[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today
It was a beautiful day to be out at Sax-Zim Bog. The breeze died down, and the sky was clear. Today I led a trip through the bog, and was treated to two Northern Hawk Owls, a Great Horned Owls, Gray Jays, Evening Grosbeaks, two Boreal Chickadees, and other beautiful birds! Despite the refreshing windchill, we hiked along one of the logging roads earlier this morning, and had several small flocks of Black-capped Chickadees in the area! Here is my eBird list from today's visit to the bog. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16408423 Distant Great Horned Owl, at twilight http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/154164053 Boreal Chickadee http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/154164051 A unique treat, seen in the bog today http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/154164054 Good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN -- *NATURALLY AVIAN* - Birding Tours and Bird Photography birdf...@gmail.com (e-mail) www.naturallyavian.com (birding tours) www.pbase.com/birdfedr (photos) www.facebook.com/NaturallyAvian (facebook) Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today
Drove up to Sax-Zim Bog today despite the frigid weather. Highlights: Two Northern Hawk Owls, one on Owl Avenue as reported the past few days and another right at the intersection of CR 7 and CR 133. A juvenile Northern Goshawk at the southeast corner of Stickney and Sax Rd. A Magpie along Kolu Rd and a Boreal Chickadee at the Adrmiral Rd feeders. We looked for Great Gray Owls but didn't find any, though we did end up seeing a Great Horned Owl along CR 7 near dusk. Also of interest was a porcupine in a tree visible from CR 7! Ben Harste Bloomington, 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
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today
I led a trip through Sax-Zim Bog this morning, and birded until mid-afternoon when the rain really started to fall. Highlights from today include two Connecticut Warblers, a Great Gray Owl, three adult Gray Jays with a juvenile at their side, and two Black-billed Magpies. Saw 76 species today. Here is the list of birds observed today. Great diversity of migrants/breeding birds are currently present throughout the northwoods. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14346323 A distant Connecticut Warbler photo from today http://www.pbase.com/image/150629578 Good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN -- *NATURALLY AVIAN* - Birding Tours and Bird Photography birdf...@gmail.com (e-mail) www.naturallyavian.com (birding tours) www.pbase.com/birdfedr (photos) www.facebook.com/NaturallyAvian (facebook) Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today
Sax-Zim Bog hosted some great views of some great birds today! While leading a birding trip throughout the bog earlier in the morning, highlights included one Northern Hawk Owl, one adult Northern Goshawk, one Hoary Redpoll and one Evening Grosbeak. The eBird list from today's birding trip in the bog is below. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13421480 We spent the last two three hours of daylight up the north shore between Duluth and Knife River. The Knife River Marina hosted two immature Glaucous Gulls, four Red-breasted Mergansers, one female Common Goldeneye and two female Bufflehead. Good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN -- *NATURALLY AVIAN* - Birding Tours and Bird Photography birdf...@gmail.com (e-mail) www.naturallyavian.com (birding tours) www.pbase.com/birdfedr (photos) www.facebook.com/NaturallyAvian (facebook) Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today - Full-spectrum of boreal birds and more
While guiding a birder from Oregon today, we explored much of Sax-Zim Bog, plus a few immediate outlying areas. Highlights from the day includes Boreal Chickadees, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, both redpoll species and more. Our day ended with watching a Great Gray Owl for 20+ minutes! One of the least-expected finds today, was coming across two Red-winged Blackbirds! My eBird list from today's trip is below. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12314067 Good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN -- *NATURALLY AVIAN* - Birding Tours and Bird Photography birdf...@gmail.com (e-mail) www.naturallyavian.com (birding tours) www.pbase.com/birdfedr (photos) www.facebook.com/NaturallyAvian (facebook) Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog Today
