We had a cold and gusty count for the Itasca St. Park count on Sunday December 21, 2008. Both Red and White-winged Crossbills were seen in good numbers with several flocks of White-winged Crossbills in widely separated sectors of the count, especially near Bert's Cabins on the plowed section of Wilderness Drive. However, Evening Grosbeaks were scarce and we had probably a record low number, only 7 individuals. Because of the wind, we struck out on Black-backed Woodpeckers which have been regular on most recent counts. The best bird, a new species for the count was Wild Turkeys with ten individuals just outside the park on Hubbard County Road 95. The releases of turkeys at Tamarac NWR (and elsewhere) has been wildly successful and the bird is becoming relatively common in northeast Becker, southern Hubbard and extreme southern Clearwater Counties. The effect of having these large birds on Ruffed Grouse populations and raptors or other predators will undoubtedly be worth monitoring.
Doug Johnson Bemidji, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
