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Seasonal Report Archive for The Loon | |
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The 1945-Winter Season 1 December 1945 through 28 February 1946 by E. D. Swedenborg |
The following is an annotated list of
birds seen in Minnesota during the
months of December, January, and
February, from 1937 to 1946, inclusive.
It is not necessarily a complete list but was compiled from The Auk, Wilson Bulletin, The Flicker, Audubon Magazine, and in a few instances from my own records. Lack of space makes it impossible to use all records, but efforts were made to include as much of the state as possible and to use mid-winter dates whenever such dates could be found.
A similar list, covering the years 1927 to 1936, inclusive, appeared in the March, 1937, number of The Flicker.
It listed 124 species; this one lists 122.
The following species appeared in the first but not in this one: loon, horned grebe, least bittern, whistling swan, surf scoter, turkey vulture, prairie falcon, Merlin, willow ptarmigan, barn owl, Richardson's owl, magpie, Carolina wren, Townsend's solitaire, ruby-crowned kinglet, northern yellowthroat, vesper sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, fox sparrow, and swamp sparrow. This makes a total of 142 species recorded during the winter months in the past twenty years.
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Species |
Information |
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| Whistling-Ducks, Geese, Swans, Ducks | |||||
| Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) | Five hundred near Rochester, winter of 1938-39; 100 near Shakopee, February 21, 1943, (Jack Welsh). | ||||
| Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) | One near Fairmont, December 24, 1939, and two at same place, December 25, 1941, (Dr. Luedtke). REDHEAD DUCK. Two on Lake Calhoun, December 10, 1944, (Swedenborg). CANVAS-BACK. One on Calhoun, December 15, 1946, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) | Fifteen, winter of 1941-42, near Morris, (Warden Bolsted); one near Minneapolis, February 2, 1940, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) | Near St. Paul, December 29, 1940, (Harrell and Cummings); four, December 30, 1945, (Members of St. Paul Bird Club). | ||||
| Gadwall (Mareca strepera) | Six on Christmas Lake, near Ex~elsior, January 12, 1939, (A. D. DuBois); eight near Minneapolis, December 17, 1939, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| American Wigeon (Mareca americana) | One on White Bear Lake, January 8, 1937, (R. M. Berthel); one on Lake Calhoun, December 8, 1945, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) | Present, sometimes in large flocks, in the southern part of the state each winter. RED-LEGGED BLACK DUCK. Fifteen near St. Paul, December 30, 1945, (Members of St. Paul Bird Club); six near Shakopee, February 10, 1946, (Sweden borg). | ||||
| Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) | At Fairmont, December 25, 1941, (Dr. G. H. Luedtke); at Minneapolis, December 10, 1944, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) | Two near St. Paul, December 28, 1941, (William H. Longley); one near Minneapolis, December 13, 1938, (Mrs. Davidson). | ||||
| Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) | Present every winter into December. | ||||
| Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) | Present every winter into December. | ||||
| White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi) | Three at Two Harbors, December 22, 1938, (Lakela); five near St. Paul (Brother Hubert), January 16, 1943; one at Minneapolis, December 15, 1944, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) | Present every winter into December, remaining all winter wherever open water is found. BUFFLE-HEAD. At Duluth, December 26, 1943, (Dr. Olga Lakela). OLD-SQUAW. One hundred in the Duluth region, December 27, 1942, (Lakela); several other Lake Superior records. | ||||
| Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) | Five, Minneapolis, December 17, 1939, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) | Present every winter. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Present in the Twin City region almost every winter until the lakes are frozen over. | ||||
| Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) | One, Minneapolis, December 2, 1945, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Partridge, Pheasants, Grouse, Turkeys | |||||
| Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) | Present throughout the year. | ||||
| Spruce Grouse (Canachites canadensis) | Two near Grand Marais, December 22, 1943, (Mr. and Mrs. Jacques and Wm. Kerfoot); five on Gunflint Trail, December, 1939, (C. T. Rollings).' | ||||
| Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) | Present throughout the year. | ||||
| Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) | Present throughout the year. | ||||
| Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix) | Present throughout the year. | ||||
| Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) | Present throughout the year. CHUKAR PARTRIDGE. These native and introduced species are of course present throughout the year. | ||||
| Grebes | |||||
| Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) | Several records in the Twin City region. St. Paul, December 29, 1940, (William Cummings and Byron Harrell); near Minneapolis, December 27, 1946, (Members of Audubon Society). | ||||
| Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) | One at Minneapolis, December 13, 1938, (Mrs. Frances Davidson). | ||||
| Pigeons, Doves | |||||
| Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) | Several near Minneapolis, January 7, 1939, (Dana Struthers); ten at St. Cloud, December 29, 1938, (T. S. Roberts Ornithological Club) ; other records. | ||||
| Rails, Gallinules, Coots | |||||
| American Coot (Fulica americana) | Near St. Paul, December 30, 1945, (St. P.aul Bird Club members); near Minneapolis, December 8, 1945, (Swednborg). | ||||
| Sandpipers | |||||
| American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) | One at St. Paul, December 3, 1943, (Dr. Gustav Swanson). | ||||
| Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) | Present every winter along the small streams that flow into the Minnesota River near Minneapolis; most unusual record, 24 individuals seen along Nine Mile Creek, January 7, 1939, (Dana Struthers). | ||||
| Gulls, Terns | |||||
| Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) | Present on the park lakes and along the Mississippi River at Minneapolis and St. Paul into December each winter. | ||||
| Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) | Present every winter in the Lake Superior region (Dr. Lakela) ; also in the Twin City region until the annual freeze-up. | ||||
| Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) | Seen every winter for eleven years in the Duluth region. | ||||
| Loons | |||||
| Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) | One on the river at St. Cloud, February 22, 1942, (N. M. Hiemenz). | ||||
| Cormorants | |||||
| Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) | One on Lake Harriet at Minneapolis, December 17, 1939, (E. D. Sweden· borg). | ||||
| Bitterns, Herons, Egrets, Night-Herons | |||||
| Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) | One at Newport, January, 1938, (R. A. Kortman); one near St. Paul, December 12, 1944, (Brother Hubert Lewis). | ||||
| Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) | BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. Three near St. Paul, December 26, 1939, (A. C. Rosenwinkel). | ||||
| Kites, Accipiters, Hawks, Eagles | |||||
| Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) | At the Cedar Creek Bog, in Isanti County, December 29, 1946, (Minnesota Bird Club members); other records near Roseau (P. 0. Fryklund). | ||||
| Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) | Fertile, winter 1941 -42, (Nelson); several records near Minneapolis. GRAY GYRFALCON. One caught in a trap at Fertile, January 15, 1940, (Martin Nelson). | ||||
| Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) | Ramsey County, December 19, 1938, (Breckenridge and Berthel); at White Bear Lake, February 2, 1942, (Berthel). | ||||
| Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) | One near St. Paul, December 27, 1944 (Longley); two on December 30, 1945, Cedar Creek Bog, Isanti County, (Minnesota Bird Club members). | ||||
| American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus) | Two near St. Paul, December 30, 1945, (St. Paul Bird Club members). | ||||
| Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) | At Dassel, February 5, 1945, (J. P. Jensen); two at Taylors Falls, winter of 1940-41, (Mrs. Hugh H. Owen). | ||||
| Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) | Near St. Paul, February 22, 1943, (Longley and Harrell); same region, December 28, 1941, (Brother Hubert Lewis). AMERICAN ROUGH- LEGGED HAWK. Present throughout almost every winter in the Minnesota valley near Minneapolis. | ||||
| Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) | One, Fairmont, December 25, 1940, (Dr. Luedtke); nine, Weaver, December 21, 1941, (Dr. R. R. Keating); several Minneapolis records. KRIDER'S HAWK. One, Root River valley, December 27, 1940, (Minnesota Bird Club members). | ||||
| Screech-Owls, Owls | |||||
| Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) | Present throughout the year. | ||||
| Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) | Present throughout the year. | ||||
| Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) | One near Minneapolis, December 22, 1941, (Audubon Society members); numerous records for the state, winter of 1945-46. | ||||
| Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) | One near St. Paul, February 2?, 1946, (Brother Hubert Lewis). | ||||
| Barred Owl (Strix varia) | Present throughout the year. | ||||
| Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) | At Roseau, winter of 1944-45, (Fryklund). | ||||
| Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) | Near St. Paul, December 28, 1944, (Brother Hubert Lewis). | ||||
| Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) | At Stewartville, December 16, 1937, (Dr. A. F. Risser); near Minneapolis, December 30, 1943, (Breckenridge and Swanson). | ||||
| Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) | At Duluth, December 27, 1944, (Duluth Bird Club members); near St. Paul, January 17, 1946, (Frank Ostrowski). | ||||
| Kingfishers | |||||
| Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) | Near Minneapolis, January 22, 1938; near Shakopee, January 10, 1943, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Woodpeckers | |||||
| Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) | At Minneapolis, December 21, 1941, (Audubon Society members); eight near Weaver, Decemper 21, 1941 (Dr. Keating) ; a few other records. | ||||
| Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) | Permanent residents. ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. Eleven at Glynden, Clay County, December 1, 1940, (Miss Signe Lee) ; one at St. Cloud, February 17, 1939, (Members of the T. S. Roberts Ornithological Club); several northern Minnesota records. | ||||
| Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) | Permanent residents. | ||||
| Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) | At Dassel, December 1938, (Jensen); several Minneapolis and St. Paul records. | ||||
| Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) | Permanent residents. REDBELLIED WOODPECKER, Permanent residents. | ||||
| Caracaras, Falcons | |||||
| American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) | One near Minneapolis, December 20, 1943, (Minneapolis Audubon Society members); one, St. Paul, December 30, 1945, (St. Paul Bird Club members). | ||||
| Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) | One, St. Paul, December 13, 1941, (Harrell 'l.nd Longley). | ||||
| Shrikes | |||||
| Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis) | One at Shevlin, Decmber 24, 1939, (F. S. Cartwright); one at Minneapolis, December 27, 1944, (Audubon Society members); o n e at Minneapolis, December 21, 1946 (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Jays, Nutcrackers, Magpies, Crows | |||||
| Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) | One at Minneapolis, January 1, 1941, (Nordquist). Permanent resident in northern Minnesota. | ||||
| Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) | Common permanent resident. NORTHERN RAVEN. Twelve at Virginia, January 12, 1941, (Barrows); several records along the north shore, winter of 1943-44. | ||||
| American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) | Present in limited numbers each winter in the southern part of the state. | ||||
| Chickadees, Titmice | |||||
| Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) | Common permanent resident. | ||||
| Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus) | Two in Glenwood Park at Minneapolis, winter of 1943-44; three in same park, winter of 1946-47, (Miss L. M. Aler); several records in the Duluth region. | ||||
| Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) | Two at Marine-on-St. Croix, January 1943, (Miss Edgar); one north of Minneapolis, February 12, 1945, (Breckenridge). | ||||
| Larks | |||||
| Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) | Present in the southern part of the state every winter. | ||||
| Kinglets | |||||
| Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) | Three at Duluth, December 26, 1942, (Mrs. Olin); two at Cloquet, February 22, 1942, (Arnold Erickson); present almost every winter in Minneapolis, many published records. | ||||
| Waxwings | |||||
| Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) | Several records, winter visitant, apparently no large migration into southern Minnesota in the past ten years. | ||||
| Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) | About a hundred at Roseau, January 23, 1938, (Fryklund); five at Duluth, December 23, 1942, (Mrs. Olin); a few southern Minnesota records. | ||||
| Nuthatches | |||||
| Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) | One at Duluth, January 19, 1943, (Mrs. Olin); one at Fairmont, December 24, 1939, (Dr. Luedtke); several Twin City records. | ||||
| White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) | Common permanent resident. | ||||
| Creepers | |||||
| Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) | Present each winter in the southern part of the state. | ||||
| Wrens | |||||
| Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) | One along Purgatory Creek, near Minneapolis, January 7, 1945, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Thrashers, Mockingbirds | |||||
| Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) | One at Minneapolis, December 21, 1938, (Mrs. Davidson); one at Fairmont, winter of 1939-40, (Dr. Luedtke). | ||||
| Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | One in Minneapolis, winter of 1938-39, (Breckenridge). | ||||
| Starlings | |||||
| European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) | Permanent resident; flocks of a few hundred birds occasionally encountered. | ||||
