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:

Today’s birding report comes from the Brainerd lakes area: Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black and White Warbler, American Redstart, Golden-winged Warbler, Pine Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Baltimore Oriole, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Wild Turkey, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Purple FInch, House Finch, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Purple Martin, Whip-poor Will, Barred Owl, Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Green Heron, Great-blue Heron, Cedar Waxwings, Trumpeter Swans, Common Loon, Hooded Merganser, Woodduck, Common Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Broad-winged Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Ruffed Grouse, Eastern Bluebird, House Wren, Mourning Dove, Great-crested Flycatcher and Pileated Woodpecker. Happy Birding! If you want to share a photo or have a unique bird sighting please email them to Judd Brink.

Be BEAR Aware! Starting to see and hear about bears visiting feeders and causing some minor damage.  Try to bring feeders inside, stop feeding suet, and bring any bird seed kept outside into a garage.

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 – NOW see migrating 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.