[mou] Duluth RBA 12/16/04

[David Benson]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, December 16, 2004, 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Mike Hendrickson reported a BOREAL OWL hunting during daylight on the 
14th just north of the intersection of Maxwell and Elm. To my knowledge 
the bird has not been seen since. To reach this location, from Glenwood 
St go north on Jean Duluth Rd about 3 miles to W Tischer Rd, then go 
east 1.4 miles to Maxwell, then south to Elm. This sighting follows the 
development of the first icy crust on the snow.

Mary Houtanen reported the first SNOWY OWL in Duluth this season along 
Piedmont Ave, seen on the 9th but not since then.

GREAT GRAY OWLS and NORTHERN HAWK OWLS continue to be easy to see in 
the area. This week a hawk owl was seen by many observers along 
Woodland Ave in Duluth near the entrance to Hartley Nature Center. In 
spite of all the roadkills, and though owls are now being seen as far 
south as St. Paul and in Stearns Cty, the number of owls has not 
diminished noticeably here. Many observers continue to have good luck 
along Cty Rd 7 in the Sax-Zim area north of Duluth. It is usually 
possible to get excellent looks from your vehicle; remember to pull 
well off the road when stopping. Please continue to report sightings 
with locations and dates.

Bill Maier reported a possible TOWNSEND'S OLITAIRE from the corner of 
Martha and E 7th St yesterday. Stefan Schlick found 200 BOHEMIAN 
WAXWINGS along Cty Rd 229 north of 133 in Sax-Zim. There are also 
flocks in Two harbors. COMMON REDPOLLS are now abundant around 
northeastern Minnesota. This week there were reports of three HOARY 
REDPOLLS, but none were at feeders where they would be likely to be 
refound. Four flocks of RED CROSSBILLS were reported from Hwy 46 east 
of Kerrick in Pine Cty.

Sharon Lind found a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at Grand Portage on Hwy 61 on 
the 11th. There were also 108 LONG-TAILED DUCKS between Paradise Beach 
and Hovland that day. Josh Watson reported a VARIED THRUSH at a feeder 
along the Old Ski Hill Rd, which turns west off the Gunflint Trail at 
mile marker 210. The bird has been visiting the feeder periodically 
since Nov. 27.

A tour group from Iowa reported both BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER and 
AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER from the Spruce Rd, which turns north 
off Hwy 1 northwest of the jct. with Lake Cty Rd 2. They found BOREAL 
CHICKADEES along this road too. They also saw a SPRUCE GROUSE from Cty 
Rd 2, 2.5 miles north of the Sand River.

The best spot for gulls in our area is the Superior, WI landfill, where 
this week there were reports of three THAYER'S GULLS, two ICELAND 
GULLS, eight GLAUCOUS GULLS, a second winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 
and a GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. A first winter THAYER'S GULL was seen 
again this week in Two Harbors, MN.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Sunday, December 19 
to report on Christmas Bird Counts held on the 18th.

The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-728-5030. 
Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded 
message.

The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota 
Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more 
information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum to 
mou@cbs.umn.edu, or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org.