During the first and second weeks of November it's interesting to walk the trails and roadsides in the Lutsen-Tofte area, catching views of Lake Superior, listening to the running streams and the vocalizations of common ravens and red-breasted nuthatches, admiring the lush green mosses and glowing red twigs of the red-osier dogwood. It also is a good time to start watching for snow buntings in flocks of a dozen or so birds.

The first flocks return to Grygla, Grand Marais and other parts of the state's northern tier around the last week of October. Soon these migrants will be seen in southern Minnesota, where they prefer open areas such as farm fields, especially ones with freshly spread manure.

The snow bunting, a circumpolar bird often called the "snowflake," breeds farther north than any other songbird. They even nest in northern Greenland. After spending their summers on the Arctic tundra, these 6- to 7-inch creatures become visible throughout much of Minnesota. They look quite brown on the ground, but when they fly their flashing white wing patches make them easily identifiable. In fact, the snow buntings look almost entirely white when flying overhead. We often hear their wild twittering songs before spotting a flock. Snow buntings in our state are most numerous in December and January, when flocks numbering in the hundreds or thousands of birds are occasionally encountered.

Jim Gilbert's Nature Notes are heard on WCCO Radio at 7:15 a.m. Sundays. His observations have been part of the Minnesota Weatherguide Environment Calendars since 1977, and he is the author of five books on nature in Minnesota. He taught and worked as a naturalist for 50 years.