Birds love Frontenac State Park near Lake City. So do birders. Frontenac holds the title for most bird species (261) observed in a Minnesota state park. Assistant park manager Brent Anderson says this avian abundance is due to a variety of habitats. Located on the Mississippi Flyway, Frontenac is a hotspot for spring and fall migrants such as warblers, vireos, thrushes, and flycatchers. Large flocks of migrating white pelicans gather on the water here. Sand Point, a peninsula in Lake Pepin (a widening in the river), attracts shorebirds, such as ruddy turnstone and sanderling. In winter, bald eagles flock to Lake Pepin. The park's interior contains woods, prairie, and grasslands, which harbor songbirds, including orchard orioles, eastern meadowlarks, and common yellowthroats. More than 90 bluebird houses make it easy to watch bluebirds here. For more birding information, call the park at 651-345-3401.
Gustave Axelson,
managing editor
