Time to Think Spring—Tips for Attracting Birds
Judd Brink is a local guide and naturalist who will provide a weekly birding report during the spring bird migration, the summer nesting season, and the fall bird migration for Visit Brainerd. This is the 11th season Judd will be providing birding reports about the Brainerd Lakes Area.

A few quick ideas for attracting birds include: adding birdhouses which are a nice way to encourage birds to stay close to home with their own nesting box. Another idea is to think about native plantings that can provide fruits, cover, nesting and shelter. This is also a good time to put out any woodduck and other nesting boxes as the birds will be nesting very soon. I have found eggs in several of the boxes that I check despite the cool weather and ice on the lakes.

Birds Spotted in the Brainerd Area:

The early spring migration is a little slow due to the cooler temperatures in the area. A few rare birds spotted this past week include a Cattle Egret on County Road 25 and County Road 44 and a single Snow Goose on St. Mathias Road at the rice paddies fields. Other birds spotted include: Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Purple Martin, Sandhill Crane, Great-blue Heron, Killdeer, Common Raven, Woodcock, Tree-Swallow, American Kestrel, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Common Loon, Mallard, Canada Goose, Hooded Merganser, Blue-winged Teal, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan, Woodduck, Pied-billed Grebe, Eastern Phoebe, Wild Turkey, Ruby and Golden-Crowned Kinglets, Purple Finch, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-neck Duck, Scaup, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. Happy Birding! If you want to share a photo or have a unique bird sighting please email them to info@birdminnesota.com.

Spring 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 Warbler
  • Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge: NOW see migrating Sandhill Cranes.
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. 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! 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 lakes.