[mou] Sax Zim today

[metterso at d.umn.edu]

I spent Saturday afternoon birding around Sax Zim today.  Here?s what  
I found (and some of what I didn?t), more or less in order.

12:00 ? 12:30 pm ? Co Rd. 133.  Shrike flying, presumably Northern.

12:30 ? 1:00 pm ? Spruce Road, first mile or so:  Black-capped  
Chickadee, Gray Jay, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, several Common  
Ravens, Redpoll overflight.

Feeding Station on Spruce Road: many Evening Grosbeaks (>40), Pine  
Grosbeaks (>30), Common Redpolls (+/-20) (and maybe a Hoary Redpoll ?  
but take that ID with a pinch of grit for your gizzard).  Also, Blue  
Jays (2), Black-capped Chickadees (3-5), & a Hairy Woodpecker (female).

around 1:30 pm.  end of spruce road.  no Black-billed Magpies (or  
anything else, for that matter).

Highway 7, including first trip out Nichols Lake road: Common Ravens,  
some American Crows in the ditch, and a couple of Bald Eagles (just  
south of Byrnes Greenhouses on the east side of Hwy 7), a Gray Jay,  
and another Pileated Woodpecker.  Finally, a Northern Hawk Owl, about  
0.5 miles south of Stone Lake Road, on the west side of Highway 7,  
quite far off the road, maybe 0.25-0.5 miles west.

2:30 pm Stone Lake Road: Gray Jay.

2:30:3:00 pm ? Admiral Road.  Nothing much, except a few Black-capped  
Chickadees.

3:15 pm ? 4:00 pm ? MacDavitt Road looking for woodpeckers.  Got very  
nice looks at a Northern Shrike, but no woodpeckers.

4:15 pm.  Black-billed Magpie about 0.1 miles east of intersection of  
Kolu & MacDavitt.

4:30 pm.  Back to Nichols Lake Road, and I saw a Great Gray Owl  
perched on a tangled Paper Birch snag.  I stood and watched it for  
about 20 minutes before it flew away to the south in the failing light.

All in all a great afternoon of birding.  Thanks to all who are  
posting detailed information on bird finding in Sax Zim this year!

Matt Etterson
Duluth


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