Previous reports: September 5 12 19 27 , October 3 10 17 24 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*October 31, 2002
*MNDL0210.31

-Birds mentioned

• Common Loon
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Tundra Swan
• Snow Goose
• Canada Goose
• Northern Pintail
• Northern Shoveler
• Surf Scoter
• Hooded Merganser
• Red-breasted Merganser
• Bald Eagle
• Merlin
• Sandhill Crane
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Wilson's Phalarope
• Franklin's Gull
• Bonaparte's Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Great Horned Owl
• Black-billed Magpie
• American Pipit
• Northern Shrike
• Northern Cardinal
• American Tree Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• Harris's Sparrow

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: October 31, 2002
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)
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This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday,November 1 ,2002 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.

Birding on bodies of water has nearly come to an end with the cold weather, for most of the water is of the solid kind at the lagoons and also at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge.

The SURF SCOTER was still at the Thief River Falls lagoons on October 26th. The strong northwest wind had opened up more of the surface and many waterfowl were there. This bird was among them.

I have a report from Beth Siverhus of a NORTHERN CARDINAL visiting a feeder on Dixon Lake in Itasca County, about twenty miles east of the town of Squaw Lake.

In Beltrami County, Katie Haws found 5 HOODED MERGANSERS, 10 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, and 50 Scaup on Blackduck Lake as well as many swans and a couple of WILSON'S PHALAROPE.

At the Thief River Falls sewage lagoons in Pennington County, on October 26th, there were 500 CANADA GOOSE, 450 SNOW GOOSE, 1200 NORTHERN SHOVELERS, 1 SURF SCOTER, and a large assortment of other ducks including one NORTHERN PINTAIL. Also found were GREATER YELLOWLEGS, AMERICAN PIPIT, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, BONAPARTE'S GULL, and RING-BILLED GULL. In our yard, we had a FOX SPARROW and a HARRIS'S SPARROW on the same day. Gary Tischer reports that he saw and heard a MERLIN in Thief River Falls near his house on South Tindolph Street. Shelley Steva saw a COMMON LOON on the Red Lake River on October 30th near its confluence with the Thief River in Thief River Falls.

In Red Lake County, Shelley Steva saw a MERLIN perched on the signpost welcoming you to Plummer. A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was found by the Clearwater River near Plummer.

Bob O'Connor reported from Clay County this week where he saw a GREAT EGRET, GREAT BLUE HERON, TUNDRA SWANS, BALD EAGLES, 80 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 5 WILSON'S PHALAROPE, 30 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE and 6 BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE near Felton Prairie on Monday, October 28th. In Moorhead in his yard he had a GREAT HORNED OWL, CHIPPING SPARROW, HARRIS'S SPARROW, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS on Tuesday, October 29th.

>From Ottertail County, Eddy Edwards observed 19 SANDHILL CRANES near Rabbit River WPA on October 27, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE at Ridgeway WPA.

Thanks to Beth Siverhus, Katie Haws, Shelley Steva, Bob O'Connor, Gary Tischer and Eddy Edwards for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by e-mail, 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. When reporting by e-mail please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday, November 8, 2002.

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