[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, January 28, 2005

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, January 28,
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.

This has been a milder week in the northwest, but not yet melting the
snow. The icy conditions have improved somewhat on the more traveled
highways, but caution is still advised. All should be aware that in some
areas, freezing rain has occurred several times  in a spotty pattern,
leaving unexpected patches of black ice. Snow covered roads are
improving, but don't look for minimum maintenance roads to be plowed
until spring now. Major highways are mostly bare and dry- note that
there aren't many of those in the northwest! Owls are moving into the
area and more reports are coming in daily. This week I have reports of
northern owls in Marshall, Mahnomen, Polk, Pennington, Clearwater, Red
Lake, Becker, Hubbard, Kittson, Clay, and Cass Counties. Greatest
concentrations of northern owls have been reported recently from the
area where Hubbard, Cass, Clearwater, and Mahnomen Counties come
together along MN Highways 200,  113,  64, and  87.=20

Ron Erpelding was in Roseau County on January 25th, where he found
Bohemian waxwings, pine grosbeaks, and white-winged crossbills in
Greenbush.

In Kittson County, Ron found three great gray owls along CR 20, three to
four miles north of MN 11. Also in Kittson County he saw sharp-tailed
grouse.

Alice Sather reported a great gray owl at the end of her drive along CR
113 in Marshall County north of Viking. The several great gray owls
previously reported near the intersection of CR 7 and CR 12 near the
west entrance to Agassiz NWR continue to be refound occasionally by
different observers. Cliff Steinhauer who lives in that area sees them
from time to time, and he also reported 15 sharp-tailed grouse,
black-billed magpies, Bohemian waxwings, and common redpolls in his
yard.

Shelley Steva saw a great gray owl in Pennington County on January 25th
one mile north of the intersection of CR 3 and US 59. The one previously
reported by Sue Braastad east of Thief River Falls was relocated less
than a quarter mile west of the previous location along 150th St. NE on
January 26th. Shelley Steva also reported seeing snow buntings in
Pennington County. On January 25th, a sharp-shinned hawk briefly visited
our yard near Thief River Falls.

A great gray owl was found in Red Lake County by Ron Erpelding 0.2 mile
north of the Huot Store along CR 104.

Bruce Flaig reported a great gray owl along Polk CR 12 north of Fertile
on January 24th.

Matt Mecklenburg was in Clearwater County on January 22nd where he
discovered five great gray owls. Three were along MN 200 within 1 1/2
miles of mile marker 71 between Roy Lake and Zerkel, one was just west
of Lake Itasca, and one was at the east entrance to Itasca State Park.
In addition to these, he saw a northern goshawk along MN 113, and a
red-breasted nuthatch at the Itasca State Park feeders. Ron Erpelding
refound the great gray owl previously reported from Eden Township of
Clearwater County, and east of that location was a northern goshawk.

In Hubbard and Cass Counties along MN 64 and MN 87 in the area where the
two highways run together, Matt Mecklenburg located twelve great gray
owls, and two barred owls.

On January 23rd, Ron Erpelding refound the northern hawk owl south of
Gary in Norman County where MN 200 and MN 32 are one, and in Twin Valley
he saw Bohemian waxwings.

In Mahnomen County, along MN 200, Ben Fritchman located 6 great gray
owls, and also a great horned owl.

Both Matt Mecklenburg, and Wayne Brininger reported great gray owls in
Becker County, most in and around Tamarac NWR along CR 29 and CR 26.
Wayne reported that the owls were seldom seen again in the same location
first reported indicating that they are moving around quite a lot.

Karol Pearson called in a report of two snowy owls one mile north and
one mile east of Georgetown in Clay County on January 19th.

Thanks to Cliff Steinhauer, Bruce Flaig, Ron Erpelding, Alice Sather,
Shelley Steva, Matt Mecklenburg, Karol Pearson, Ben Fritchman, 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, February 4,2005.