Previous reports: November 2 9 16 23 30 , December 7 14 21 28 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*January 4, 2001
*MNDU0101.04

-Birds mentioned

• Horned Grebe
• Western Grebe
• King Eider
• Harlequin Duck
• White-winged Scoter
• Peregrine Falcon
• Gyrfalcon
• Spruce Grouse
• Snowy Owl
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Boreal Owl
• Three-toed Woodpecker
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Horned Lark
• Townsend's Solitaire
• Varied Thrush
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Eastern x Spotted Towhee
• American Tree Sparrow
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Red Crossbill
• White-winged Crossbill
• Common Redpoll
• Hoary Redpoll

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: January 4, 2001
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)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, January 4, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Despite all the northern owls which continue to be seen in N E Minnesota, the most interesting birds this week involve things other than owls. These include: a GYRFALCON in the Duluth-Superior harbor; a KING EIDER, late WESTERN GREBE and hybrid EASTERN x SPOTTED TOWHEE all in Two Harbors; and a HARLEQUIN DUCK along the N Shore just NE of Duluth.

An ad female gray-morph Gyrfalcon was discovered by Dave Evans Dec 23 around the grain elevators on the Duluth side of the harbor, and as of today it is still present. It is usually seen from late morning through mid-afternoon as it hunts pigeons around the grain elevators east of I-535, but it has apparently also been spotted on the Superior side at the Peavey elevator. This is a different individual than the imm Gyr seen in the harbor for one day only on Dec 18. (News of the ad Gyrfalcon was not included on last week's Birding Report out of concern of a falconer learning about the bird and trapping it; note, however, Dave Evans has since netted and banded the bird, and falconers are prohibited from taking banded raptors.)

Also in the harbor area that ad PEREGRINE FALCON is still present, along with a few SNOWY OWLS. According to Dave, the best places to look for owls are near the jct of 27th Ave W and I-35, at the jct of I-35 and I-535, on the bay ice between the Port Terminal and the Perkins Restaurant in Superior, near the Superior end of the Hwy 2 Bong Bridge, and at the Murphy Oil Refinery along Stinson Ave.

Jim Lind found the female-plumaged King Eider Dec 29 near the ore docks in Agate Bay, the main harbor in Two Harbors, and it was still present Jan 1. The Western Grebe, which was first seen in late Nov, was also still in the harbor Jan 1, and a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was also reported there the same day. Still present as well in Two Harbors on the 1st was that apparent hybrid towhee between 2nd & 3rd St and 3rd & 4th Ave, and Jim found a BOREAL OWL on the same block Dec 29, but it has not been seen since then.

An adult male Harlequin Duck was seen Dec 29 on L Superior at 5199 N Shore Dr, which is just NE of the Lakeview Castle Restaurant, and it was still present here as of Jan 1. A late HORNED GREBE was also found not far from here at Stony Pt Dec 31.

The Grand Marais CBC on Dec 30 recorded 40 species, and among them were a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, and late-lingering HORNED LARK, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, unid MEADOWLARK and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. And speaking of Yellow-rumped Warblers, the one at my suet feeders on the 8200 block of Congdon Blvd is still present today.

In Lake Co, the Isabella CBC was held the same day, and they had a record high 28 species. Among them were 12 GREAT GRAY OWLS, 4 NORTHERN HAWK OWLS, 2 THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS (one near the jct of Co Rd 2 and Hwy 1, and the other just W of Isabella near the cemetery), a SPRUCE GROUSE, RED CROSSBILL, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, and about 500 COMMON REDPOLLS with 1 HOARY REDPOLL among them (this area is about the only place where numbers of redpolls are being seen). There was also a BOREAL OWL seen just outside the count circle near the School of Log Building off Co Rd 2.

Among the other non-owls of interest reported were: a male VARIED THRUSH found dead today in downtown Duluth by the county courthouse, a SPRUCE GROUSE in Lake Co on Minn Hwy 1 between mile markers 303 and 304, and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER in the Sax-Zim Bog Dec 30 along Co Rd 319 just E of Co Rd 7.

Besides those on the Isabella CBC, most of the recent GREAT GRAY OWLS reported continued to be in the Sax-Zim Bog, near Ely and in Aitkin Co. In Sax-Zim they are still on Co Rds 319, 7 and 133; in the Ely area they are mostly on Hwy 1 S and SE of town, on the Echo Tr and on Co Rd 21; and in Aitkin Co look especially near the jct of Co Rd 18 and Pietz's Rd.

And NORTHERN HAWK OWLS are still present in Sax-Zim (especially along Co Rd 319), and in Aitkin Co at 4 locations: at the jct of Co Rd 18 and U S Hwy 169; on 18, 1.7 mi W of Co Rd 10; on 10, 8.4 mi NE of Palisade, and on Minn Hwy 65, 5 mi N of McGregor. Warren Nelson also reports a SNOWY OWL is on Co Rd 1, 2.8 mi N of Aitkin.

Unless something unusual is seen in the meantime which needs to be reported immediately, this report is normally updated once a week on Thursdays, so that the next scheduled update will be on Jan. 11. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 525-5952, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. Messages can also be left without having to wait for the report to end: to do this, after the tape starts playing push 5 on a touch-tone phone, the tape will stop, the tone will sound, and you can then leave your message.

The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) 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 SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to ; or visit the MOU web site at .

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