Short stop in Minnesota and Wisconsin nets Kirtland's Warbler, Golden winged Warbler and Connecticut Warbler

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler with leg bands, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Jack Pine habitat, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Nashville Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Brewster's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Brewster's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

American Redstart, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Northern Waterthrush, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

I just returned from a two week plus trip away from home. Although the trip was planned months ago we were not sure we would actually take the trip due to Wilson. Thankfully he was doing well enough for us to to take the trip. It was to be a three part trip with first part being a solo trip on my part to Minnesota and Wisconsin searching for the last three species of warblers I still needed to see for my big warbler year in the US. The three remaining species I needed to find were Kirtland’s Warbler, Golden winged Warbler and Connecticut Warbler (I would still need to see a couple species in Puerto Rico for a true big warbler year in the US but the three mentioned above were the last three in the continental US still needed for the year). After my short stay in Minnesota and Wisconsin I would take a flight to Anchorage to meet Sherri and begin the Alaska portion of the trip and then we would finish the trip with several days in Oregon (more on these portions of the trip in future posts). I flew out out of Hartford to Minneapolis late morning and arrived there in the early afternoon and after a bit of a hassle with the rental car I was finally on the road to make the nearly six hour drive across Wisconsin to my Airbnb on the Michigan border. I eventually made it to my lodging around 7:30pm and settled in as quick as I could, ate a small dinner and then was off to bed to try to sleep. Unfortunately the place I rented was a basement location and the noise from above was super annoying and sleep was in short supply…the place had gotten great reviews and somehow no one mentioned how loud the noise was from the homeowners on the floor above. 

With little sleep I headed out before dawn to drive to a spot to the south about 40 minutes away to try to find my first target…the Kirtland’s Warbler. I would have a much better chance to catch up with a Kirtland’s Warbler in their core breeding range in the lower peninsula of Michigan but I really didn’t want another three plus hour drive each way to get there. After lots of messages with a few people ‘in the know’ as far as possible locations for the species in Wisconsin and possibly the upper peninsula of Michigan, I had what I hoped would be a productive plan to find one. The species came close to extinction just a few decades ago and after lots of effort to provide suitable habitat (they need Jack Pines at a height of five to fifteen or so for breeding locations) and control of Brown headed Cowbirds the species has rebounded and has now been taken off the endangered species list. Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan are at the periphery of the range and the area I would be checking has just a few nesting pairs and the locations are kept secret to protect the species. With the best chance seeming to be the few pairs in Wisconsin I picked that as my destination for the day. I arrived in one spot before sunrise and almost as soon as I arrived I heard one singing! I then spent the next hour or so trying to get looks, photos and recordings. I had at least two males and a female present in a roughly 60 acre pine lot with the perfect height trees present. One of the males had color bands and I’ll see what I can find out about the history of the individual. I also had a number of other warbler species present with Nashville Warblers being the most prevalent (a theme that continued all day). I moved around the area a bit over the next few hours and found another pair of a Kirtland’s Warblers as well as great selection of other species (warblers and others). With the Kirtland’s Warbler in the bag my next target was Golden winged Warbler. I checked a few good looking spots before eventually seeing one and by end of the morning I had seen several including adults carrying food and fledglings being fed. I even had a Brewster’s Warbler hybrid feeding typical looking Golden winged Warbler fledglings.  By midday it was heating well up into the 80’s and after a walk in the area of my lodging I came back to get a shower and some rest. It was a super successful day with perfect weather with lots of sun and cool temps that warmed quickly once the sun came up. Two of three targets seen with lots of great looks at multiple individuals of both species and it would not have been possible without some great information from a number of people. Overall for the day I had a total of 14 species of warblers plus a hybrid. 

Magnolia Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Boreal habitat, Sax Zim bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

After a very productive Friday with two targets down, it left me with just Connecticut Warbler to see for the year. Without the need to stay around Wisconsin for another day of searching I made the decision to try for a Connecticut Warbler (this species was not as critical for the trip as I certainly would have a chance to find one in the fall at home). With this in mind I was out the door even earlier on Saturday to make the long drive back to Minnesota with the destination being the Sax Zim bog area a few hours north of Minneapolis. A well known birding spot during the winter for owls and other birds of the north, the summer holds the chance of finding a number of species, including Connecticut Warbler. The downside of heading there was another long drive and to get there early enough to have a chance of getting birds while they are still singing meant another very early morning. Even getting up early I still did not get there until around 7AM (it’s a nearly five hour drive so tough to get there at first light in summer!). The habitat there certainly had the look and feel of the boreal forest. Not long after I arrived I heard a Connecticut Warbler sing in the distance and despite lots of effort on my part I never got eyes on the bird and I only heard it sing one more time and at that point it was even more distant.  Although I would have loved to have gotten a look at the bird and perhaps some photos, I was very happy to finally hear this warbler sing on its breeding grounds. I have actually never heard the song in real life until that morning as the birds that migrate through in the fall don’t sing. There were a number of other warbler species around with Common Yellowthroat and Nashville Warbler the most common with lesser numbers of several other species. I then tried a few other areas to try to find another Connecticut Warbler before I returned to the original area before heading toward the airport just after noon. I had no luck with finding any others or seeing or hearing the original one again. Nonetheless the warbler became warbler species #51 and the last one I needed for the year in the continental US. This was also the one of only  warbler species I never got a look at so far this year and with any luck I will get to see at least one in fall as they migrate through on their way to South America (the other species was MacGillivray's Warbler). Once I finished the three hour drive to Minneapolis I made a short visit to the nearby Fort Snelling State Park and despite the high heat I added a few warblers for the day. I had a total of 13 species of warblers for the day and a total of 18 species during my brief stay in Wisconsin and Minnesota with three of those new for the year…a brief but very productive visit.