[mou] Duluth RBA 1/5/06

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, January 5th, 2006 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and GRAY CATBIRD were found by Ann Belleman 
and Peg Robertson today in Cook County at the Tofte Town Park south 
of Highway 61.  Yesterday, Ben Wieland and Molly Malacek relocated 
one of the two male HARLEQUIN DUCKS at Artists' Point in Grand Marais 
which were originally found by Harvey Sobieck.  Ben and Molly also 
saw 12 LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Artists' Point and an AMERICAN WIGEON 
near the North House Folk School, which has been present since at 
least December 17th.

Mike Hendrickson reported an adult ICELAND GULL at Canal Park in 
Duluth on the 1st, along with two adult and a first-winter GLAUCOUS 
GULL and a second-winter THAYER'S GULL.  Peder Svingen relocated five 
GREATER SCAUP in the Duluth Harbor on the 2nd.  I have not heard any 
reports of the Gyrfalcon at Park Point since the initial sighting on 
the 29th.

Keith Pulles relocated the VARIED THRUSH in Two Harbors on the 29th 
at 4th Avenue and 1st Street.  The VARIED THRUSH on the UMD campus 
was relocated by Peder Svingen on the 2nd along St. Marie Street just 
west of Oakland Avenue.

Shawn Conrad found a HOARY REDPOLL in Itasca County on the 1st in the 
town of Bovey in a patch of tansy near the Connor-Jasper Middle 
School.  Shawn also saw BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Deer River and 
Coleraine, and EVENING GROSBEAKS in Deer River on the 31st.  EVENING 
GROSBEAKS have also been seen recently in the Sax-Zim bog along the 
Stone Lake Road (CR 319) and along CR 7.

Nick Anich relocated a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on the 29th in the Sax-Zim 
bog along the Stone Lake Road (CR 319) and another along the McDavitt 
Road just north of the railroad tracks.  The Stone Lake Hawk Owl was 
seen again on the 1st and 2nd.  The Hawk Owl at the junction of Lake 
County Road 2 and Forest Highway 11 was also relocated over the 
weekend.  Keith Pulles found a GREAT GRAY OWL on the 30th along Owl 
Avenue in the Sax-Zim Bog, 0.2 mile south of the Arkola Road (CR 52). 
 The only recent report I have of a SNOWY OWL is one seen in Aitkin 
County on December 30th and January 1st, south of Palisade on 
Township Road 380, 0.8 to 1.4 mile west of CR 5.

A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was found during the Pine County CBC on the 
28th in a red pine stand along County Line Road west of Nickerson 
between CR 48 and CR 49.  Dave Thurston relocated one yesterday along 
the McDavitt Road, 2.4 miles north of the Sax Road (CR 28).

Twenty-seven species were seen on the Isabella CBC on the 1st, 
including two SPRUCE GROUSE on CR 2 just north of the Sand River, a 
GREAT GRAY OWL 0.75 mile north of the Sand River, a NORTHERN HAWK OWL 
about 0.5 mile south of the Sand River, and RED CROSSBILLS in several 
locations along MN Highway 1 between Isabella and CR 2.  Near record 
numbers of BOREAL CHICKADEES were also found, especially along the 
Stoney River Forest Road, five to eight miles south of Minnesota 
Highway 1.  A high-clearance vehicle is needed for this road.  Boreal 
Chickadees were also been found by several observers over the weekend 
in the Sax-Zim bog along Owl Avenue, just north of the bend about a 
mile south of the Arkola Road (CR 52), in Itasca County along the 
Alder Road (CR 253) 0.1 mile north of Middle Creek, and in Cook 
County along the Lima Mountain Road.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, January 
12th.

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.