[mou] Thanks for the great Trip

[SFbirdclub@aol.com]

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Now that I'm not bleary-eyed--

What an Amazing Adventure on a foggy Tuesday in the Bog yesterday! The trip 
up and the environs also produced great birds.

I remember first hearing about the Sax/Zim Bog while living in Massachusetts 
years ago. I thought it was someone's name: Sax Zimbog. Well, strange name or 
not, it's an amazing place for birds.

Saw In Sax/Zim--
Great Gray Owl: 7
Northern Hawk Owl: 4
Boreal Owl: 1 (on private property, taken by the owner to his shed, where he 
was "letting it stay")
Evening Grosbeak: 5
Common Redpoll: 15+
Hoary Redpoll: 1
White-winged Crossbill: 3
American Three-toed Woodpecker: 1 (20 ft. w of the railroad tracks on Kolu 
St. just West of Admiral Rd.--where Admiral jogs to the left. Very rare in 
Minn.)
Black-backed Woodpecker: 3
Gray Jay: 7
Pine Grosbeak: 7
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 3
White-breasted Nuthatch: 4
Boreal Chickadee: 2 (and many Black-capped)
Trumpeter Swan: 3 (on Stone Lake)
Golden-crowned Kinglet: 5
Rough-legged Hawk: 8, incl. 1 dark morph
Snow Bunting: flock of 25-30 at sod farms
Ruffed Grouse: 2
Northern Harrier: 1 (female)
many Raven--a treat for me; SD has none--no matter the many reports, w/one 
exception from last summer--a possible. Our fearless leader calls crows "Not 
Ravens" in the Black HIlls so many think they see them.

Seen around Duluth and North Shore area,

Snowy Owl: 1 (private property--off Lakewood Road )  Being loquacious has 
rewards on occasion. The bartender at the hotel we stayed at and I got to talking 
about owls and he said a buddy, his wife and her mother wanted to kill an owl 
that had eaten her cat. Oh, well, what idiots I thought. He said it just sat 
in their back yard and stared and it was pure white. One of the few birds 
which would be hard to mistake--even by amateurs I thought. Long/short--he took me 
up to Lakewood Rd. somewhere (I don't know Duluth). There was indeed an adult 
female Snowy Owl in their large back lot.
C Goldeneye
WW Scoter (probably others--but difficult light at the time I was there)
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Merganser (a question: baby eagles are eaglets. baby ducks are 
ducklings, baby swans are cygnets--what are baby mergansers called? I can't 
find anyone who knows the answer. Not that it's important.)
The only target species I missed were Bohemian Waxwing (saw no waxwings at 
all), Red Crossbill, Purple Finch and Long-tailed Duck.

Best birding numbers in the Bog? ZERO for European Starling, House Sparrow 
and Rock Pigeon!!

A world class birding spot. I hope it's future is protected well.

On the way home saw 2 Great Horned Owls in flight, 1 near St. Cloud; the 
other near Willmar.

As far as my write-up for the food magazine. I liked Cassidy's in Hinckley 
pretty well--too much canned stuff but still better than corporate board 
nouvelle cuisine (raspberry vinegar reduction of escargot stuffed ribeye steak, 
etc.). Cassidy's had many different dishes/uses for wild rice which were 
thoughtful, delicious and unusual. [I enjoyed seeing the wild rice growing at Stone 
Lake.] Scenic Cafe was okay, but trends in food are towards more fresh ingredients 
home-spun items. Sort of like when Bloomingdale's created a fire-storm when 
they put creamed peas and mashed potatoes on the menu 20 years ago (they were 
great--not my (your?) grandmother's canned/whipped versions). People's idea of 
gourmet before that was that it had to have a name they couldn't pronounce or 
didn't know. "Pfui!" as Nero Wolfe would say. A good, solid Virginia Ham 
sandwich on homemade farmer bread lightly spread w/really fresh butter and a slice 
of LOCAL sweet onion beats so much corporate board yuppie stuff. I was not 
impressed w/the food at Black Woods: though it was a fun place. We had coconut 
shrimp and a Margharita Pizza. It's obviously more about the conviviality of the 
experience of dining (now there's a mouthful) and not the food. People should 
demand both.

Good Birding!

