Since it opened in 1989, the AuTrain Songbird Trail has offered a new way to learn bird identification. There are all sorts of guide books out there for telling one bird from another, but this unique audio guided interpretive trail allows you to learn birds by their song.
The trail winds through forest and field, along bog and lakeshore, and includes an observation platform on AuTrain Lake's Buck Bay. The best time to hear the 'woodland concert' is in the morning when the birds are most active, but you can walk the trail any time of the day. You can rent a kit which contains a field guide, a tape and tape player, and binoculars. The tape guides you along the trail and features twenty bird species. In the forested areas, you may see such birds as chickadees, cedar waxwings, and nuthatches. From atop the observation platform, near the trailhead, you may see ducks, shorebirds, and perhaps even an eagle or osprey.
The kits can be picked up in Au Train at the A & L Grocery or the AuTrain Grocery. The AuTrain Campground host will also have a kit that can be checked out. There is a $10 deposit; $8 will be refunded when you bring the kit back. The remaining $2 will be used to maintain equipment.
To find the trail, turn south on H-03 (Forest Lake Rd.) from M-28. Travel 4.5 miles, passing through the village of AuTrain, and turn east onto FR-2276. You will see a Hiawatha National Forest Recreation Area sign at this intersection. Go .5 mile to the next sign and turn left (stay on the pavement) until you enter the campground. Take the first campground loop to the right and you will find the trailhead near campsite #11.
We hope you'll enjoy the trails beauty as well as learn more about the birds that make their homes in the area.
