Look Up! Spring Birding Starts Now 🪶

Little-to-no gear needed!

Birding is one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities in the country, with more than 96 million Americans taking part. Part of the appeal is how easy it is to begin. No specialized gear is required: a pair of binoculars are helpful, but not required. Most state parks even offer birding kits with binoculars and bird guides available to borrow for free! Each Minnesota state park and recreation area also has a free, customized bird checklist tailored to the season and species you’re most likely to see there. It’s an easy way to turn your visit into a scavenger hunt looking for feathered friends. 

Take your time

There's no need to hurry when birdwatching. You can walk a trail, stop at an overlook, or simply sit on a bench and let the birds come to you. That flexibility makes birding a great option for visitors of all ages, including those looking for a slower, more relaxed way to enjoy the outdoors.

Birdwatch in any season

There's no need to wait until the fleeting summer months to start birding. There's always something to see! Spring and fall bring swarms of migrating birds passing through the state. Summer fills the woods with sound and activity. And winter offers a chance to spot hardy species against a quiet, snowy backdrop.

Birding events

If you're not quite ready to go birding on your own, or maybe you're interested in getting some expert tips, join us at a bird-focused program at a state park or recreation area! These fun, guided events happen year-round and highlight everything from spring migration and nesting birds to winter residents and backyard species. Whether you’re new to birding or already know your warblers from your woodpeckers, there’s always something new to discover!

From the gentle fluting of a wood thrush to the sharp jeering of a blue jay, songbirds can be found perched in your backyard or nestled in the branches of a forest in a state park. Scientifically, songbirds are actually part of a suborder of birds called Passeri (under the order passerines), with birds in this suborder called oscines. What makes songbirds special are their precise control of their syrinx, a specialized vocal organ that allows them to produce intricate and dramatic ballads. These flighty tunes help songbirds defend their territory and woo a mate, with many male songbirds doing most of the singing. You’ll find an abundance of warblers, finches and sparrows at Frontenac State Park, or travel further south to Myre Big Island State Park for its diverse population of orioles, swallows and thrushes.   

📷: Rachel Lokken, Eastern Bluebird

Shorebirds are a diverse group of birds that are usually found near water, from sandy beaches and rocky coastlines to freshwater wetlands and flooded agricultural lands. Their size, bill shapes, and leg lengths are each uniquely adapted to access their preferred foods in their specific habitats. In Minnesota, you’ll find migratory shorebirds along lakeshores like at Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota. In fact, the white sand beaches of Zippel Bay State Park, which borders a small section of Lake of the Woods, are a great place to see up to 27 shorebird species, including the least sandpiper, plovers, and killdeer! Birders should also flock to Big Bog State Recreation Area, a designated Important Birding Area by the Audubon Society, to view shorebirds near the world-famous Red Lake Peatlands. 

📷: Gregory Gerhart, Greater Yellowlegs

Waterfowl are amazingly adapted to both the skies and water. These aquatic, swimming birds—such as ducks, geese, and swans—stay near a water source throughout the year to live, feed, and nest. Their webbed feet are set back on the body, helping them swim more efficiently, while their powerful flight muscles allow them to travel great distances. In southern Minnesota, watch for stunning waterfowl like the wood duck or northern shoveler at Rice Lake State Park. And on the western edge of the state, Big Stone Lake State Park offers a mix of lake, marsh, and prairie habitat—creating ideal conditions for spotting migrating waterfowl like mallards and blue-winged teals.

📷: Daniel Cronk, Common Loon

With keen eyesight, sharp talons, and hooked beaks, birds of prey are also known as raptors, which comes from the Latin term “rapere,” meaning “to seize or grab.” Because of this definition, birds of prey are not necessarily scientifically linked, but rather defined by their predatory lifestyle. Hawks, eagles, owls, and even vultures are considered birds of prey. Watch for them when you’re outdoors—you might find an observant great horned owl watching you in the trees at Savanna Portage State Park, where a large population of small mammals provides a ready supply of food, or see a resident bald eagle soaring above you along the lakeshore at Cascade River State Park. 

📷: Dave Ches, Long-Eared Owl

Many birds spend a significant part of their lives traveling along the flyway. Each spring, millions of birds navigate using the sun, familiar weather patterns, and even Earth’s magnetic field—following the same routes their ancestors have used for generations...just to turn tail and head south in the fall.

If you’re curious about what’s happening overhead, tools like BirdCast—developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and partner universities—can help track migration in real time. The free website shows when birds are moving through your area and even estimates how many are flying each night!

Amy has many skills and hobbies: drawing, crafting, baking, birding, and outdoor recreation. If you visit the Fort Snelling State Park Visitor Center, you even might spot one of Amy’s life-size papier-mâché birds or reference her illustrated owl identification chart.

Although the outdoors has always been a core part of her life, having grown up in Michigan, Amy's talents lie in the arts. She received an Associate Degree in Fine Arts from Grand Rapids Community College and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her studies blended art and science, with a focus on natural history and scientific illustration. During college, she worked closely with archived specimens at the Field Museum of Natural History, studied animal movement at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and painted in Chicago’s conservatories—experiences that changed her approach to understanding nature through an artistic lens.

“I’ve always had an affinity for the outdoors,” Amy shared. “So much of my life has been spent exploring, camping, and observing my surroundings.”

After moving to Minnesota, Amy spent several years as a historical interpreter at Historic Fort Snelling, where she developed a deeper understanding of Indigenous history and how the landscape has evolved over time. That perspective now informs her work as a state park naturalist, where natural and cultural history intersect.

Amy joined the Minnesota DNR in 2019 as a seasonal naturalist and later became a full-time, year-round naturalist in 2024. Today, she blends her backgrounds in art, theater, and environmental education to create state park programs that connect people to the outdoors. “I love having a non-linear path,” she says. “It shows that unique experiences and creative thinking can be real assets.”

With spring in the air, Amy is currently using her talents to run birding programs at Fort Snelling State Park. Amy only recently became a birder after joining the park full-time, adding to her list of rewarding hobbies. Now, she jokes, she may look through binoculars almost as often as she uses her own eyes.

Since you will likely have your phone in your pocket anyway, downloading a mobile bird identification app is a great way to carry a field guide with you with for no added weight. Mobile apps can be very useful to help you identify and log the birds you find. Some apps can match nearby bird songs and calls to likely species, greatly increasing your ability to identify birds that are out of sight. There are multiple free options available to the public such as Merlin Bird ID or Audubon.