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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*October 21, 2004
*MNDL0410.21

-Birds mentioned

• Eared Grebe
• Tundra Swan
• Snow Goose
• Canada Goose
• Cackling Goose
• Wood Duck
• Mallard
• Ring-necked Duck
• Hooded Merganser
• Bald Eagle
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• Gray Partridge
• American Coot
• Black-bellied Plover
• American Golden-Plover
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Dunlin
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Common Snipe
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Gray Jay
• Common Raven
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• American Robin
• American Pipit
• Northern Shrike
• American Tree Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• Harris's Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Lapland Longspur
• Snow Bunting
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Pine Siskin
• Evening Grosbeak

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: October 21, 2004
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)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, October 22, 2004 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.

Now that the leaves are down in northwestern Minnesota, birds are more easy to see on the bare branches, even if there are fewer to see. Now is a good time to note the locations of bird nests, some of which can be identified as to species, some just in a general way. This will give us an idea where to search for nesting birds next spring- particularly for the larger species.

Some interesting sightings were reported by Heidi Hughes from Lake of the Woods County. Owls were the big story in her report. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL was found on October 14th 6 miles south of Baudette along state Highway 72. A GREAT GRAY OWL was seen on October 15th across the street from the new convenience store at Angle Inlet. Another was found at Jake's NW Angle Resort. On the 19th, there were further reports of GREAT GRAY OWLS at the Angle. This bodes well for owl sightings this winter. Other interesting sightings on the weekend in Lake of the Woods County included BALD EAGLE, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, NORTHERN SHRIKE, COMMON RAVEN, GRAY JAY, TREE SPARROW, SNOW BUNTING, PINE SISKIN, and EVENING GROSBEAK.

Another GREAT GRAY OWL was seen on the weekend three miles west of the Warroad customs point in Roseau County.

Large numbers of CANADA GEESE, CACKLING GEESE, AMERICAN COOTS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and many species of sparrows are migrating through Pennington County this week. Shelley Steva observed a flock of over five hundred blackbirds, mostly COMMON GRACKLES and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS on October 20th near Thief River Falls.

There were sixty-one TUNDRA SWANS among the CANADA GEESE and CACKLING GEESE at the Crookston wastewater treatment ponds on October 17th and they were joined by some SNOW GEESE on October 21st. Also present were two BALD EAGLES, of which one adult put on a clinic on how to hunt waterfowl, making repeated passes over the heads of swimming birds who rapidly dove when the eagle was just overhead. Several AMERICAN PIPITS and HARRIS'S SPARROWS were also seen at this location. On October 21st, nine species of shorebirds including five BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, one KILLDEER, five GREATER YELLOWLEGS, two LESSER YELLOWLEGS, twenty-one PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, eight DUNLIN, five LEAST SANDPIPERS, two SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, and five LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were there.

Pat DeWenter reported from Beltrami County on October 15th that she had quite a number of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES in the yard along with FOX SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, and DARK-EYED JUNCOS at the feeders. On the 17th, the first TREE SPARROW showed up. Pat Rice found over 100 HOODED MERGANSERS, 75 RING-NECKED DUCKS, a few MALLARDS, and some WOOD DUCKS on a small pond along CR 27 on October 20th.

A GOLDEN EAGLE was spotted by Peder Svingen at Felton Prairie in Clay County on October 21st. A flock of CACKLING GEESE were also at the gravel pit at the north end of Felton Prairie. Matt Mecklenburg reported a light phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Bluestem Prairie on the 21st. He also saw a small flock of SNOW BUNTINGS and some HARRIS'S SPARROWS in Clay County this week.

Bill Unzen visited the Breckenridge wastewater treatment ponds on October 17th where he found GRAY PARTRIDGE, EARED GREBE, and about 250 SNOW BUNTINGS flying nearby. Also in the county were AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, COMMON SNIPE, AMERICAN PIPIT, and a flock of 650-700 LAPLAND LONGSPURS.

Susan Wiste reported large numbers of AMERICAN ROBINS migrating through Douglas County on October 19th.

Thanks to Pat DeWenter, Heidi Hughes, Bill Unzen, Pat Rice, Matt Mecklenburg, Peder Svingen, Shelley Steva, and Susan Wiste for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, 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. Please include the county where the sighting took place. When reporting by email please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday, October 29, 2004.

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