This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, January 6, 2005 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
Following last week's ice storm and heavy snowfall, there have been some interesting developments in this winter's owl irruption. BOREAL OWLS have begun to turn up in the daytime. Today, Dan Amerman reported a Boreal Owl near the shore of Lake Superior at Stoney Point, 0.1 mile northeast of the Alseth Rd, which bisects the point. Also today, Ben Yokel reported a Boreal from near Melrude; and yesterday, Mike Hendrickson found a Boreal in West Duluth in a ravine off 88th Ave, a block-and-a-half from Clyde Ave. GREAT GRAY OWLS have been moving down the shore and into the city limits of Duluth this week. On the 3rd, Jim Lind saw 12 owls in Two Harbors, including three flying across Agate Bay and down the shore. Peder Svingen reported as many as a dozen in East Duluth over the past couple of days, and Scott Wolfe reports that at least six owls have been hunting along the beach at Minnesota Point in the neighborhood near the recreation area. Yesterday, a Great Gray was in the rose garden at Leif Ericson Park, near 13th and Superior St. NORTHERN HAWK OWLS can still be seen at many locations, including along Cty Rd 7 in the Sax-Zim area, between Cty Rd 133 and the Zim Rd. With the large number of visitors here to look for owls, it would be helpful if birders minimized time stopping near dwellings and were extra courteous when driving and stopping to look. Mike Hendrickson reported BOREAL CHICKADEES from Cty Rd 52 in Sax-Zim, 2.0 miles west of the Stickney Rd. He also reported that there are still SNOW BUNTINGS along Cty Rd 7 between the Sax Rd and the Zim Rd (the northern stretch of the road described above.) On Dec. 30, Tom Kemp reported RED CROSSBILLS on the Tomahawk Trail or Forest Rd 377, 0.5 mile from Hwy 1 in the Isabella area in Lake Cty. He also reported both PINE and EVENING (few) GROSBEAKS from a feeder in Isabella along Hwy 1. Mike Hendrickson had a HOARY REDPOLL at this feeder on Dec. 31. Dan Amerman reports that there are still good numbers of gulls at the Superior, Wisconsin landfill. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, January 13. The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-728-5030. Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded 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 to m...@cbs.umn.edu, or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org.
