Being home more than usual these days could give you a unique opportunity to notice the beauty right outside your door.
Sharon Stiteler, bird expert and founder of birdchick.com, has a rundown on the birds you can enjoy this time of year in Minnesota.
Stiteler says this winter there's an abundance of different species. Every few years when there's a low tree crop in Canada, finches irrupt into Minnesota.
"This is just such a winter," Stiteler says, "and fun birds like odd looking crossbills are feasting on pine cones in the tops of trees. Portly finches like Evening Grosbeaks and Pine Grosbeaks are all over Minnesota, but the Evening Grosbeaks have made it much further south. Tiny finches with little red berets and black goatees called Common Redpolls have been popping up at feeding stations adding a fun dash of color to the feeders."
Of course Northern Cardinals are a staple in most of the state, and they can be seen especially frequently at dawn and dusk.
Stiteler said if you're willing to go on a little road trip, you can visit open patches of water along the Mississippi River or area lakes to see Bald Eagles and Trumpeter Swans.
11 birds to spot in Minnesota right now:
- Northern Cardinal
- Bald Eagle
- American Crow (specifically their winter roosts)
- Trumpeter Swans
- Pine Grosbeak
- Evening Grosbeak
- Common Redpoll
- Great Gray Owl
- Northern Hawk Owl
- Great Gray Owl
- White-winged Crossbill
- Red Crossbill