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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*December 22, 2005
*MNDL0512.22

-Birds mentioned

• Great Blue Heron
• Trumpeter Swan
• Canada Goose
• Cackling Goose
• Mallard
• American Wigeon
• Redhead
• Ring-necked Duck
• Common Goldeneye
• Common Merganser
• Bald Eagle
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Snowy Owl
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• American Crow
• Brown Creeper
• American Robin
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Northern Cardinal
• Lincoln's Sparrow
• Harris's Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Pine Grosbeak
• Red Crossbill
• Common Redpoll
• Pine Siskin
• American Goldfinch
• Evening Grosbeak

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: December 22, 2005
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, December 23, 2005 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.

It has been a week of wonderful Christmassy vistas in the northwest with softly falling snow making everything into a wonderland. With the coming of milder weather in the last days, this wonder threatens to disappear, but we will have a white Christmas for sure.

Ben Fritchman reported a late LINCOLN'S SPARROW coming to his grandfather's feeder near Long Prairie in Todd County on December 20.

In Otter Tail County, Ben relocated the EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE that was reported some time ago. Eddy Edwards reported on the Fergus Falls CBC that found 55 species on December 16. These included AMERICAN WIGEON, no less than 5 GREAT BLUE HERONS, and a number of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. Glenace Metcalfe reported 40 TRUMPETER SWANS on the Pelican River near Pelican Rapids, a BALD EAGLE along CR 108, and also a RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

Don Crozier reported a pink-sided DARK-EYED JUNCO and a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS in his yard on December 22. A male NORTHERN CARDINAL was also reported by Susie Braseth on the same day.

Bob O'Connor, reporting on the Fargo-Moorhead CBC, mentioned several species seen on the Clay County side of the Red River including CACKLING GOOSE, three RING-NECKED DUCKS, a REDHEAD, BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and two HARRIS'S SPARROWS. A SNOWY OWL was seen by Glenace Metcalfe west of the Barnesville exit off I 94 on December 19.

Here in Pennington County on December 16, there was a flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in the yard.

Another SNOWY OWL was observed by Maggie Anderson along CR 12 in Marshall County, seen repeatedly this week in the mornings and/or evenings. Lisa Newton found 23 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Grygla on December 21. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL is still being seen in the interior of Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge at the Maintenance Center.

Pat Rice, reporting on the Bemidji CBC held on December 17, mentioned one RING-NECKED PHEASANT, two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, BROWN CREEPER, three AMERICAN ROBINS, PINE GROSBEAKS, COMMON REDPOLLS, PINE SISKINS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and EVENING GROSBEAKS. On the 20th, Pat saw BALD EAGLE, AMERICAN CROW, and 10 RED CROSSBILLS near Bemidji. Mary Lou Marchand observed CANADA GOOSE, MALLARD, two COMMON GOLDENEYE, and three COMMON MERGANSERS at the Mississippi inlet near Bemidji on December 16. Lisa Newton saw a SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in Lee township on December 21.

Stan Wood reported a SNOWY OWL along the west side of MN 89, seven miles west and 2 miles north of Roseau in Roseau County on December 15.

Two NORTHERN HAWK OWLS were seen by Gretchen Mehmel in Lake of the Woods County on December 18. One was seen just north of Roosevelt on the Rocky Point Road, and one was on the Roosevelt Forest Road; a GREAT GRAY OWL was also seen on the Roosevelt FR that day.

Thanks to Ben Fritchman, Mary Lou Marchand, Pat Rice, Eddy Edwards, Glenace Metcalfe, Gretchen Mehmel, Bob O'Connor, Stan Wood, Maggie Anderson, Don Crozier, Susie Braseth, and Lisa Newton 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, December 30, 2005.

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