Previous reports: January 5 12 19 26 , February 2 9 16 23 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*March 2, 2006
*MNDL0603.02

-Birds mentioned

• Bald Eagle
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• Gray Partridge
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Spruce Grouse
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Great Horned Owl
• Snowy Owl
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Barred Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Northern Saw-whet Owl
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Horned Lark
• Blue Jay
• Black-billed Magpie
• Common Raven
• Boreal Chickadee
• Northern Shrike
• Lapland Longspur
• Snow Bunting

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: March 2, 2006
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, March 3, 2006 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.

February and March have produced more snow this winter than December and January, and now the whole area is nicely blanketed with white. The latest snowfall was greatest to the north with some areas getting as much as a foot of it. Wind was mostly lacking so roads should soon be in good shape, except of course for minimum maintenance roads. Some spring migrants are starting to show up, including Horned Larks throughout most of the northwest, and increased numbers of Snow Buntings.

This week I have a number of reports of Snowy Owls, and even one Great Gray Owl. First the latter- Patrick Beauzay found a first county record GREAT GRAY OWL in Norman County on February 26. The owl was located one mile west of the intersection of CR 151 with MN 32.

A SNOWY OWL was seen by Rick Gjervold in a farm field immediately west of Lawndale in Wilkin County on February 28. The same day Larry Wilebski saw a SNOWY OWL four miles west of Lancaster in Kittson County along CR 56. On the 27th, Matt Mecklenburg saw a SNOWY OWL in Clay County along MN 9 at 57th Ave; this is 4 miles N of the intersection of US 10 and MN 9. Another was found in Clay County on February 25 by Pat Beauzay along CR 108 near the Bicentennial Prairie; this was an adult male. Gretchen Mehmel reported two SNOWY OWL sightings lately- one in Roseau County north of Hayes Lake along CR 9, but south of MN 11; another was in Lake of the Woods County at the intersection of MN 11 and CR 1. One of the SNOWY OWLS reported earlier by Lisa Newton was relocated a half mile north of Marshall CR 2 along MN 219 on February 25.

A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was reported by Martin Kehoe in Beltrami Island State Forest in Lake of the Woods County on February 22.

In Clay County on February 27, Matt Mecklenburg found a GOLDEN EAGLE south of CR 108 south of the Felton Prairie complex, and 150- 200 SNOW BUNTINGS. Pat Beauzay on February 25 observed 8 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS three miles east and two miles south of Felton, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK along CR 34 two miles east of Felton, about 200 HORNED LARKS, and more than 100 SNOW BUNTINGS. On the 26th, he saw 4 RING-NECKED PHEASANTS southeast of the Blazing Star SNA, 40 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS in the Felton Prairie area, and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES all in Clay County. Linda Gregg reported two BALD EAGLES along US 75 1.5 miles north of Moorhead on February 24.

While in Norman County on February 26, Pat Beauzay saw 20 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, an adult BALD EAGLE, an immature GOLDEN EAGLE one mile west of Gary, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE.

In Polk County, Pat Beauzay found 12 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS two miles west of Fertile On February 26. On the 25th, Shelley Steva and I observed SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, SNOW BUNTINGS, and 15 LAPLAND LONGSPURS in the Glacial Ridge NWR region.

Pennington County sightings on February 25 by Shelley Steva and I included four GRAY PARTRIDGE along CR 10 just south of its intersection with MN 1. SNOW BUNTINGS were also present in the county.

In Marshall County on the 26th, we saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK near the west entrance to Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, a GREAT HORNED OWL, a NORTHERN HAWK OWL west of the Maintenance Center, COMMON RAVENS, and SNOW BUNTINGS. Marlene Jorgenson reports that she has had 8-10 BLUE JAYS coming to her feeder all winter.

Pat Rice reported yet another owl species in her yard in Beltrami County on February 21 through February 23, this one a BARRED OWL, which came to hunt under the feeders.

Larry Wilebski, in Kittson County, reported seeing three GRAY PARTRIDGE on his property northwest of Lancaster on February 28.

Lake of the Woods County sightings by Martin Kehoe included up to three SPRUCE GROUSE, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, and BOREAL CHICKADEES near his cabin in the Beltrami Island State Forest, in addition to the owl mentioned above.

Thanks to Rick Gjervold, Pat Beauzay, Larry Wilebski, Matt Mecklenburg, Martin Kehoe, Gretchen Mehmel, Linda Gregg, Pat Rice, and Marlene Jorgenson 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, March 10, 2006.

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