[mou] Duluth RBA 2/23/06

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

A SPOTTED TOWHEE reported over the weekend has been visiting a feeder 
near Cook, in northern St. Louis County since November.  The 
homeowners are very open to having visitors, but they would like 
people to call ahead of time because the bird isn't visible from the 
road and has to be viewed from inside the house.  Their names are 
Cedric and Eunice Roivanen and their phone # is 218-666-5318.  They 
are about a mile and a half west of Cook, at 9774 Wein Road (CR 500). 
 

While looking at the Spotted Towhee on the 20th, Denny and Barb 
Martin found a HOARY REDPOLL at the Roivanen feeders.  Then on the 
21st, Mike Hendrickson saw two Hoary Redpolls at their feeders.  Mike 
also found a NORTHERN HAWK OWL in Cook at the intersection of CR 25 
and the Ralph Road (CR 912).  Denny and Barb found one on the Wein 
Road (CR 500), 0.2 mile east of the Carpenter Road (CR 481).

In Itasca County on the 20th, Denny and Barb found a Hawk Owl along 
MN Highway 65, 3.8 miles north of the Wolf Lake Road (CR 53).  They 
saw a GREAT GRAY OWL in St. Louis County along the Lind Road (CR 85), 
0.5 mile west of MN Highway 73.  In southeastern Koochiching County 
they found a SPRUCE GROUSE at the intersection of MN Highway 65 and 
CR 75.  They also relocated a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER in the Sax-Zim 
bog on the west side of the McDavitt Road, about 2.5 miles north of 
the Sax Road.  On the 20th, Nancy Richmond relocated the NORTHERN 
HAWK OWL along the McDavitt Road north of the railroad tracks and a 
GREAT GRAY OWL on McDavitt near the Murray Road.

Shawn Conrad and others birded Itasca and Koochiching counties on the 
18th through the 20th and had several interesting sightings.  Along 
Koochiching County Road 13 they found a THREE-TOED WOODPECKER 8 miles 
north of US Highway 71, a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER 9.5 miles north of 
Highway 71, a SPRUCE GROUSE 6 miles north of Highway 71, and BOREAL 
CHICKADEE 10.7 miles north of Highway 71.  They found a NORTHERN HAWK 
OWL at the intersection of Koochiching County Road 22 and Highway 71, 
and another on CR 32, 6 miles west of MN Highway 11.  They found a 
GREAT GRAY OWL on CR 30, 6.5 miles west of Highway 71, and two Great 
Grays near MN Highway 6 south of Big Falls.  In Itasca County, they 
found a Northern Hawk Owl 6 miles north of Deer River on Highway 6.

At least three NORTHERN HAWK OWLS were seen along St. Louis County 
Road 110 south of Hoyt Lakes on the 16th by several observers, and at 
least two were relocated on the 18th.  Gordon Chastain and Bruce 
Stahly found a Hawk Owl in Lake County on the 17th along MN Highway 
61 near mile marker 66, just north of Little Marais.  They also 
relocated the male HARLEQUIN DUCK in the Grand Marais harbor on the 
16th.  Mike Hendrickson found a HOARY REDPOLL in Isabella at the 
Moose Cafe on the 18th.

The VARIED THRUSH in Two Harbors was relocated on the 18th at the 
corner of Fourth Avenue and First Street.  A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL 
was also found roosting nearby, but hasn't been seen since.  A VARIED 
THRUSH was seen today in a Cook County yard along the Sawbill Trail, 
but I don't have specific directions.  Jan and John Green last saw 
the BOREAL OWL on the 17th in their yard off the North Shore Road, 
east of the Bergquist Road.  They saw a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK again in 
their yard on the 22nd.

A probable overwintering AMERICAN COOT was seen by Shanna Schultz on 
the 18th at Silver Lake in Virginia.  Peder Svingen relocated the 
five GREATER SCAUP at Canal Park in Duluth today, along with a second-
winter THAYER'S GULL and an adult GLAUCOUS GULL.  Mike Hendrickson 
reported four GLAUCOUS GULLS at Canal Park on the 19th, and an adult 
THAYER'S GULL on the 21st and 22nd.  Mike also saw a WHITE-WINGED 
SCOTER on the 21st flying from Canal Park towards 21st Avenue East, 
and a GADWALL on the 19th near the Canal Park Inn.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, March 
2nd.
The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-2858.  
Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded 
message.

The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota 
Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more 
information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum to 
mou@cbs.umn.edu, or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org.