MINNESOTA
Trip Date: Friday, January 11 – Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Have you ever wanted to take your birding to the extreme level? Then join us on this trip to Minnesota. We’ll see some extremely rare birds, extremely beautiful landscapes, and we’ll bird in extremely cold weather. For those that say yes to this adventure, the experience will be amazing.
We will explore Sax Zim Bog, a wetlands composed of spongy peat deposits, acidic waters, and a thick carpet of sphagnum moss. We will look for birds driven south by harsh Canadian winters such as the Snowy Owl, Great Gray Owl, and Northern Hawk Owl. We will also look for resident birds such as the Spruce and Ruffed Grouse, which are easier to find when the leaves have fallen. In recently burned forests, we’ll search for Black-backed and American Three-toed woodpeckers. To find the Hairy Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Red Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, and the Boreal Chickadee, we’ll move on to evergreen forests. We’ll scan the adjacent meadows to locate Northern Flickers and Northern Shrikes.
This exciting birding unfolds in Minnesota’s spectacular winter landscape. You’re standing looking out over the snow-covered expanse of spruce, fir, and pine, and a bird calls out—in this frozen landscape, the sound has the clear, crisp resonance of a bell. You find yourself in the presence of solitude unlike anyplace in Texas. You’re not really aware of it, but everywhere in our regular lives there are background noises. Here you may hear the creaking of snow-laden limbs and the soft whoosh of wind through the conifers, but in between those sounds, you become aware of the silence. Silence permeates everything, and you sense it almost as a presence.
Other birds we may see in this serene landscape include the elegant Bohemian Waxwing, the White-winged Crossbill, and the Pine, Common, and Hoary Redpoll. We may also see mammals such as moose, mink, red fox, the rare gray wolf, and other exciting northern animals. We will stay warm as the people who live here do by layering our clothes and returning to the van to enjoy hot chocolate and coffee breaks as needed.
Contact h.glenn.olsen@gmail.com for more information or to make reservations.
MORE UPCOMING TRIPS:
BELIZE First or Second Week of March, 2013
Mark your calendars! Details TBA. Contact h.glenn.olsen@gmail.com for more information or to make reservations.
MAINE Monday, July 8-Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Mark your calendars! Details TBA. Contact h.glenn.olsen@gmail.com for more information or to make reservations.
COSTA RICA
Join us to explore Costa Rica and its renowned Monteverde and La Selva Biological Station. In the mountains of Savegre we will look for the Resplendent Quetzal, described by many as the most beautiful bird in the world. Near the shores of the mighty Pacific Ocean we will search for Scarlet McCaws and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans. On our boat tour we explore the Tarcolés River to look for the Mangrove Black Hawk, Amazon and American Pygmy Kingfishers, Boat-billed Herons, Jacamer, and many other tropical birds.
If you enjoy a more relaxed paced tour incorporating learning about birds and other aspects of nature with enjoying the local culture, then this tour is for you. We will be staying in local lodges and villas tucked into the natural lushness of tropical forests and mountains and eating Costa Rican cuisine prepared at small family-owned cafes called sodas. Meals include delicious black beans and rice; carnitas, shredded pork cooked in banana leaves; locally grown fresh squash, yucca, sweet potatoes, papaya, mango, and pineapple; sweet plantains sauteed in brown sugar with natilla, a Central American sour cream; and rich, flavorful café brewed from locally grown coffee beans.
Trip dates coming soon. Contact gobirding.glenn@gmail.com for more information or to make reservations.
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