JUDD BRINK: The nice thing with these birds is
once you find kind of the location,
they usually hang out most of the winter in the same area.
So I can take someone last week, this week, next week,
and say, you know, there is kind of a thing.
I mean, not every time, but once you
know these birds a little bit, studied
these birds a little bit, you kind of know
their habits and behaviors.
And that's-- that's what makes a good guide who is just having
that knowledge and just practice, practice, practice,
and little bit of patience.
Yeah.
So we should-- we might be able to see ruffed grouse here up
on the birch and Aspen trees.
Blue jay, gray jays, maybe a shrike along here.
Let me see if he's still there before we get out.
Yeah, he's still there.
You see him?
Top of tamarack tree there?
It's a northern shrike.
This is superb.
I didn't-- I wasn't expecting it either--
Yeah.
--which makes it, you know, twice as much fun.
[laughter]
So no sharp-tailed grouse at the moment.
I make that clear upfront right away
that I don't guarantee anything.
I just have to do that.
I think everyone should do that.
I don't want anyone having high expectations
and then be disappointed after they travel this way.
It's always worth it, 'cause even if you don't get what
you're looking for, like maybe one species,
but you get something else.
And if you have an open mind, then you're
always gonna to be happy.
Nice accommodating owl.
JUDD BRINK: I really enjoy just the excitement
that they show when they see their first bird.
And they keep track of their life birds.
The first time seeing a hawk or a great gray owl,
that's a life bird.
And so it's always--
it's always kind of fun.
I think it would have to be the hawk owl yesterday
because we'd seen one the day before, but it was distant.
I mean, yeah, I took, well, several pictures because I've
never seen one before, but it was
a case of it was a record shot.
Yeah, I've seen one.
This is what it looks like.
But yesterday, we got one closer,
and the light wasn't perfect, but then it
flew across to the right side of the street, road.
And then he was sitting in beautiful light.
[music playing]
JUDD BRINK: The Sax-Zim Bog is about 300 square miles
of mostly black spruce tamarack habitat.
You have farmland here.
You have agriculture here.
You have the hay fields here.
You have mixed forest here.
But most of it is the black spruce tamarack bog,
and that's what really attracts all these different birds here,
because there's a food source here.
JANE NORRIS: We live in Virginia Beach in Virginia.
Well, we're retired.
And I'm a travel-holic, and I like
to go all over the world taking pictures of wildlife.
And about two years ago, I read up about this,
and I said, oh, we've got to do that.
I plan like a year or two years in advance.
As soon as seats become available on the aircraft,
you know, seat assignment, she's already
ready to book the plane.
So, uh--
Well, if you book advance--
So we stay on the go a lot.
--you get a good guide too.
I mean, there may be three guides up here,
but, you know, do your research, and you know who you want.
And so if you book well in advance,
then you've got first choice.
Hi, my name is Judd Brink, owner and guide
for Minnesota Backyard Birds.
I've been feeding and watching birds for over 30 years now.
I kind of started in my backyard,
filling up the bird feeders.
JANE NORRIS: I went to Friends of Sax-Zim Bog,
and they listed three.
And I-- I just looked at his, and he
does birdscaping as well.
And I thought, hm, he's really into this.
JUDD BRINK: So instead of landscaping, I do birdscraping.
So I help people attract birds to their own properties
with feeders and native plantings.
I call them songbird sanctuaries.
So I work with a lot nursing homes and private homes
in the area.
And I come out and design a plan for them
with feeders and different native plantings.
And then I install them.
And I also have a service contract.
I come out and maintain the feeders for everybody too.
So I clean and refill them.
Especially this time of year, you know, remove
the snow and ice, make sure the birds
have access to the feeders, which
is really, really critical.
So I do that year round.
I do more guiding in the wintertime just because
of the birds.
So I have like two seasons.
It's really-- it works out wonderful.
I'm not that much of a wildlife person,
but, you know, you really begin to appreciate things.
JANE NORRIS: Guess who's come to visit?
The hawk owl.
MAN: Oh, there's your hawk owl.
JANE NORRIS: Yeah.
MAN: Right on cue.
JANE NORRIS: Excuse right.
MAN: Judd's got him contracted for this time of the day.
Oh, yeah.
He's lovely.
Oh, and he's looking.
Hello.
Well done, Judd.
JUDD BRINK: For me, I've been getting up
here for a number of years now, and I've
met some wonderful people from around the country
and around the world that they come here.
JANE NORRIS: There's a bond because we're here
for a common purpose.
But then you just get chatting, and met fantastic people.
This is really good.
JUDD BRINK: This place is a destination
for many, many people.
I've just had the opportunity to show people the birds,
and it's been wonderful.