Minnesota Statewide RBA

Statewide RBA phone number: 763-780-8890 or 1-800-657-3700

Previous reports: October 16 23 30 , November 6 13 20 26 , December 4 11 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore | Detroit Lakes


-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*December 18, 2003
*MNST0312.18

-Birds mentioned
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: December 18, 2003
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/
Reports: (763) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (ahertzel@sihope.com)

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday December 18th.

A HARLEQUIN DUCK was found by Mike Hendrickson on the 14th next to the lighthouse in Agate Bay at Two Harbors, Lake County.

The Sax-Zim Christmas Bird Count on December 15th produced five GREAT GRAY OWLS. Two were along St. Louis County Road 133 -- one at a mile and a half west of U.S. Highway 53 and the other at two miles west of county road 7. Two more were along county road 788 about two and a half miles north of county road 207. And the fifth was on Stickney Road, three and a half miles north of Sax Road, Two Great Gray Owls seen on the same day just north of the "Welcome to Stony River Township" sign on Lake County Road 2. And a Great Gray Owl was seen by Warren Nelson on the 13th on Aitkin County Road 18 about three miles east of U.S. highway 169.

A possible SNOWY OWL was reported by Steve Weston on the 16th in Minneapolis. The bird was seen along I-494 at dusk atop one of the large light poles on the south side of the intersection with state highway 100.

On the 12th, at least six GLAUCOUS GULLS were seen among about 2000 gulls just east of the causeway by the power plant at Black Dog Lake in northern Dakota County.

On December 11th, there were approximately 4000 TUNDRA SWANS at Pool 8 of the Mississippi River south of Brownsville in Houston County.

Two COMMON RAVENS were at Carlos Avery Refuge in Anoka County on the 16th. They were seen near pool number 10 by Dave Thurston. I also have several reports of NORTHERN SHRIKE, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, COMMON REDPOLL, PINE GROSBEAK, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL and many of these species are beginning to show up in the central and even southern parts of the state.

This state-wide birding report is brought to you and financially supported by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU). The MOU is Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club.

The report is composed from observations generously submitted by MOU members and other birders throughout the state. You can support this weekly update by submitting your bird reports to Anthony Hertzel at axhertzel@sihope.com or by calling the hotline directly at 763-780-8890 and leaving a detailed message.

MOU members receive this report directly on MOU-net, the club's free e-mail listservice, which is available to anyone interested. For information contact David Cahlander at .

MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com.

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, December 25th.

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MOU-net@biosci.umn.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info mou-net) to majordomo@biosci.umn.edu.




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