-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*November 5, 1997
*MNST9811.05

-Birds mentioned

• Pacific Loon
• Tundra Swan
• White-winged Scoter
• Bald Eagle
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• American Golden-Plover
• Least Sandpiper
• Dunlin
• Great Gray Owl
• Northern Saw-whet Owl
• Black-billed Magpie
• Common Raven
• American Pipit
• Bohemian Waxwing
• American Tree Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Snow Bunting
• White-winged Crossbill

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: November 5, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Minnesota birding report for Thursday November 5th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

A PACIFIC LOON was still in the Garrison harbor on Lake Mille Lacs in Crow Wing County on Monday, November 2nd. This bird has been seen in this same general area since October 11th.

Ray Glassel reported 20 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and 24 DUNLIN on November 3rd at Minnesota Lake in Faribault County, and a LEAST SANDPIPER at the Waterville sewage ponds in Le Sueur County. Ray also found a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at the Wells sewage ponds in Faribault County, also on the 3rd.

>From Aitkin County, Warren Nelson called in several good reports. Birds seen in this county include a GREAT GRAY OWL seen November 1st along Aitkin County Road 18, about a mile and a half west of County Road 5. Also, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE can be found on the east side of Gun Lake near the home of Don and Hulda Lind. And BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES can be found 2.5 miles north of the town of Aitkin on County Road 1, as well as 8 miles north of town, also on County Road 1.

A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was reported by Craig Mandel from Big Willow Park in Hennepin County. On October 31st, the owl was found roosting in the branches of a honeysuckle along the trail which runs on the south side of the railroad tracks on the west end of the park.

Most unusual was the BROAD-WINGED HAWK reported by Joe Beck from Blaine in Anoka County on November 1st. This would be a near record late date for this species. Also seen was a somewhat southerly COMMON RAVEN in the same area.

On October 30th, Oscar Johnson reported several TUNDRA SWANS passing over Brooklyn Park in Hennepin County. Look for swans to be gathering on the Mississippi River in the days to come.

Other callers have been reporting good movements of such species as BALD EAGLE, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, AMERICAN PIPIT, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, a variety of sparrows, especially WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, plus SNOW BUNTING and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL.

For information on joining our state wide bird organization write the MOU at

10 Church Street SE University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN, 55455

or e-mail us at MOUMembers@aol.com. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday November 12th.

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MnRBA@linux.winona.msus.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info end) to mnrba-request@linux.winona.msus.edu.

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