Previous reports: January 6 13 20 27 , February 3 10 , December 19 23 30 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*February 17, 2000
*MNDU0002.17

-Birds mentioned

• Oldsquaw
• Peregrine Falcon
• Snowy Owl
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Boreal Owl
• Black-billed Magpie
• Boreal Chickadee
• Varied Thrush
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Red Crossbill
• White-winged Crossbill
• Hoary Redpoll

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: February 17, 2000
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Transcriber: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, February 17, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

The birding this month in NE Minnesota has not been quite as good as it was in late January, as evidenced by the absence of any recent reports of Great Gray Owl and both Black-backed and Three-toed woodpeckers. However, there is still a lot of interest to be seen here, highlighted by new reports of a BOREAL OWL, another NORTHERN HAWK OWL (or possibly two), another VARIED THRUSH, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS at 2 feeders, and the first RED CROSSBILLS seen in several weeks.

I just received a second-hand but apparently reliable report of a BOREAL OWL heard calling on territory in late January along Lake Co Rd 2; at this time, however, the exact location is not known.

A new NORTHERN HAWK OWL was found Feb 15 in central St Louis Co along Co Rd 16, about 1/2 mi W of Co Rd 4. Also note that the N Hawk Owl which had been present at Kimberly in Aitkin Co has not been reported there in over a week. However, another hawk owl -- possibly the same individual -- was seen last weekend not too far N of Kimberly: this new location is about 4 mi E of Palisade along Minn Hwy 232, near the jct of Twp Rd 554.

Besides the 2 VARIED THRUSH which are still being seen at Nancy Bayle's feeder along Minn Hwy 61 just NE of Two Harbors in Lake Co, another Varied Thrush -- which has apparently been present since November -- was just reported at a feeder near Holyoke in Carlton Co. The location was given as along Minn Hwy 23, 1.5 mi S of Co Rd 8.

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were seen at 2 feeders recently: one report comes from Ken Huntley, who lives on the 4900 block of E Pike Lake Rd in Duluth; the other from Carla Larson, who lives on the E side of U S Hwy 53 about 1 mi S of Cotton. And Steve Wilson reports that he has seen RED CROSSBILLS as recently as yesterday by the Dept of Natural Resources offices on Minn Hwy 37 just S of Eveleth; these are the only Red Crossbills reported by anyone since early January.

Other new reports of interest include a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE which has been seen off and on this month along the W Knife River Rd just NE of Duluth, and a BOREAL CHICKADEE at a feeder on the E side of Stony Pt.

And among those birds previously reported on recent Birding Reports which are still present: as many as 3 SNOWY OWLS now in the Duluth-Superior harbor area -- at least one of these is most often seen on the bay ice behind the Perkins Restaurant in Superior; a PEREGRINE FALCON also seen off and on in the harbor area; an OLDSQUAW at Canal Park in Duluth; SHORT-EARED OWLS still in Aitkin Co near the jct of Co Rds 18 and 5; BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Two Harbors and at various locations in Duluth; and a HOARY REDPOLL at a feeder in Isabella in Lake Co.

For additional birding information or to report sightings of interest in the coming weeks, call Dave Benson (who will be doing this Birding Report during the next 3 weeks) at 728-5812 or Mike Hendrickson at 626-2268.

Unless something unusual is seen in the meantime which needs to be reported immediately, the Duluth Birding Report is normally updated once a week on Thursdays, so that the next scheduled update will be on February 24. The phone number is (218) 525-5952, and callers can leave a message if they wish after the tone at the end of the tape. Also note that a message can be left without having to wait for the birding report to end: after the tape starts playing, push 5 on a touch-tone phone, the tape will then stop, the tone will sound and you can leave your message.

The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU), the state bird club, as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street S E, Minneapolis MN 55455, or visit the MOU web site at .

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