[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, January 14, 2005

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, January 14,
2005 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.

Old Man Winter certainly has a grip on the northwest these days.
Temperatures are falling daily after a snowfall on the weekend. There
are crystal clear nights and blinding white days, and the snow crunches
underfoot.

This week's report is all about owls. They are definitely moving south
and west this week after the episodes of freezing rain and snow that has
fallen in the northeast. I have reports this week of Great Gray Owls
from Roseau, Marshall, Polk, Mahnomen, Beltrami, Becker, Clearwater, and
Hubbard Counties. There is also a report of a Northern Hawk Owl in
Norman County. I will not give exact locations for all of these, but if
anyone wants to know where to look in a given county, email me and I'll
supply the locations where the owls were seen.

Gary Tischer reported that on Sunday, January 9th, he saw 5 GREAT GRAY
OWLS along MN 11 between Greenbush and Badger in Roseau County.

In Marshall County, at least two GREAT GRAY OWLS have been seen west of
CR 12 north of CR 117 this week. Maggie Anderson saw a SHORT-EARED OWL
near the intersection of CR 12 and CR 7. Elsewhere in Marshall County,
Linda Johnson had a large flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS visit her yard this
week.

Rick Benson saw a GREAT GRAY OWL in Eden Township in northeastern Polk
County on January 5th. Bruce Flaig reported both COMMON REDPOLLS, and
HOARY REDPOLLS in Polk County on January 13th. He also had a
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK and RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER visit the yard on that
day.

Gary and Marion Otnes found a NORTHERN HAWK OWL in Norman County on
January 8th one half mile south of Gary along MN 32. Another or the same
owl was seen by Bruce Flaig near the intersection of MN 32 and MN 200 on
January 13th. Gary Otnes also reported a COMMON RAVEN two miles north of
Syre along MN 32, and an AMERICAN ROBIN in the town of Ulen.

While surveying for owls on the weekend, Herb Dingmann and Ron Erpelding
found a GREAT GRAY OWL in Mahnomen County along MN 200 3.7 miles west of
CR 4.

In Hubbard County, Bill Unzen observed two GREAT GRAY OWLS along MN 71
on January 11th. Herb Dingmann and Ron Erpelding reported one along MN
64 two miles south of MN 200, and one a quarter mile west of CR 36 along
MN 200. Connie Norheim found two BARRED OWLS in Hubbard County on
January 8th - one east of Park Rapids along MN 34 and one south of
Akeley along MN 64.

Four GREAT GRAY OWLS in Beltrami County were reported by Herb Dingmann
and Ron Erpelding, and I observed at least one more on Sunday, January
9th, while traveling through the Red Lake Indian Reservation on MN 1.

Melissa Galland reported a GREAT GRAY OWL  northeast of Clearbrook in
Leon Township, Clearwater County, on January 9th. Another  was seen
overlooking Lower Red Lake in Clearwater County on the same day. Herb
Dingmann reported a flock of RED CROSSBILLS at the north entrance to
Itasca State Park on the weekend.

A GREAT GRAY OWL was observed in Becker County last weekend along MN 113
seven miles west of MN 71. Shar Legenhausen had a NORTHERN SHRIKE in her
yard on January 9th and 10th, while Art Bakker had a NORTHERN CARDINAL
in his yard along Becker CR 25.

Thanks to Herb Dingmann, Shar Legenhausen, Bill Unzen, Rick Benson,
Bruce Flaig, Connie Norheim, Gary Tischer, Maggie Anderson, and Gary
Otnes 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, January 21, 2005.