Doug Chapman
Sioux Falls, SD

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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Gen=
eva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">Now that I'm not bleary-eyed--<BR>
<BR>
What an Amazing Adventure on a foggy Tuesday in the Bog yesterday! The trip=20=
up and the environs also produced great birds.<BR>
<BR>
I remember first hearing about the Sax/Zim Bog while living in Massachusetts=
 years ago. I thought it was someone's name: Sax Zimbog. Well, strange name=20=
or not, it's an amazing place for birds.<BR>
<BR>
Saw In Sax/Zim--<BR>
Great Gray Owl: 7<BR>
Northern Hawk Owl: 4<BR>
Boreal Owl: 1 (on private property, taken by the owner to his shed, where he=
 was "letting it stay")<BR>
Evening Grosbeak: 5<BR>
Common Redpoll: 15+<BR>
Hoary Redpoll: 1<BR>
White-winged Crossbill: 3<BR>
American Three-toed Woodpecker: 1 (20 ft. w of the railroad tracks on Kolu S=
t. just West of Admiral Rd.--where Admiral jogs to the left. Very rare in Mi=
nn.)<BR>
Black-backed Woodpecker: 3<BR>
Gray Jay: 7<BR>
Pine Grosbeak: 7<BR>
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 3<BR>
White-breasted Nuthatch: 4<BR>
Boreal Chickadee: 2 (and many Black-capped)<BR>
Trumpeter Swan: 3 (on Stone Lake)<BR>
Golden-crowned Kinglet: 5<BR>
Rough-legged Hawk: 8, incl. 1 dark morph<BR>
Snow Bunting: flock of 25-30 at sod farms<BR>
Ruffed Grouse: 2<BR>
Northern Harrier: 1 (female)<BR>
many Raven--a treat for me; SD has none--no matter the many reports, w/one e=
xception from last summer--a possible. Our fearless leader calls crows "Not=20=
Ravens" in the Black HIlls so many think they see them.<BR>
<BR>
Seen around Duluth and North Shore area,<BR>
<BR>
Snowy Owl: 1 (private property--off Lakewood Road ) </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#0=
00000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"> Being loquacious has=
 rewards on occasion. The bartender at the hotel we stayed at and I got to t=
alking about owls and he said a buddy, his wife and her mother wanted to kil=
l an owl that had eaten her cat. Oh, well, what idiots I thought. He said it=
 just sat in their back yard and stared and it was pure white. One of the fe=
w birds which would be hard to mistake--even by amateurs I thought. Long/sho=
rt--he took me up to Lakewood Rd. somewhere (I don't know Duluth). There was=
 indeed an adult female Snowy Owl in their large back lot.</FONT><FONT COLOR=
=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
C Goldeneye<BR>
WW Scoter (probably others--but difficult light at the time I was there)<BR>
Pileated Woodpecker<BR>
Red-breasted Merganser (a question: baby eagles are eaglets. baby ducks are=20=
ducklings, baby swans are cygnets--what are baby mergansers called? I can't=20=
find anyone who knows the answer. Not that it's important.)<BR>
The only target species I missed were Bohemian Waxwing (saw no waxwings at a=
ll), Red Crossbill, Purple Finch and Long-tailed Duck.<BR>
<BR>
Best birding numbers in the Bog? ZERO for European Starling, House Sparrow a=
nd Rock Pigeon!!<BR>
<BR>
A world class birding spot. I hope it's future is protected well.<BR>
<BR>
On the way home saw 2 Great Horned Owls in flight, 1 near St. Cloud; the oth=
er near Willmar.<BR>
<BR>
As far as my write-up for the food magazine. I liked Cassidy's in Hinckley p=
retty well--too much canned stuff but still better than corporate board nouv=
elle cuisine (raspberry vinegar reduction of escargot stuffed ribeye steak,=20=
etc.). Cassidy's had many different dishes/uses for wild rice which were tho=
ughtful, delicious and unusual. [I enjoyed seeing the wild rice growing at S=
tone Lake.] Scenic Cafe was okay, but trends in food are towards more fresh=20=
ingredients home-spun items. Sort of like when Bloomingdale's created a fire=
-storm when they put creamed peas and mashed potatoes on the menu 20 years a=
go (they were great--not my (your?) grandmother's canned/whipped versions).=20=
People's idea of gourmet before that was that it had to have a name they cou=
ldn't pronounce or didn't know. "Pfui!" as Nero Wolfe would say. A good, sol=
id Virginia Ham sandwich on homemade farmer bread lightly spread w/really fr=
esh butter and a slice of LOCAL sweet onion beats so much corporate board yu=
ppie stuff. I was not impressed w/the food at Black Woods: though it was a f=
un place. We had coconut shrimp and a Margharita Pizza. It's obviously more=20=
about the conviviality of the experience of dining (now there's a mouthful)=20=
and not the food. People should demand both.<BR>
<BR>
Good Birding!<BR>
<BR>
Doug Chapman<BR>
Sioux Falls, SD</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANS=
SERIF" SIZE=3D"2"></FONT></HTML>

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