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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*November 6, 2003
*MNDL0311.06

-Birds mentioned

• Common Loon
• Horned Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Tundra Swan
• Snow Goose
• Canada Goose
• Common Goldeneye
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Harrier
• Sharp-shinned Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• Merlin
• Prairie Falcon
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Wilson's Snipe
• Rock Dove
• Snowy Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Horned Lark
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Shrike
• Northern Cardinal
• American Tree Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Harris's Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Lapland Longspur
• Snow Bunting
• Western Meadowlark
• Rusty Blackbird
• Pine Grosbeak
• Common Redpoll
• Pine Siskin

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: November 6, 2003
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru@wiktel.com)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, November 7, 2003 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218) 847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.

Winter birding is upon us as evidenced by the cold fingers and the shivering. Still a few hardy- or foolish- birds hang around hoping I think that summer is not over. The first Snowy Owls were sighted this week, and many migrating BALD EAGLES, NORTHERN HARRIERS, and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were on the move this week.

This week I have the first report of SNOWY OWLS five of them were reported by Heidi Hughes in Polk County on November 4th. The birds were seen on the north side of CR 41 between US highway 75 and CR 14. They could not be relocated on Wednesday, November 5th.

Roland Jordahl reported from Otter Tail County sightings of BALD EAGLE, RED-TAILED HAWK, and SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. A COMMON LOON was seen on Lake Lida this week. Several people reported flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS in Otter Tail County, and HORNED LARKS, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, HARRIS'S SPARROW, and FOX SPARROW were also reported. Tom and Sheryl Smith found a late WILSON'S SNIPE in Fergus Falls on November 4th.

Becker County birds reported by Mary Wyatt included RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, and DARK-EYED JUNCO.

Donna and Leon Thoreson reported from Polk County on November 4th that they observed a flock of 150 SNOW BUNTINGS near Eldred. In the yard they have PILEATED WOODPECKER, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, and 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. Heidi Hughes reports that a MERLIN nested on the MSUM Crookston campus this year and is still harassing the ROCK DOVES there. She also observed ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, HORNED LARKS, SNOW BUNTINGS, and LAPLAND LONGSPURS in Polk County. At the Crookston wastewater treatment ponds there were still a few CANADA GEESE, SNOW GEESE, and TUNDRA SWANS hanging around the small area of open water remaining. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen near the Memorial Cemetery on November 2nd. Heidi also reported that a SHORT-EARED OWL was hit by a car south of Crookston and was taken to a rehabilitator. Randy Chaffee in Climax has a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and several PINE SISKINS in his yard. He also watched a PRAIRIE FALCON take a bird at his feeder.

Shelley Steva reported 50 SNOW BUNTINGS, and 5 LAPLAND LONGSPURS in Red Lake County, as well as a RUSTY BLACKBIRD in Plummer. On November 2nd an EARED GREBE was found at the Red Lake Falls wastewater treatment ponds. On the same day, 75 TUNDRA SWANS were found in that county, as well as BOHEMIAN WAXWING, CEDAR WAXWING, SNOW BUNTING, and WESTERN MEADOWLARK. On the 3rd, Peder Svingen found a PINE GROSBEAK in the town of Red Lake Falls, and a small flock of COMMON REDPOLLS at the WMA southeast of the town.

On November 4th in Beltrami County, Pat Rice had a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, FOX SPARROW, and 5 PINE GROSBEAKS at her feeder. Another RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was at the feeder of Katie Haws near Blackduck. Katie counted 30 BALD EAGLES along Lower Red Lake feeding on deer carcasses.

Pennington County birds seen on November 2nd included HORNED GREBE and COMMON GOLDENEYE seen on the Red Lake River near Thief River Falls. A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER has also been coming to our feeder near the city.

On November 2nd, the last shorebird survey of the season at Agassiz NWR, Marshall County, showed conclusively that they have left the area, as we found only 2 individuals still trying to find food along the mostly frozen mudflats- a GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and one WILSON'S SNIPE. Raptors were the story there on Sunday- a total of 19 BALD EAGLES, 25 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 1 RED-TAILED HAWK, and 1 GOLDEN EAGLE were observed, and a surprise PRAIRIE FALCON zipped across CR 7 near the headquarters as we stopped to scope the ducks on Headquarters Pool. Also in Marshall County, I learned that a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS has nested at a home near Warren, and the family is still being seen regularly.

Thanks to Roland Jordahl, Donna and Leon Thoreson, Shelley Steva, Pat Rice, Katie Haws, Peder Svingen, Alma Ronningen, Teresa Jaskiewicz, Mary Wyatt, Tom and Sheryl Smith, Randy Chaffee, and Heidi Hughes for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru@wiktel.com OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took place. When reporting by email please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday, November 14, 2003.

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