Return to Home Page
-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *December 5, 1996 *MNST9612.05 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Statewide/Twin Cities
Date: December 5, 1996
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (tony@mill2.MillComm.COM)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Minnesota birding report for Thursday December 5th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. To skip this recording and leave a message you can press 5 on your touch tone phone.
The BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was seen again at the Blue Lake settling ponds on November 28th. Blue Lake is in Scott County along the north side of state highway 101, about three miles east of the town of Shakopee.
A PRAIRIE FALCON was found on November 29th in St. Paul near the Ford Dam where it crosses this Mississippi from Minneapolis to St. Paul. Ford Dam can be accessed from Minnehaha Park in south Minneapolis. The bird soon departed, however, and was last seen flying north up the river and over the Ford Bridge.
Steve Millard reports that a NORTHERN HAWK OWL is being seen in Otter Tail County. The bird is near the town of Pelican Rapids, about eight-tenths of a mile north of the junction of U.S. highway 59 along county road 9. This is only the second Otter Tail County record for Northern Hawk Owl. Michael Tarachow reports that the HAWK OWL reported by Warren Nelson a few weeks ago can still be found half a mile west of the junction of Aitkin county roads 5 and 18. A HAWK OWL, which may or may not be this same bird, was located November 30th along Aitkin county road 68, nine-tenths of a mile east of U.S. highway 169.
Nancy Overcott found a SNOWY OWL on December 3rd atop a telephone pole near a small cemetery, six-tenths miles south of the town of Hart along highway 43 in Winona County. Another SNOWY OWL has been seen since at least the 25th along U.S. highway 169 at mile marker 156 in Aitkin County. Jay Walter found a SNOWY OWL at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on Tuesday the 3rd. He found the bird from the end of 66th street as it stood on the ground out near the runways. This is the same location where a Snowy Owl was found last year. And yet another SNOWY OWL was seen Thanksgiving morning by Koni Fank, a mile east of the town of Maple Plain along U.S. highway 12 in Hennepin County.
On November 30th Ron Silverman reported that a VARIED THRUSH has been seen at the Whitewater State Park Visitor's Center in Winona County. The VARIED THRUSH reported last week at the Knobloch's feeder in the town of Welch in Goodhue County was still there as of December 4th. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW can also be seen at the feeder. A VARIED THRUSH is also visiting a Dotty Gooding's feeder in Danbury Wisconsin.
Most unusual was the GRAY JAY reported November 29 near Tamarac Nature Center in Ramsey County. Unfortunately, no specific details or directions were given by the caller.
Other interesting reports include a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK seen for the past several days by Jane Arndt in Bloomington, a RED- SHOULDERED HAWK, seen by Bob Ekblad on U.S. highway 63 in Rochester, Olmsted County on December 4th, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, seen by Tom Lewanski in Hastings on December 1st, a BROWN THRASHER which is coming to Craig Menze's feeder in Kanabec County, plus MOURNING DOVE, NORTHERN FLICKER and WHITE- THROATED SPARROW.
The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday December 12th.