Starting today, Friday, Feb. 14, and running through Sunday, Feb. 16, the Friends of the Sax-Zim Bog will be holding their 7th annual Sax-Zim Birding Festival, based out of Meadowlands, Minnesota.

The Sax-Zim Bog is a mighty marshland found just south of the Mesabi Iron Range and north of Duluth. It was once the basin of a great glacial lake, and its low topography has kept its landmass unique and highly popular with cold weather migratory birds.

I grew up in Zim and have friends who live there still. They often comment on the explosion of bird tourism in places like Kelsey, Sax and McDavitt Township (Zim’s real name). It’s not uncommon to see cars pulled over and people snapping pictures of what looks like random scrubby woods, until you squint and see some crazy weird bird you never would have noticed on your own.

I’m not sure the status of this weekend’s event, that is whether there is room for more birders or not, but the Sax-Zim Bog folks do tout community events that are open to everyone.