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-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*December 15, 2011
*MNDL1112.15

• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Harrier
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• American Kestrel
• Great Horned Owl
• Snowy Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Northern Shrike
• Black-billed Magpie
• Brown Creeper
• Varied Thrush
• Lapland Longspur
• Snow Bunting
• Eastern Towhee
• White-throated Sparrow
• Harris's Sparrow
• Brewer's Blackbird
• Common Redpoll
• Pine Siskin

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: December 15, 2011
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru@q.com)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, December 15, 2011 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.

Here in the northwestern part of the state, we await the first measurable snowfall that will stay. Folks with perennials and folks with snow "toys" are eagerly awaiting that time. So far we have only seen flurries once in a while.

Ron Erpelding and Herb Dingmann made another swing through the northern counties last weekend and reported a SHORT-EARED OWL flying from Otter Tail into Grant County along Otter Tail CR 26 on December 9.

In Wilkin County on December 9. they reported NORTHERN HARRIER, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and GREAT HORNED OWL .

Marshall Howe found 350 SNOW BUNTINGS in central Hubbard County between Dorset and Nevis on December 12. Among them were 30 LAPLAND LONGSPURS. On December 14 , he saw a NORTHERN SHRIKE on MN 71 at Lake Alice west of Lake George.

Ron Erpelding and Herb Dingmann observed a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and COMMON REDPOLLS at Tamarac NWR in Becker County on December 8, and reported that the VARIED THRUSH seen earlier is still there.

In Clay County they saw a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at the feeders of Bob O'Connor in Moorhead on December 9. PINE SISKINS and COMMON REDPOLLS were at the Moorhead State Science Center near Buffalo River SP.

Their Norman County sightings included RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and BROWN CREEPER at the Hendrum county park.

Mahnomen County sightings this week were RING-NECKED PHEASANT, GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN and NORTHERN SHRIKE.

In Polk County, Ron Erpelding and Herb Dingmann found two SNOWY OWLS , both along 290th St NW west of MN 32 and south of US 2. Sandy Aubol reports tonight that the EASTERN TOWHEE, HARRIS'S SPARROW, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW are still coming to her feeders. A GREAT HORNED OWL also visited her neighborhood in East Grand Forks. Herb and Ron also found LAPLAND LONGSPURS and SNOW BUNTINGS in the area where the snowy owls were seen. Heidi Hughes found a GOLDEN EAGLE at 190St NW between CR 68 and MN 1 on December 10. Eight ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were also seen along 190th St NW.

An AMERICAN KESTREL , RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD were seen in Red Lake County on December 9.

Here in Pennington County, I saw a mature BALD EAGLE soaring over the fields east of Thief River Falls one morning this week.

Thanks to Heidi Hughes, Herb Dingmann , Ron Erpelding, Marshall Howe, and Sandy Aubol for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru@mncable.net 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. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, December 22, 2011

Jeanie Joppru Pennington County, MN

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