This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, February 17, 2005, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
On the 16th, Mike Hendrickson found a BOREAL OWL along the Hwy 61 Expressway between Duluth and Two Harbors. The bird was on the north side of the road about 200 yds. northeast of milepost 14. If this bird follows the usual pattern, it will have moved on by now. Most birders who have had luck with Boreal Owls this winter have learned about them by checking with other birders who are out on the same day. It appears that there will be many birders in the area this weekend. Please remember to park well off to the side of all roads and do not crowd or distract the birds. The SNOWY OWL at the Duluth International Airport was seen again last weekend off Stebner Rd. Note that parking along this road is no longer permitted and some birders have been turned away from this area by law enforcement. It may still be possible to see the owl from the interior observation deck at the terminal, but no one has reported doing this in the past couple of weeks. GREAT GRAY OWLS and NORTHERN HAWK OWLS are still widespread across northern Minnesota. Some birders have noted that the numbers may be decreasing, and it appears that activity is more related to daylight than it was earlier. In other words, your best chances are at dawn, at dusk, and on cloudy days. Aitkin County still seems to be the center of current activity. Cty Rd 16 south of Tamarack was especially productive over the weekend. There are SHARP-TAILED GROUSE along that road as well, in appropriate habitat. Tom Auer found a group of SHARP-TAILED GROUSE a third of a mile south of the jct. of Cty Rd 7 and the Sax Rd on the west side of the road. BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were seen and heard along McDavitt Rd, 2.6 miles north of the Sax Rd. The two HARLEQUIN DUCKS are still at Agate Bay in Two Harbors. Shawn Conrad reported that the TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was still present at 40th and Cooke in East Duluth on the 13th, and the BOREAL CHICKADEE is still coming to the feeder across from the cafe in Isabella, in Lake Cty. Flocks of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were seen this week in Knife River, in Two Harbors, and at several locations in Duluth. HOARY REDPOLLS were again seen along Lake Cty Rd 9 at a feeder not far from the jct. with Hwy 61. Mike Furtman has seen a PEREGRINE FALCON working the lakewalk in Duluth on a regular basis. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, February 24. 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.
