[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, December 10, 2004

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, December 10,
2004 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.

As Christmas  nears, we are now getting a little snow in the north, but
still mild temperatures are intermittently allowing some to melt so the
snow cover is still spotty in the open. In shelter belts and wooded
areas, the ground is now white throughout most of the area. Feeders and
crabapples are now attracting the winter finches and waxwings. Owls are
still in the news this week.

>From Otter Tail County, Joan Burke reported that there are 30-35 TUNDRA
SWANS and several hundred CANADA GEESE on Lake Lizzie at the mouth of
the Pelican River.

On December 2nd, Matt Mecklenburg saw a SHORT-EARED OWL and COMMON
REDPOLLS at Bluestem Prairie. Rick Gjervold has been finding owls in
Clay County this week. On the 6th, while birding in Fargo, ND, he saw a
BARRED OWL fly across the Red River into Minnesota from the Edgewood
Golf Course. On the 8th, he went to Felton Prairie where he found up to
50 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS,   TWO SHORT-EARED OWLS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE,
and about one hundred COMMON REDPOLLS.

On December 6th, Matt Mecklenburg found a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at
Tamarac NWR 1/4 mile east of the intersection of CR 143 and the main
refuge road. Also in Tamarac NWR, he observed 18 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS 1/2
mile east of the visitor center. Becker County sightings reported by
Shar Legenhausen included a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, and a COMMON GRACKLE on
December 3rd, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, COMMON REDPOLLS, and PINE
SISKINS on the 7th.

Bruce Flaig in Polk County has a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER coming to the
feeder, and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW showed up on December 8th.

Pat Rice reported that a GREAT GRAY OWL was sighted by Earl & Bonnie
Ockenga on Power Dam Road or CR 15, Beltrami County, near Lake Andrusia
on November 30th. She also had a report of 50 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in the
city of Bemidji on December 6th.

Here in Pennington County, I have seen both BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and CEDAR
WAXWINGS in and near Thief River Falls during the past week.

Gary Huschle  saw a juvenile GREAT GRAY OWL  on December 5th in a farm
shelter belt one mile north of Thief Lake north shore boat ramp. This is
in Marshall County. At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Russ Reisz
reported two MALLARDS still present this week. He also reported
SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in the county. There are about fifty BOHEMIAN
WAXWINGS visiting the office feeder at Agassiz NWR.

Russ Reisz was in Kittson County also where he is consistently seeing
GREAT GRAY OWLS. One owl was in McKinley Township near Beaches WMA on
December 2nd and three were at Skull Lake WMA on the 1st. Other species
he reported this week included SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, NORTHERN HARRIER,
NORTHERN SAW- WHET OWL,  NORTHERN SHRIKE, and BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in
Kittson County.

Melanie Torkelson reported another GREAT GRAY OWL sighting in Pohlitz
township of Roseau County 6 miles west of the intersection of CR 3 and
CR 10 on December 2nd.

Gretchen Mehmel reported that a GREAT GRAY OWL was hit by a car in Lake
of the Woods County near Clementson on Highway 11 east of Baudette. It
was injured and was sent to the Twin Cities for rehabilitation.

Thanks to Russ Reisz, Pat Rice, Matt Mecklenburg, Gretchen Mehmel, Rick
Gjervold, Gary Huschle, Shar Legenhausen, Maggie Anderson, Bruce Flaig,
Joan Burke, and Melanie Torkelson 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, December 17, 2004.