[mou] Cook County Birds 17 November

[Doug Kieser]

Jim Otto and I spend the day birding various Cook county spots.
Some highlights:
One female Spruce Grouse on Lima Mountain road.
12 Red Crossbills (Lima Grade)
Boreal Chickadees (Lima Grade)
2 Black-backed Woodpeckers (Magnetic Rock hiking Trail)
Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls; small flocks at several locations.
1 Surf Scoter continuing in Grand Marais Harbor.
10 Long-tailed Ducks (Paradise Beach)
3 White-winged Scoters (Paradise Beach)
One of the White-winged Scoters was first observed flying up the shore
just west of Colvill.  We matched speed with this duck at just over 55
miles per hour.  We sped up a bit, and just beat this bird to Paradise
Beach, 5+ miles from where we first saw it, it was flying by just as we
got out of the car.  It slowed down a bit near the other sea ducks at
Paradise Beach, but then continued on up the shore.
Some birds seen late yesterday but not today include a flock of 120
Bohemian Waxwings at the Grand Marais campground, and a Northern Pintail
in Grand Marais Harbor.
 
Doug Kieser
Minneapolis