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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*November 11, 2004
*MNDL0411.11

-Birds mentioned

• Cattle Egret
• Tundra Swan
• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Bald Eagle
• Cooper's Hawk
• Northern Goshawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• Sandhill Crane
• Bonaparte's Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Snowy Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Common Raven
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Townsend's Solitaire
• Northern Shrike
• American Tree Sparrow
• Snow Bunting
• Pine Grosbeak
• Common Redpoll
• Pine Siskin

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: November 11, 2004
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru@wiktel.com)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, November 12, 2004 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218) 847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.

It starts to feel as if winter is indeed approaching, and the days are really getting shorter, making birding on workdays before or after work impossible for most of us. The aurora borealis was especially bright and visible this week, and brought many folks outside to watch the show. Most birds reported this week are late migrants, and/or winter residents.

In Otter Tail County, a CATTLE EGRET was observed by Eddy Edwards near a cold storage building at the Ridgeway WPA on November 10th. Daryl Jorud reported a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE near Battle Lake on November 7th.

Eddy Edwards found an ibis species in Wilkin County on November 7th. The bird was 0.9 miles west of the intersection of CR 30 and CR 15 near Rothsay Prairie. Also there was a prairie chicken lek with about 16 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS near the wetland. Four SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen 2.5 miles west of Rothsay along CR 26. Rick Gjervold was in that county on November 3rd, and saw 50 TUNDRA SWANS southwest of Lawndale, and 100 SANDHILL CRANES were in a field a couple of miles away. On Friday November 5th , he found a dark phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, more than twenty GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, and a flock of TREE SPARROWS in the area.

Joe Gartner reported that another TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was found by Bob Janssen at the Buffalo River State Park contact station in Clay County on November 4th. There were PINE SISKINS at the feeder at the MSUM Science Center this week.

Shelley Steva saw a flock of 25 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE that flew over Plummer in Red Lake County on November 11th.

In Pennington County on November 7th were a number of RING-BILLED GULLS, a couple of BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and a small flock of COMMON REDPOLLS at the Thief River Falls wastewater treatment ponds. Shelley Steva saw a COOPER'S HAWK near the elevators in Thief River Falls on November 10th. Our feeders have attracted a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, a PILEATED WOODPECKER, and a flock of PINE SISKINS this week.

>From Marshall County , Cliff Steinhauer reported a NORTHERN SHRIKE in Excel township on November 6th. At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge on the 7th, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, and a BALD EAGLE were patrolling the skies. Gary Tischer saw two GREAT GRAY OWLS along CR 7 in the refuge about a mile east of the east end of the Lost Bay Habitat Drive on the same day. Craig Bakke had a great sighting while hunting on his land in Marsh Grove township west of Newfolden when a pure white SNOWY OWL flew by his deer stand on November 7th. Peder Svingen observed a GOLDEN EAGLE perched in a tree in eastern Marshall County on Sunday, and a few SNOW BUNTINGS were also seen along the road shoulders.

A short trip into southern Roseau County on November 7th yielded sightings of COMMON RAVEN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and a half dozen PINE GROSBEAKS.

Thanks to Shelley Steva, Eddy Edwards, Daryl Jorud, Cliff Steinhauer, Joe Gartner, Craig Bakke, Gary Tischer, Peder Svingen, and Rick Gjervold for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru@wiktel.com OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took place. When reporting by email please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday, November 19, 2004.

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