[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, November 12, 2004

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, November 12,
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.

It starts to feel as if winter is indeed approaching, and the days are
really getting shorter, making birding on workdays before or after work
impossible for most of us. The aurora borealis was especially bright and
visible this week, and brought many folks outside to watch the show.
Most birds reported this week are late migrants, and/or winter
residents.

In Otter Tail County, a CATTLE EGRET was observed by Eddy Edwards near a
cold storage building at the Ridgeway WPA on November 10th. Daryl Jorud
reported a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE near Battle Lake  on November 7th.

Eddy Edwards found an ibis species in Wilkin County on November 7th. The
bird was  0.9 miles west of the intersection of CR 30 and CR 15 near
Rothsay Prairie. Also there was a prairie chicken lek with about 16
GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS near the wetland. Four SHORT-EARED OWLS  were
seen 2.5 miles west of Rothsay along CR 26. Rick Gjervold was in that
county on November 3rd, and saw 50 TUNDRA SWANS southwest of Lawndale,
and 100 SANDHILL CRANES were in a field a couple of miles away. On
Friday  November 5th , he found a dark phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, more
than twenty GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, and a flock of TREE SPARROWS in
the area.

Joe Gartner reported that another TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was found by Bob
Janssen at the Buffalo River State Park contact station in Clay County
on November 4th. There were PINE SISKINS at the feeder at the MSUM
Science Center this week.=20

Shelley Steva saw a flock of 25 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE that flew
over Plummer in Red Lake County on November 11th.

In Pennington County on November 7th were a number of RING-BILLED GULLS,
a couple of BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and a small flock of COMMON REDPOLLS at
the Thief River Falls wastewater treatment ponds. Shelley Steva saw a
COOPER'S HAWK near the elevators in Thief River Falls on November 10th.
Our feeders have attracted a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, a PILEATED
WOODPECKER, and a flock of PINE SISKINS this week.

>From Marshall County , Cliff Steinhauer reported a NORTHERN SHRIKE in
Excel township on November 6th. At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge on
the 7th, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, and a BALD EAGLE were patrolling the skies.
Gary Tischer saw two GREAT GRAY OWLS along CR 7 in the refuge about a
mile east of the east end of the Lost Bay Habitat Drive on the same day.
Craig Bakke had a great sighting while hunting on his land in Marsh
Grove township west of Newfolden when a pure white SNOWY OWL flew by his
deer stand on November 7th. Peder Svingen observed a GOLDEN EAGLE
perched in a tree in eastern Marshall County on Sunday, and a few SNOW
BUNTINGS were also seen along the road shoulders.

A short trip into southern Roseau County on November 7th yielded
sightings of COMMON RAVEN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and a half dozen PINE
GROSBEAKS.

Thanks to Shelley Steva, Eddy Edwards, Daryl Jorud, Cliff Steinhauer,
Joe Gartner, Craig Bakke, Gary Tischer, Peder Svingen, and Rick Gjervold
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 19, 2004.