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-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*December 9, 2004
*MNDL0412.09

-Birds mentioned

• Tundra Swan
• Canada Goose
• Mallard
• Northern Harrier
• Sharp-shinned Hawk
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Barred Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Northern Saw-whet Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• Townsend's Solitaire
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Shrike
• American Tree Sparrow
• Common Grackle
• Common Redpoll
• Pine Siskin

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: December 9, 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, December 10, 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.

As Christmas nears, we are now getting a little snow in the north, but still mild temperatures are intermittently allowing some to melt so the snow cover is still spotty in the open. In shelter belts and wooded areas, the ground is now white throughout most of the area. Feeders and crabapples are now attracting the winter finches and waxwings. Owls are still in the news this week.

>From Otter Tail County, Joan Burke reported that there are 30-35 TUNDRA SWANS and several hundred CANADA GEESE on Lake Lizzie at the mouth of the Pelican River.

On December 2nd, Matt Mecklenburg saw a SHORT-EARED OWL and COMMON REDPOLLS at Bluestem Prairie. Rick Gjervold has been finding owls in Clay County this week. On the 6th, while birding in Fargo, ND, he saw a BARRED OWL fly across the Red River into Minnesota from the Edgewood Golf Course. On the 8th, he went to Felton Prairie where he found up to 50 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, TWO SHORT-EARED OWLS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and about one hundred COMMON REDPOLLS.

On December 6th, Matt Mecklenburg found a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at Tamarac NWR 1/4 mile east of the intersection of CR 143 and the main refuge road. Also in Tamarac NWR, he observed 18 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS 1/2 mile east of the visitor center. Becker County sightings reported by Shar Legenhausen included a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, and a COMMON GRACKLE on December 3rd, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, COMMON REDPOLLS, and PINE SISKINS on the 7th.

Bruce Flaig in Polk County has a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER coming to the feeder, and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW showed up on December 8th.

Pat Rice reported that a GREAT GRAY OWL was sighted by Earl & Bonnie Ockenga on Power Dam Road or CR 15, Beltrami County, near Lake Andrusia on November 30th. She also had a report of 50 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in the city of Bemidji on December 6th.

Here in Pennington County, I have seen both BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and CEDAR WAXWINGS in and near Thief River Falls during the past week.

Gary Huschle saw a juvenile GREAT GRAY OWL on December 5th in a farm shelter belt one mile north of Thief Lake north shore boat ramp. This is in Marshall County. At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Russ Reisz reported two MALLARDS still present this week. He also reported SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in the county. There are about fifty BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS visiting the office feeder at Agassiz NWR.

Russ Reisz was in Kittson County also where he is consistently seeing GREAT GRAY OWLS. One owl was in McKinley Township near Beaches WMA on December 2nd and three were at Skull Lake WMA on the 1st. Other species he reported this week included SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, NORTHERN HARRIER, NORTHERN SAW- WHET OWL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, and BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Kittson County.

Melanie Torkelson reported another GREAT GRAY OWL sighting in Pohlitz township of Roseau County 6 miles west of the intersection of CR 3 and CR 10 on December 2nd.

Gretchen Mehmel reported that a GREAT GRAY OWL was hit by a car in Lake of the Woods County near Clementson on Highway 11 east of Baudette. It was injured and was sent to the Twin Cities for rehabilitation.

Thanks to Russ Reisz, Pat Rice, Matt Mecklenburg, Gretchen Mehmel, Rick Gjervold, Gary Huschle, Shar Legenhausen, Maggie Anderson, Bruce Flaig, Joan Burke, and Melanie Torkelson 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, December 17, 2004.

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