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: Bald Eagle, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Turkey Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Cooper’s Hawk, Common Tern, Killdeer, Great-blue Heron, Trumpeter Swan, White Pelican, Common Loon, Hooded Merganser, Ring-neck Duck, Canada Goose, Mallard, Woodduck, House Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Whip-poor-Will, American Redstart, Indigo Bunting, Baltimore Oriole, Red-headed Woodpecker, Yellow Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-winged Blackbird, Wild Turkey, Eastern Phoebe, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Purple Finch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Clay-colored Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Eastern KIngbird and Song Sparrow. 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: 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.