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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*November 18, 2004
*MNDL0411.18

-Birds mentioned

• Cattle Egret
• Trumpeter Swan
• Bufflehead
• Hooded Merganser
• Common Merganser
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Harrier
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• Spruce Grouse
• Glaucous Gull
• Great Horned Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Downy Woodpecker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Gray Jay
• Common Raven
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• Brown Creeper
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Northern Shrike
• Northern Cardinal
• Snow Bunting
• Pine Grosbeak
• Purple Finch
• Common Redpoll
• Pine Siskin
• American Goldfinch
• Evening Grosbeak

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: November 18, 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 19, 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.

Good weather this week has brought out many birders, and even the birds seem to be more numerous. Late migrants are showing up, and we are hoping that the good weather doesn't lull them into staying so long that they get caught in the cold blast that will surely come.

There are several reports of owls again this week. In Beltrami County on November 9th, Jerry Bonkoski found a GREAT GRAY OWL at milepost 41 along Highway 72. On November 11th, Gretchen Mehmel reported that one GREAT GRAY OWL was seen south of US 11 west of Roosevelt , and one was two miles southwest of Roosevelt, both in Roseau County. Two North Dakota birders, Tim Driscoll and Betsy Batstone- Cunningham found two GREAT GRAY OWLS along US highway 310 north of Roseau on November 13th. Also on that day, Gordon Forester spotted two, eight miles southwest of Bemidji in Beltrami County. Another GREAT GRAY OWL was reported by Margie and Pat Stoy as far south as the intersection of CR11 and CR6 in Becker County near Audubon.

Other species seen by Tim Driscoll and Betsy Batstone-Cunningham in Roseau County included a NORTHERN HARRIER, a dark phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and three GRAY JAYS. Mary Broten spotted a late CATTLE EGRET near the intersection of US Highway 310 and CR 16 in Roseau County on November 16th.

Gretchen Mehmel reporting from the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area and the Beltrami Island State Forest mentioned BALD EAGLE, a flock of over fifty COMMON RAVENS, GRAY JAY, SNOW BUNTINGS, EVENING GROSBEAKS, and PINE GROSBEAKS this week.

Bill Unzen reported a juvenile GLAUCOUS GULL which flew past the BSU campus over Lake Bemidji in Beltrami County on November 17th.

Jerry Bonkoski found a SPRUCE GROUSE on November 9th, along CR 77 one mile east and one mile south of Carp in Lake of the Woods County. He also reported SNOW BUNTINGS, and COMMON REDPOLLS.

At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County on November 13th, Tim Driscoll and Betsy Batstone-Cunningham found BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. Maggie Anderson reported seeing NORTHERN SHRIKES there also this week.

A GOLDEN EAGLE was observed in Polk County by Tim and Betsy, 1/2 mile west of the US 75 and 170th St. NW intersection on November 13th. Also in Polk County this week, Donna and Leon Thoreson reported two GREAT HORNED OWLS hooting near Climax; other species in their yard included BROWN CREEPER, a single SNOW BUNTING, 50 PINE SISKINS, and 10-12 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES.

Doug Johnson , passing through Mahnomen County on November 6th, spotted a GREAT HORNED OWL of the pale Arctic race about 8 miles east of Mahnomen along US Highway 200.

Jim and Joyce Holter from Becker County saw four HOODED MERGANSERS, and a dozen BUFFLEHEAD on Floyd Lake on November 14th, and on the 16th, there were thirty-five COMMON MERGANSERS there. A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH has been coming to the feeder. Donna Fett saw 25-30 TRUMPETER SWANS on November 14th on Town Lake near Frazee. Dave Hochhalter in Detroit Lake reported PILEATED WOODPECKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, DOWNY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN CARDINAL, and PURPLE FINCH at his feeder on November 12th.

Thanks to Doug Johnson, Dave Hochhalter, Mary Broten, Jerry Bonkoski, Jim and Joyce Holter, Jan Campbell, Donna Fett, Gretchen Mehmel, Donna and Leon Thoreson, Margie and Pat Stoy, Tim Driscoll and Betsy Batstone-Cunningham, Melanie Torkelson, and Maggie Anderson 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 26, 2004.

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