[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, January 21, 2005

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, January 21,
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.

There has been variety of weather this week and temperatures have swung
from minus 40 in some areas to plus 25. Winds have also ranged from calm
to upwards of 35 mph at some times. Roads are treacherous with an icy
layer on the bottom, with compacted snow on top, and the smaller county
roads can be snow covered also. Minimum maintenance roads are not
recommended for travel anywhere in the northwest. Many hundreds of SNOW
BUNTINGS were seen by many birders as the wind whipped the snow up on
Monday.

That said, the weather did not stop intrepid birders from getting out
and finding yet more owls. There were GREAT GRAY OWLS reported from
Becker, Mahnomen, Cass, Hubbard, Marshall, Pennington, and Roseau
Counties, NORTHERN HAWK OWLS from Beltrami and Norman Counties,
SHORT-EARED OWLS from Roseau and Marshall Counties. There were even two
BOREAL OWLS found this week- one was along MN 72 south of Baudette, and
one turned up at a private feeder on January 15th near Thief River Falls
in Pennington County.=20

>From Otter Tail County, Wayne Runningen reported that TRUMPETER SWANS
are wintering this year along the Pelican River north of Pelican Rapids
and near the north inlet to Prairie Lake.

Greg Awender found a NORTHERN SHRIKE in northern Becker County near
White Earth Lake. Also in Becker County, Bob Janssen, Jerry Bonkowski,
and Ernie Lewis observed a NORTHERN GOSHAWK along MN 113. They also
found a GREAT GRAY OWL along MN 113 3.2 mi west of MN 71 on January
19th. Wayne Brininger reported two more GREAT GRAY OWLS at Ponsford
Prairie near the intersection of CR35 and CR37.

In Norman County , the Bob Janssen group found two COMMON RAVENS near
Flom, and twenty-seven GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS  along MN 32 south of
Gary. They also refound the NORTHERN HAWK OWL previously reported by
several observers north of Gary where MN 32 and MN 200 run together for
two miles.

Mahnomen County sightings by Bob Janssen's group included ROUGH-LEGGED
HAWK, and  several PINE GROSBEAKS. Doug Johnson found a GREAT GRAY OWL
along MN 200 2.5 miles west of CR 4 in the tribal village of Mah-Konce.

On the 17th, Bob and his friends found a half dozen GREAT GRAY OWLS
along MN 64 where it runs together with MN 87 and forms the boundary
between Cass and Hubbard Counties. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL was found in the
same vicinity. On the 19th, three more GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen near
the intersection of MN 71 and MN 113 in Hubbard and Becker Counties. Two
were seen in Hubbard County - one near the intersection of MN 71 and CR
42, and one near the intersection of MN 71 and CR 43. Other species
reported from Hubbard County included eleven TRUMPETER SWANS and some
CANADA GEESE at Third Crow Wing Lake, a BARRED OWL, and RED CROSSBILLS.

Nathaniel Emery reported BOHEMIAN WAXWING in Crookston in Polk County on
January 20th. Bob Janssen's group found GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS in that
county also.

In Thief River Falls, Pennington County, Richard Olson called to report
about 250 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS feasting on mountain ash berries in his yard
on January 15th. A GREAT GRAY OWL was reported by Sue Braastad in rural
Thief River Falls on January 18th. HOARY REDPOLLS and HORNED LARKS were
also seen in the county on that day.=20

Two more GREAT GRAY OWLS were spotted in Marshall County on Saturday,
January 15th , both near the intersection of CR 12 and CR7 near the west
entrance to Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge. At the Agassiz bird feeder
a HOARY REDPOLL and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR were seen. Cliff Steinhauer
reported a SHORT-EARED OWL one mile west of the intersection of CR12 and
CR7. SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were seen in the same area.

Ricky Olson, and Kenny Miller, visiting South Dakota birders, were in
Beltrami County on the weekend and found a NORTHERN HAWK OWL six miles
north of Kelliher along MN 72.

In Roseau County, the visitors located eight GREAT GRAY OWLS, six of
them along CR 124 off CR 13, one along CR 28 one mile north of MN 11,
and one along MN 32 a mile south of Greenbush. They also found a
SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, and a SHORT-EARED OWL along CR 28 north of Roseau.

Jenny Moorman reported that there were 30-40 EVENING GROSBEAKS and 15
PINE GROSBEAKS  coming to her feeder south of Baudette in Lake of the
Woods County. Also there were COMMON REDPOLLS, and a MOURNING DOVE which
came occasionally. Ricky Olson found two BOREAL CHICKADEES  one mile
north of the Rapid River Road on the Faunce Forest Road in Beltrami
Island State Forest last weekend.

Thanks to Wayne Runningen, Cliff Steinhauer, Greg Awender, Doug Johnson,
Ricky Olson, Jenny Moorman, Bob Jannsen, Jerry Bonkoski, Nathaniel
Emery, and Sue and John Braastad, Richard Olson, and Wayne Brininger 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 28, 2005.