| Thrushes | |||||
| Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) | Three at Duluth, January 11, 1943, (Miss Mary Elwell); a few St. Paul-Minneapolis records. | ||||
| MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (Sialia currucoides) | One at Duluth, February 2 to February 14, 1943, (Mrs. Olin). | ||||
| American Robin (Turdus migratorius) | Thirty at Duluth, February 1945, (Mrs. Olin); present in limited numbers each winter in southern Minnesota. | ||||
| Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) | One at Duluth, February 7, 1941, and for some time after; first state record (Mrs. W. S. Telford and Dr. Olga Lakela). | ||||
| Old World Sparrows | |||||
| House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) | Common permanent resident. | ||||
| Finches | |||||
| Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) | Present every winter in northern Minnesota; quite a few records from the southern sections of the state. | ||||
| Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) | Several winter records in various parts of the state, but apparently never very numerous. | ||||
| Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) | Rather common winter visitant in the Twin City region; permanent resident to the north. | ||||
| Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) | Two near Duluth, last week of December, 1940, (Marius Morse). REDPOLL. Present every winter in greatly varying numbers. | ||||
| White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) | Several northern Minnesota records; thirteen seen by members of the Minnesota Bird Club at Cedar Creek Bog in Isanti County, December 29, 1946. | ||||
| Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) | Several records from the Duluth region and a few from other northern state sections; also four at St. Paul, December 27, 1945, (Rosenwinkel). | ||||
| American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) | Four at Duluth, January 28, 1945, (Mrs. Olin); present every winter in varying numbers in the Twin Ci.ty region and throughout the southern part of the state. RED CROSS-BILL. Several records from Duluth and the north shore of Lake Superior; eight in Isanti County, December 29, 1946, (members of Minnesota Bird Club). | ||||
| Longspurs and Snow Buntings | |||||
| Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) | Small flocks are found in the open sections of the state every winter. | ||||
| Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) | Small flocks are found in the open sections of the state every winter. | ||||
| Towhees, Sparrows | |||||
| Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) | Present every winter in southern Minnesota. Scores of records. TREE SPARROW. Rather common winter visitant in southern Minnesota; sometimes seen in flocks numbering a few hundred individuals. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. An injured bird in Duluth, winter of 1945-46, (Mrs. Olin); four near St. Paul, last week of December, 1944, (Brother Lewis). | ||||
| Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) | Two, December 29, 1945; one, December 26, 1937, and February 12, 1938, near Minneapolis, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Blackbirds, Orioles | |||||
| Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) | One in the same section, December 1938, (Mrs. Davidson). | ||||
| Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) | Seven at Stewartville, December 22, 1938, (Minnesota Bird Club members); one at Minneapolis, December 29, 1945, (Swedenborg). | ||||
| Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | Two near Stewartville, December 23, 1939, (Minnesota Bird Club members); one at St. Cloud, January 2, 1941, (T. S. Roberts Ornithological Club). | ||||
| Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) | Present in the Minnesota River valley, south of Minneapolis, every winter, flocks numbering a few hundred individuals sometimes seen. | ||||
| Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) | Brown-headed Cowbirds have also wintered with the blackbirds at Nicols the past few years; thirteen seen, Jan- · uary 11, 1942; ten on January 7, 1945, ( Swedenborg); one at Weaver, Minnesota, December 21, 1941, (Dr. F. L. Keating). | ||||
| Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) | A few found almost every winter with the redwings in the Minnesota River valley, several other records. | ||||
| Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) | Individuals of this species also found in these river valley flocks; one at Duluth, last week of December, 1945, (members of Lakeview Branch of the Duluth Bird Club). | ||||
| Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) | A few grackles also winter with the blackbirds in the vicnity of Nicols; four at Duluth, last week in December, 1945, (members of the Lakeview Branch of the Duluth Bird Club). | ||||
| Tanagers, Cardinals, Grosbeaks | |||||
| Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | One at Duluth, winter of 1938-39. A quite common resident in the southern part of the state. | ||||