Birds

Meme (Pileated Woodpecker)

NPS photo

Bineshiinyag (Birds)

Bineshiiyag (birds) are a constant presence along gichi onigaming from Lake Superior to the Pigeon River. They are the most seen or heard wildlife by visitors to the area. Songbirds give voice to nagamowin akiing, the singing land.

The mixed hardwood-conifer, southern boreal forest along the Grand Portage Trail provides increasingly rare nesting habitat for migratory birds, many of which require large patches of unbroken forest for nesting success. Monument staff began annual surveys of nesting songbirds in 1997 that continue to the present time. These surveys show the most prevalent species are the Northern Parula, Ovenbird, American Redstart, and Nashville Warbler.

The maintained landscape around the reconstructed stockade and the picnic areas provide habitat for sparrows, and thrushes. Look for Merlins and songbirds on Mount Rose and listen for wetland species at a beaver meadow on the western part of the Grand Portage trail.

Migrant species that may not nest within the Monument area include birds that frequent the lakeshore such as gulls and waterfowl, as well as raptors that require large hunting territories and specific nesting sites, like Peregrine Falcons that nest on nearby Mount Josephine.

Listen for the hard to spot singing birds, like bineshiinh (Northern Parula), and find resident birds, like meme (Pileated Woodpecker), as you walk in this southern boreal forest. Sit quietly on one of the benches along the Mount Rose trail and observe the movement around you, or venture out along gichi onigamiing, the Grand Portage Trail for a variety of habitats including wetlands. Take a break at the historic depot and look for shorebirds and migiziwag (Bald Eagles) around the bay.

Read the article Birding for Beginners for some good tips about how to get started if you are new to this activity you can take wherever you go!

Download a bird checklist for the Grand Portage area. For printing purposes, legal (8.5" x 14") sized paper is best.

 

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  Birds Found Near Water

  Find these birds near creeks, ponds, and lakes.

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  Raptors (Birds of Prey)

  Look for vultures, eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls throughout Grand Portage National Monument.

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  Birds of Mount Rose

  Many forest and songbirds live in the trees shrubs on the Mount Rose Trail and around the Historic Depot.

 

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Grand Portage National Monument

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Species attribute definitions

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