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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*October 16, 2003
*MNST0310.16

-Birds mentioned

• Snowy Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Ross's Goose
• Surf Scoter
• American Golden-Plover
• American Avocet
• Short-eared Owl
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Townsend's Solitaire
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Northern Shrike
• Black-throated Blue Warbler
• Smith's Longspur
• Snow Bunting
• Rusty Blackbird
• Brewer's Blackbird

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: October 16, 2003
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/
Reports: (763) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (ahertzel@sihope.com)

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 16th.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE is still being seen at the main overlook of Hawk Ridge in Duluth, and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER can be found in the pine plantation just up the road from there. Another solitaire was on the west side of the Lutsen Sea Villas in Cook County on the 12th.

The SURF SCOTER influx into the state continues with sightings of a single bird at Park Point on Lake Superior in Duluth on the 14th, two at the Thief River Falls sewage ponds in Pennington County on the 9th, and three at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds in Brown County on the 13th.

There have also been several reports of late BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS. On the 8th a pair was at Villa Maria Center near Frontenac in Goodhue County. A male was seen in Courthouse Park, Waseca County on the 11th, while a female was at Roberts Sanctuary in Minneapolis on the same day.

On the 12th, three ROSS'S GEESE were reported two miles north of state highway 210, on the west side of Otter Tail County Road 21. Another was in a restricted area of Agassiz NWR in Marshall County on the 11th. And a Ross's Goose was at the East Grand Forks sewage ponds in Polk County on the 9th.

On the 11th, a SNOWY EGRET was still on the south side of Rush Lake in Otter Tail County. And an immature CATTLE EGRET was at the Barnesville sewage ponds in Clay County on the 10th.

Over two hundred AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER were at Red Rock Prairie in northeast Cottonwood County on the 11th.

Unusual were the thirty-six AMERICAN AVOCETS on Parker Pool at Agassiz NWR on the 11th. This is the second highest count for this species ever recorded in Minnesota.

On the 16th, two SHORT-EARED OWLS were flushed from the cattail marsh in the southeast corner of 40th Avenue west in Duluth. On the 14th, two more Short-eared Owls were found in Benton County about four miles north of the town of Gilman. And on the 11th a Short-eared Owl was seen at the junction Wilkin County Roads 15 and 30.

SMITH'S LONGSPURS were in Wilkin County on the 12th. They were seen one mile south of the Rothsay WMA. And while there has been little else of note seen in the state, I continue to receive scattered reports of NORTHERN SHRIKE, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, SNOW BUNTING, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

This state-wide birding report is brought to you and financially supported by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU). The MOU is Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club.

The report is composed from observations generously submitted by MOU members and other birders throughout the state. You can support this weekly update by submitting your bird reports to Anthony Hertzel at axhertzel@sihope.com or by calling the hotline directly at 763-780-8890 and leaving a detailed message.

MOU members receive this report directly on MOU-net, the club's free e-mail listservice, which is available to anyone interested. For information contact David Cahlander at .

MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com.

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 23rd.

-- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MOU-net@biosci.umn.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info mou-net) to majordomo@biosci.umn.edu.

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