Transfer to Minnesota Boreal Forest.  Birding in
Bemedji area and including Itasca State Park and key
local spots.

Day 6: Big Bog State Recreation Area and Beltrami
State Forest near Baudette, Minnesota.  Owling potential
at night.

Day 7:  Birding a number of locations towards Roseau,
Minnesota, including another area of Beltrami State
Forest and Lake Hays State Park.  Then after arrival in
Roseau, Lost River State Forest and likely  Roseau
Wildlife Management Area.  Good owling as well.

Day 8: Birding Back to Fargo including Agassiz National
Wildlife Refuge or Twin Lakes Wildlife Management
Area, and other local spots.  Flights home that evening
after 7 PM.

Note:  Please contact us prior to booking your flight, or
you may end up paying additional lodging and transfer
costs.
All bird photographs on
this page by Bill Schmoker.
 Check out his amazing bird
photographs at  
www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/
Trip Description:

Day 1:  Arrival:  
  • Fly (or drive) to Fargo and arrive at any point that day.  
    Most flights will be in between 11 AM and 3 PM.  Based
    upon arrivals that day, we will develop plans for some
    Fargo area birding.  

Days 2 to 4:  From Jamestown:  Arrowhead National Wildlife
Refuge, Horsehead Lake, Chase Lake National Wildlife
Refuge and Alkaline Lake
  • Centered in Jamestown , we will be visiting the Prairie
    Potholes region which holds some of the highest
    density of wetlands in the nation as well as remnant
    areas of tall grass prairie.   
  • After short drives to one or two of the various sites each
    day, we will bird and take short walks as we explore
    these areas.  Arrowhead National Wildlife Refuge,
    Horsehead Lake, Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge
    and  Alkaline Lake will give us great opportunities to
    see and hear the special birds of the area .
  • Several of the birds we hope to see include Sharp-
    tailed Grouse , Yellow Rail , Upland Sandpiper,
    Marbled Godwit, Piping Plover, Sedge Wren, Sprague's
    Pipit , Baird's Sparrow, LeConte's Sparrow, Nelson's
    Sharp-tailed Sparrow , Short-eared Owl and Chestnut-
    collared Longspur.  

Day 5:  Bemidji,  Minnesota and Itasca State Park and More
  • In the morning of June 8, we will bird as we drive to
    Bemidji, Minnesota.  This drive is about 240 miles and
    about 4 hours of drive time.  This will be a good start to
    birding in the boreal forest region, so it is well worth the
    trip.
  • On the way to Bemidji, we will visit Itasca State Park (in
    Minnesota) which has prime pine forest and one of
    best places for Black-backed Woodpecker and several
    key warblers (Bay-breasted, Cape May, Magnolia and
    more).  Ruffed Grouse is possible here.
  • Another key spot (Alice by local name), offering a good
    try for Connecticut Warbler, will be worth a stop.
  • That afternoon, we will explore area around Lake
    Bemidji, and we will take a second look for some of the
    warblers (which we may have missed earlier in the
    day).  We hope to find 20 nesting warblers species in
    this area.  Hopefully, we will add Red-throated Grebe,
    and we will have a chance for hearing Yellow Rail
    (seeing it takes some real luck).  

Day 6:  Big Bog State Recreation Area and Baudette,
Minnesota
  • An early start towards Big Bog Recreation Area will be
    worthwhile.  Everyone will enjoy this area and the 1.5
    mile long board walk through wetlands and tamarack
    bog (including some hardwoods).  More excellent
    warbler birding opportunities should develop here, and
    we will also look for Northern Hawk Owl, Palm Warbler,
    Olive-sided Flycatcher, Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow-
    bellied Flycatcher and much more.
  • Before getting on to Baudette, we will stop at Beltrami
    Island State Forest to explore some quality Boreal
    Forest, and we should find Sandhill Cranes, Boreal
    Chickadee, Connecticut Warbler, Canada Warbler,
    Black-throated Green Warbler, and other boreal
    specialities.  And, we will also have a chance at finding
    Great Gray Owl and Spruce Grouse.
  • Late in the day, we will get to Baudette, Minnesota for
    dinner and lodging.
  • This is one of two good spots for owling (either tonight
    and maybe the next night).  Depending upon what seen
    and what has been seen recently, the trip leader will
    determine and offer owling plans for the evening.  We
    will be hoping for Great Gray Owl and other nocturnal
    specialities.

