GUNFLINT PINES WILDLIFE

MOOSE

Moose are the largest animals in Minnesota, and they can be found all around the Gunflint trail neighborhood. They eat plants both on land and in the water.  Most often you’ll see them on the Gunflint Trail or the swamps and ponds off to the side.   We’ll share the most current sightings with you and let you know how to safely see this northwoods wonder. Read more about moose here.

TIMBER WOLF

Timberwolves—also known as gray wolves—are common in our neighborhood. If you listen at night, you can sometimes hear timber wolves howling from nearby, and in the winter, you might see a lone wolf sunning itself off a point on the lake or a pack of wolves racing across the frozen lake. Wolves are elusive and fear people, so you must watch carefully to catch a glimpse of one. Read more about them here.

BLACK BEAR

The black bear is the only species of bear in Minnesota.  It’s not uncommon to see one while visiting the Gunflint Trail area.  They have great noses to sniff  out food wherever it is—and they don’t mind making a mess to get to it. They are generally afraid of people, so if one sees you, it will probably head for the woods, unless it has become accustomed to people. We’ll help educate you on safe viewing and common sense practices. Read more here.

CANADA LYNX

The Canada lynx is a beautiful animal and a legendary resident of the boreal forest. Not to be confused with the housecat-sized bobcat, the lynx is a big cat with huge paws to help it walk in the deep snow. Lynx are solitary animals that avoid interactions with people, and while they are more common near Gunflint Pines than just about anywhere else in the world, you can count yourself among the lucky visitors if you get to see one. Read more here.

LOON

The common loon is Minnesota’s state bird. During the summer, you will hear its iconic call echoing across Gunflint Lake, and you’ll see loons swimming and diving around the lake. They often travel in pairs—sometimes with a baby tagging along. Nearly every little lake near Gunflint Pines is home to at least one pair of loons. Read more here.

OTHER MAMMALS

Other mammals you might see in the Gunflint Pines neighborhood include red fox, gray and cross fox, pine martens (our most common fur bearer), fishers, minks, beavers, river otters, snowshoe hares (you’ll see their distinctive big-footed tracks everywhere in the winter), chipmunks, red squirrels, flying squirrels, weasels (they turn white and are called ermine in the winter), and whitetail deer. Read more about other mammals here.

OTHER BIRDS

The Gunflint Trails’ Boreal forest provides some of the best birdwatching in the world.  Home to ruffed and spruce grouse, you can hear them “drumming,” if you know what to listen for.  Other birds include woodcocks, pileated, and three toed woodpeckers (you’ll hear their loud call from a long way away). Canada or gray jays are affectionately called “camp robbers”,  will swoop down silently and steal your picnic. If you’re patient enough you just may get them to eat from your hand. 

Brilliantly colored blue jays, evening and pine grosbeaks, chickadees, nuthatches, purple finches and white throated sparrow (the dull-looking birds with the iconic Northwoods call, “Old man Peabody, Peabody, Peabody”) are all seasonal daily visitors. In the summer, you might hear a Great Horned Owl (their call sounds like a muffled plea, “I want some food!”), and in the winter you might see snowy owls or great gray owls. On the lakes, you might see aptly named trumpeter swans, snowy egret, Canada geese, black ducks, mallards, bitterns, great blue herons, goldeneyes, or mergansers. And we have eagles--bald ones and golden ones! Read more here.

REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS

Around Gunflint Pines, sunning themselves along the shore of Gunflint Lake during the days, you’re likely to see painted turtles or snapping turtles, and in the evenings, you might hear spring peepers (aptly named because their chirps mark the beginning of spring). You could also see leopard frogs (named for their spots, not their bite) and yes an occasional garter snake (don’t worry—we don’t have any poisonous snakes near the Gunflint Trail). Read more about them here.