Previous reports: January 6 13 20 , December 2 9 16 23 29 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*January 20, 2000
*MNST0001.20

-Birds mentioned

• Trumpeter Swan
• Mute Swan
• Ross's Goose
• Tufted Duck
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• American Robin
• Varied Thrush
• Curve-billed Thrasher
• Northern Shrike
• Snow Bunting
• Meadowlark (species)
• Pine Grosbeak

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: January 20, 2000
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (ahertzel@uswest.net)

This is the Minnesota birding report for Thursday January 20th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

The TUFTED DUCK is still being seen at the Blue Lake settling ponds just east of Shakopee. The ponds are located on the north side of Scott County Road 101 exactly one mile west of U.S. highway 169.

And that CURVE-BILLED THRASHER is still visiting a feeder in western Minnesota as it has been since late November. Anyone interested in seeing this bird can call the statewide hotline at 612-780-8890 for further information.

Steve Millard reported a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER along state highway 310 in Roseau County near mile marker 9, and a GREAT GRAY OWL near mile marker 8. Dana Carlson reports that a Great Gray Owl has been seen daily along state highway 72, which runs through Baudette in Lake of the Woods County. The bird has been seen between mile markers 49 and 54, which are near the Beltrami County & Lake of the Woods County line. Jay Hamernick found a SHORT-EARED OWL north of Meadowlands in St. Louis County on the 18th, and on the 19th a NORTHERN HAWK OWL was along Lake County Road 14 about five miles west of Lake County Road 2 near the railroad tracks.

June Foss still has a VARIED THRUSH at her backyard feeder where it has been since late November. June's house is located about one and a half miles northeast of Skime in Roseau County. And the Varied Thrush in Shoreview near Turtle Lake in Ramsey County was still present as of January 15th. The bird is visiting a feeder at the home of Gordon Hinchcliffe.

I have an interesting report of a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET which visited a thistle feeder at the home of Bruce Harpell in North Minneapolis on January 17th.

On the 16th, Debbie Arnold and Craig Mandel found a TRUMPETER SWAN and MUTE SWAN behind the Lyndale Motel in Faribault, Rice County. This is a half mile north of state highway 60 along state highway 21. And in Rochester, Olmsted County, a ROSS'S GOOSE is apparently overwintering at Silver Lake.

AMERICAN ROBINS have been reported by several people, mostly from the Twin Cities area. Robins over-wintering is not that unusual an event, especially in recent years. Among the other species of birds reported by many callers are ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, NORTHERN SHRIKE, PINE GROSBEAK, SNOW BUNTING, and a few unidentified MEADOWLARKS.

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday January 27th.

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MOU-net@biosci.umn.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info mou-net) to majordomo@biosci.umn.edu.

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