Day 7  Roseau, Minnesota:  Key Additional Sites Include Lake
Hays State Park, Roseau Wildlife Management Area and
Lost River State Park
  • We are going to start early and go through a different
    part of Beltrami Island State Forest.  On the way, we will
    stop at Lake Hayes State Park which could produce
    Black-billed Cuckoo , Wood Thrush and Golden-
    winged Warbler and Purple Finch.  Both of these
    locations will help us to maximize our opportunities to
    see boreal forest specialities.  
  • By mid-afternoon, we will arrive at Roseau, Minnesota.  
    We will take a short drive from here to Lost River State
    Park for another try at Yellow Rail and Short-eared Owl.  
    This will be the best site for Great Gray Owl (and maybe
    worth a later return).
  • This location will be a very good opportunity to see a
    number of new species.  These areas will give us
    access to several key habitats, including conifer forest,
    deciduous forests, boreal forest, sedge meadows,
    willow and alder thickets, marshes and meadows.
  • Species of note include Spruce Grouse, Ruffed
    Grouse, Northern Hawk Owl, Great Gray Owl, Boreal
    Owl , Three-toed Woodpecker, Black-backed
    Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee , Alder Flycatcher,
    Yellow-bellied Flycatchers.  Pine and Evening
    Grosbeak are also present.
  • We should be rounding out our list of 20 species of
    nesting warblers, including Golden-winged, Cape May,
    Blackburnian, Pine, Bay-breasted , Connecticut and
    Mourning.
  • Roseau Wildlife Management Area is on the way back
    to Roseau and may be worth a stop in the late
    afternoon or in the morning.
  • Dinner will be at about 6 PM in Roseau, and some
    participants may chose a bit more owling.

Day 8: Birding at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge or Twin
Lakes Wildlife Management Area and Other Local Spots on
Way Back to Fargo and Flights Home in Late PM
  • We will enjoy a morning birding stop at Lost River State
    Park before final packing.
  • We will spend some time on the way back to Fargo for
    several key birding sites, such as Agassiz National
    Wildlife Refuge.  Agassiz is a big lake with expansive
    marshes.  Or, depending upon best way to maximize
    good birding, we may consider a visit to Twin Lakes
    Wildlife Management Area (as alternative to Agassiz
    NWR).
  • After wrapping up at one of the two wildlife refuges, we
    will have a good three hour drive to the airport.  So by
    about 2 PM, the birding day will wrap up for a final push
    towards home by car and then plane.
  • Departure:  Everyone should book the flights home
    after 7 PM.  If you do not book the 7 PM flight, you can
    always plan a flight back the next day with slight
    additional charges for another night in Fargo (about
    $35.00).
Trip Pricing:

Trip price includes lodging for six plus days of
birding and seven nights.  Transport by van is
included.   Bird Guiding and trip planning services
are included.  Breakfast is included with the
lodging we have booked.   This price is per person
and assumes a shared room (with another
roommate or spouse).  


$1,190 for June 4 to 11, 2011
    with Bill Schmoker, host and guide
     with six to ten participants

$1,190 for well staff June 11 to 18, 2011 trip
    with Michael Francis, trip leader, and
    John Drummond, bird guide
     with eight to ten participants

Above pricing assumes willing to share room with
spouse or room mate.  We can help fund room
mates if you so desire, and otherwise single room
supplement is $380 additional.

Not Included in Pricing:
  • Prices do not include flights to Fargo
    (currently about $250 to $400 from most
    parts of the United States).
  • The price of noon and evening meals are
    not included.  We estimate twelve to
    fourteen meals can be had for an average
    of $9 to $14.  So budget another another
    $110 to $180.  You will pay your actual
    costs and are free to spend more.  
  • Tips.

Note:  Please contact us prior to booking your
flight, or you may end up paying additional lodging
and transfer costs.
Trip Leaders and Guides:
  • John Drummond could be described
    as an avid bird watcher as he is
    approaching 6,800 bird species on
    his world bird list and has birded in 28
    countries, covering 6 continents.  John
    has been a leader, co-leader or has
    advanced a number of international
    trips covering Australia, Bolivia,
    Jamaica, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand
    and Uganda.  He has also lead a
    number of trips for a wide variety of
    organizations throughout the United
    States.  More on John by clicking here.
  • Bill Schmoker is known in the birding
    community as a great teacher, fun trip
    leader and leading digital
    photographer of birds.  Bill will make
    this trip fun for all birders.   More on
    Bill by clicking here.
  • Michael Francis is known in the
    birding community in north Texas as a
    great trip leader.  He has lead trips in
    the area for over a decade and been a
    birder the last 30 years.
Birding in North Dakota
(and Minnesota) in the USA
For more information, contact
us at 1-888-203-7464 or by
email at info@PIBird.com.