Out guiding today on this gusty and snowy Sax-Zim Bog morning. Despite a lot walking and driving this morning, no Great Gray Owl was to be found. I saw a report that a Great Gray Owl was seen yesterday along McDavitt Rd, so I am sure they are still around and I would not be surprised if someone this evening spotted an owl as the winds really died down around sunset. Highlights: -Boreal Chickadee along Arkola Rd a half mile east of Owl Avenue. -Black-billed Magpie at the intersection of Stickney Rd and Arkola Rd (CR 52) - Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls visiting the new improved Friends of Sax-Zim Bog feeders off Owl Avenue. Best way to describe the location is look for the feeders a little less than a 1/2 mile north of the Overton Rd. OR at the south end of Owl Avenue where the road diagonals from SW to NE. The Admiral Road feeders are going to be put up near the same location this Sunday. A lot of finches this year!! Mike Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota MikeHendricksonGuiding.com Sax-ZimBog.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today
The weather today was awesome for being out birding within the Lake Superior limits... big flakes were falling all day long. Sax-Zim Bog had at least 4 of snow, with some 5-6 deep drifts. While leading a birding trip today in Sax-Zim Bog, we found three HOARY REDPOLLS. All of the Hoary Redpolls were observed along the road sides, not at any bird feeders. The Friends of Sax-Zim Bog birdfeeders (on Owl Avenue) were filled with many Common Redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks, a Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Black-capped Chickadees. One of the most surprising birds observed today was a female WOOD DUCK in the little creek connected to Stone Lake! Pics and eBird list below. Hoary Redpoll www.pbase.com/image/147507422 Female Wood Duck www.pbase.com/image/147507426 The eBird list from my birding trip is below. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12139899 Earlier this afternoon I had Pine Grosbeaks, White-winged Crossbills and Common Redpolls flying over my house in Duluth. Good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN -- *NATURALLY AVIAN* - Birding Tours and Bird Photography birdf...@gmail.com (e-mail) www.naturallyavian.com (birding tours) www.pbase.com/birdfedr (photos) www.facebook.com/NaturallyAvian (facebook) Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog Today
I was out guiding a woman from North Carolina today. We birded Sax-Zim Bog, Hawk Ridge, North Shore Drive and Park Point. We found some terrific birds and I was able to show her 7 lifers to add to her growing list. Highlights: Sax-Zim Bog: - Great Gray Owl. A very cooperative owl that allowed us to witness the owl make several plunges in the grass with hopes of nailing a vole. During the 30 minutes of watching this owl actively hunt within 60 feet of us it was successful once. - Boreal Chickadee was found among a small flock of Black-capped Chickadees. Its always a treat to find a Boreal Chickadee! - Gray Jay - Sharp-tailed Grouse. We found 8 grouse at the traditional lek south of CR 52 (Arkola Rd). Take Arkola Rd to Poplar Rd and head south on Poplar Rd and look west for a small shack that looks like a out house. The grouse were feeding on both sides of the road. The farmer is a great guy and he is also the owner of Wilbert's Cafe in Cotton. I met him a few times and its okay to park along the Poplar Road to view the grouse. Please park on the shoulder and do not block the road. We found 6 other grouse along CR 29 on the east side near the intersection of the Rasek Rd. This is another traditional spot and also another lek location. -Barred Owl was seen along the Kolu Rd. Hawk Ridge: -Northern Goshawk adult flew over us. -Common Redpolls migrating over head and stopping to feed on a Birch tree where I parked my car! Two Harbors: -Northern Shrike down by the tug boat area on Agate Bay. Park Point: - 2 Bohemian Waxwings been coming to a crab apple tree with a Robin and a Cedar Waxwing for nearly a week. The crab apple tree is located in the large parking lot near the tall pines. Not a bad day! Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota MikeHendricksonGuiding.com Sax-ZimBog.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today - Great Gray Owl many other birds (photos sightings)
Early this morning I met up with my friends fellow Duluth birdwatchers Allen and Kim Lokken to guide them around Sax-Zim Bog. We arrived in Sax-Zim a few minutes to 4am, to try our best for Yellow Rail. No such luck for the little buggers. I've never seen or heard a Yellow Rail before, but despite the extra tricky challenge of finding one, we were treated to some amazing views and truly awesome finds while out in the bog today. From watching a Great Gray Owl for nearly two minutes, to hearing several Connecticut Warblers sing their hearts out, it was a fun day to be outside. We had a coyote cross the road at one point, and also got great looks at a stunning male Mourning Warbler singing atop a branch. The Dickcissel near Hwy 7 Sax Road is still being seen. eBird list from today is below http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11046719 I soaked up a few moments from today, and wanted to share them with you. Enjoy. Sunrise shots http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357156 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357160 Great Gray Owl http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357145 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357144 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357147 Wilson's Snipe http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357154 Lincoln's Sparrow http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357152 Brewer's Blackbird http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357151 Black-billed Cuckoo http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/144357149 Good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN -- *NATURALLY AVIAN* - Birding Tours and Bird photography birdf...@gmail.com www.pbase.com/birdfedr www.facebook.com/NaturallyAvian www.naturallyavian.blogspot.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today - Connecticut, Mourning, Blackburnian and much more (with photos)
