[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, October 29, 2004

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, October 29,
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.

The last week's wet and gloomy weather seems to have speeded up the
migration, and at the same time kept some birders inside. There are
fewer reports this week, but we are getting second hand reports of owls.
Please keep a look out for northern owls, as this is shaping up to be an
invasion year. News from the north indicates that the rodent population
has crashed, so owls will be moving south for food. Gretchen Mehmel
reports that small mammal surveys in the Red Lake WMA indicate that the
rodent populations have also hit a low there, so we hope there won't be
starving when we see them.

Duane and Marilyn Olson reported a SNOW BUNTING from southern Becker
County near Cormorant on October 27th.

>From  Benjamin Fritchman who was birding in Clay County on October 23rd
comes a report of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 113 AMERICAN PIPITS feeding in a
yard in the northern part of the county, and a large flock of LAPLAND
LONGSPURS numbering in the hundreds.

Bill Unzen observed a RED-BREASTED MERGANSER on Lake Bemidji in Beltrami
County on October 23rd, and also found two BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS on the
campus of BSU in the city of Bemidji .

In Polk County, Bruce Flaig reported TRUMPETER SWAN, RED-BELLIED
WOODPECKER, DARK-EYED JUNCO, and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. On a North Dakota
listserve a SNOWY OWL was reported by Dick Kappedal about 10 miles east
of East Grand Forks in Polk County this week- I have no confirmation ,
or news of anyone else finding this bird.

Two EARED GREBES spent much of the week at the 8th Street bridge over
the Thief River in Thief River Falls in Pennington County.

I have a secondhand report of a SNOWY OWL seen on October 19th in Excel
township of Marshall County two miles west from CR 12 along CR 7, and 2
1/2 miles south. Mary and Steve Broten saw a flock of 20-30 EASTERN
BLUEBIRDS about six miles south of Newfolden on October 23rd. At Agassiz
National Wildlife Refuge on October 24th, I found two BALD EAGLES, a
MERLIN, TWO GREATER YELLOWLEGS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and a flock of twenty
SNOW BUNTINGS. A large assortment of AMERICAN COOTS and ducks that
included a large number of AMERICAN WIGEON was also there. Diana
Morkassel has four immature and two adult NORTHERN CARDINALS at her
place near Warren, along with RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, HARRIS'S SPARROW,
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and other migrants.

Melanie Torkelson reported that one of the employees of the Roseau River
WMA found a GREAT GRAY OWL one mile east of the intersection of CR 118
and State Highway 89. This report was received October 28th, but the
date of the sighting was not given.

Thanks to Bill Unzen, Benjamin Fritchman, Mary Broten, Duane and Marilyn
Olson, Cliff Steinhauer, Melanie Torkelson, Diana Morkassel, and Bruce
Flaig 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 5, 2004.