Previous reports: November 16 23 30 , December 7 14 21 28 , January 4 11 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*January 18, 2001
*MNDU0101.18

-Birds mentioned

• Horned Grebe
• Red-necked Grebe
• Western Grebe
• American Black Duck
• King Eider
• Harlequin Duck
• Gyrfalcon
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Glaucous Gull
• Snowy Owl
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Snow Bunting
• GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH
• White-winged Crossbill
• Common Redpoll

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: January 18, 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 18, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

There was an unscheduled update of this Report last Saturday to report on a GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH discovered that day in the Duluth harbor at the Cargill grain elevator. The bird was found by Chris and John Hockema as it fed on spilled grain at the base of the tallest part of the elevator with the large and obvious green-and-white Cargill sign and logo on the side, and it was still present through Sunday afternoon.

Be sure should note this is private property, but the Cargill superinendent, Roger Juhl, gave birders permission to look for the bird last weekend, and today he renewed that arrangement for this coming weekend, Jan 20-21. Birders do NOT have permission to enter the Cargill property on weekdays, Monday-Friday, even if there are no workers or truck activity. If there are no problems with trespassing next week, and if the rosy-finch is relocated this weekend, it is likely birder access will be permitted again for the weekend of Jan 27-28.

Note that without birder access since last Sunday there have been no reports of the bird since Jan 14, but it is likely still present. It is recommended birders park by the No Trespassing sign next to the railroad tracks, and walk the 200 yards up the road which leads to that part of the elevator described earlier. Last weekend the bird was often seen feeding on grain just to the right of this road in a small alcove or recess in the building between two sets of doors with "danger" and "caution" signs. It was usually by itself as it fed, but it was also observed with a flock of House Sparrows by the nearby Cargill office building.

Again, please note that birders have permission to look for the rosy-finch ONLY this Saturday and Sunday, Jan 20-21; birders should NOT enter the property Monday-Friday; and next week's Birding Report will say whether or not birders will be allowed in on the weekend of Jan 27-28.

In other news, the birding continues to be excellent this week in N E Minn, with KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, GYRFALCONS at two locations, and GREAT GRAY OWL, NORTHERN HAWK OWL, and SNOWY OWLS all being relocated.

Although that King Eider in Two Harbors has been more difficult to find lately, it was seen again Jan 15. Look for it in the far W part of the main harbor between the farthest ore dock and a small breakwater. A scope is definitely required to see it, and sometimes better views are possible by walking out to the end of the main breakwater (which is ice-covered in places). Also look for that WESTERN GREBE in the harbor, which has been present for several weeks; if not here, look in Burlington Bay on the E side of town. A HORNED GREBE was seen with the eider yesterday; and a 3rd species of grebe, the RED-NECKED GREBE, was found at Brighton Beach in Duluth Jan 13.

Even more elusive than the King Eider has been that adult male Harlequin Duck. Although it was seen two weekends ago near the Lakewood Pumping Station, it cound not be relocated there since then, but it was seen again Jan 15 and 17 back at its original location a few miles to the NE -- i.e., on the lake out from 5181 N Shore Dr.

More cooperative lately has been that gray-morph Gyrfalcon in the Duluth harbor area. This week it has usually been seen between about 11:30 and 1:30, most often by the Cargill grain elevator, but there have also been sightings at Interstate Island just W of the I-535 bridge, and in the railroad yards and bay ice near the corner of Interstates 535 and 35.

As previously reported, Ben Yokel found another gray-morph Gyr Jan 11 at Silver L near downtown Virginia in central St Louis Co, and this bird was apparently still present on the 13th.

Lots of Great Gray and N Hawk owls continue to be seen by numerous birders, with both species still reliable in the Sax-Zim Bog along Co Rds 7 and 319 between Sax and Zim. Several Great Grays and a few hawk owls are also still easy to find in Lake Co along the last 15-20 mi of Co Rd 2 and on Minn Hwy 1 both E and W of 2. Among the new Great Gray Owls reported this week were: on Lake Co Rd 2, 14 mi N of Two Harbors; at the Two Harbors airport; a few along the Stanley Rd W of Two Harbors; in Cook Co, 2.5 mi N of Tofte on the Sawbill Tr; and several on back roads in Koochiching Co. New N Hawk Owls this week were also seen in Koochiching Co, at Biwabik on the Iron Range, and today in Duluth near the jct of N Tischer and Strand Rds.

Snowy Owls are still present in the Duluth-Superior harbor, with probably the best places to look being near the 27th Ave W sewage treatment plant and on the bay ice near the Perkins Restaurant in Superior. Snowy Owls have also been reported recently just W of Virginia along Hwy 169, and in Aitkin Co W of Duluth. Great Grays, N Hawk Owls, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, SNOW BUNTINGS and other winter specialties can also be found there, and for more information contact Warren Nelson in Aitkin at 218-927-2458.

Among the other birds of interest reported this week in N E Minn were: AMERICAN BLACK DUCK on the lake between downtown Duluth and Canal Park; about 700-800 gulls at the Superior landfill Jan 15, incl at least 7 GLAUCOUS GULLS, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER seen on two recent days at the School of Log Building on Lake Co Rd 2; YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER still at my feeders on Congdon Blvd today, along with some GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS in my yard Jan 15; SNOW BUNTINGS near the Duluth sewage treatment plant; WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS in the Sax-Zim Bog at the jct of Co Rds 7 and 319; and a few COMMON REDPOLLS in Lake Co near Isabella.

Finally, there have been no recent reports of Spruce Grouse, Boreal Owl or Three-toed Woodpecker, and with all the out-of-state birders around any reports of these would be especially appreciated. Also needed are reports of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, which have been seen on occasion but at no consistent locations.

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 25. 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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