Judd Brink is a local guide and naturalist who provides a weekly birding report during the spring bird migration, the summer nesting season, and the fall bird migration for Visit Brainerd. This is the 12th season Judd has provided birding reports about the Brainerd Lakes Area in Central Minnesota.

Birds Spotted in the Brainerd Area:

Great-blue Heron, Green Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Trumpeter Swan, Common Loon, Woodduck, Hooded Merganser, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Common Nighthawk, Merlin, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Turkey Vulture, Cooper’s Hawk, Eastern Bluebird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Eastern Towhee, Indigo Bunting, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Baltimore Oriole, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Cardinal, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Kingbird, Song Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Red-eyed Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, House Wren, Eastern Phoebe and Eastern Kingbird. Happy Birding!

* Folks in the Duluth area are now starting to count large numbers of Common Nighthawks at dusk with numbers ranging from 100 up to 350!  Watch for them soon at dusk, they can fly like bats but are much larger and higher in the sky.

** On Sunday August 11 starting at around 10:30 pm to about 3:00 am the Northern Lights were very visible and put on a spectacular show in the lakes area and most of the state.  The year 2024 is going to be a good year and the best in the past 20 years! I have included a few shots just using my phone.
The fall bird migration is on its way now! Watch for young birds at your bird feeders, they can be very curious.

If you want to share a photo or have a unique bird sighting please email them to Judd Brink.

Brainerd Area Birding Locations:
  • French Rapids ( Mississippi River): Waterfowl
  • Kiwanis/Rotary Park (Mississippi River): Waterfowl and Warblers
  • Northland Arboretum: Sparrows, Warblers and Tanagers
  • Crow Wing State Park: Songbirds, Waterfowl and Warblers
  • Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge: Sandhill Cranes

Judd Brink is the owner of MN Backyard Birds and can help make your home and or business more active and attractive for our feathered friends with bird-scaping. This is a great time to think about bird-scaping your yard to help attract more colorful birds. Ask for native fruiting trees and shrubs to plant around the house or cabin to bring in more birds naturally.

We hope you can share the joy of watching birds from your home or with others when visiting one of the many great birding areas found in the Brainerd area.

Plan your birding trip to Brainerd/Baxter, MN, today. There are a variety of hotel accommodations, wonderful dining, and a lot of other indoor and outdoor activities to enjoy.