I arrived at Sax-Zim Bog around 5am this morning to show a visiting birdwatcher around the area. The birding trip was so much fun! Our day started off by walking through the peat trails which meander through the tamarack black spruce bog areas. Upon setting foot in the peat trails around civil twilight, the full spectrum of songbird vocalizations began! Three Connecticut Warblers and four Mourning Warblers were observed today. We had an impressive spectrum of warblers all-round, as well as flycatchers, a fly-by American Bittern (plus other bittern as the day progressed), and much more. It was neat to see a thick layer of frost in the early morning hours. The eBird list below is of today's sightings while birding in Sax-Zim Bog. Below the eBird list are a few of my favorite photos from the day. Canada Goose 2 Redhead 1 Ring-necked Duck 2 Ring-necked Pheasant 1 call was heard Ruffed Grouse 2 both observations were auditory, from grouse drumming Common Loon 1 American Bittern 3 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 2 Bald Eagle 1 Northern Harrier 2 Both sightings were adult males Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Broad-winged Hawk 2 American Kestrel 1 Sandhill Crane 1 Killdeer 1 Wilson's Snipe 2 Rock Pigeon 3 Mourning Dove 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher 1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1 Alder Flycatcher 8 Least Flycatcher 5 Eastern Phoebe 2 Eastern Kingbird 1 Blue-headed Vireo 2 Red-eyed Vireo 4 Gray Jay 2 Blue Jay 4 American Crow 10 Common Raven 14 Tree Swallow 6 Barn Swallow 4 Cliff Swallow 1 Black-capped Chickadee 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Brown Creeper 1 Winter Wren 3 Sedge Wren 6 Marsh Wren 6 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 Eastern Bluebird 2 One pair was observed Veery 2 Hermit Thrush 8 American Robin 4 Gray Catbird 2 Brown Thrasher 1 European Starling 4 Ovenbird 4 Northern Waterthrush 2 Golden-winged Warbler 3 Black-and-white Warbler 5 Tennessee Warbler 1 Nashville Warbler 16 Connecticut Warbler 3 Mourning Warbler 4 Common Yellowthroat 15 American Redstart 2 Cape May Warbler 1 Northern Parula 1 Magnolia Warbler 1 Blackburnian Warbler 2 Yellow Warbler 4 Chestnut-sided Warbler 5 Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 Canada Warbler 1 Eastern Towhee 2 Chipping Sparrow 4 Clay-colored Sparrow 6 Savannah Sparrow 8 Song Sparrow 3 Lincoln's Sparrow 5 Swamp Sparrow 5 White-throated Sparrow 20 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 Bobolink 7 Red-winged Blackbird 4 Brewer's Blackbird 3 Common Grackle 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 5 Purple Finch 3 American Goldfinch 5 House Sparrow 1 Chipping Sparrow http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/143480402 Lincoln's Sparrow http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/143480401 Mourning Warbler http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/143480413 Northern Flicker http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/143480417 Sunrise http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/143480428 Good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN -- *NATURALLY AVIAN* - Guided Birdwatching Trips and Bird photography www.pbase.com/birdfedr www.naturallyavian.blogspot.com birdf...@gmail.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax Zim Bog Today
Today I was up there about 4 hours around noon after the 4 - 6 inches of snow. All the road that we went on were drivable with the 4wd Pickup. We did not see a lot in the foggy haze and snow but had some nice birds, Golden Eagle1 Bald EagleMany Rough legged HawksMany Northern Harrier 1 Common Redpoll 100's Evening Grosbeak 25 + Black Capped ChickadeeMany Gary Kuyava in NE Duluth Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today (bird mammal photos)
I showed a friend around the bog today, and there were endless fun and exciting observations! A total of three BOREAL CHICKADEES were seen at one time. During past observations (including today's sightings), some of the Boreal Chickadees have been singing, which is neat to hear among typical chickadee call of the Boreal Chickadee, and the chicka-dee-dee-dee call of the Black-capped Chickadee. Another highlight was seeing a total of 8 AMERICAN CROWS throughout the bog. They are not rare of course, but seem unusual from the majority of the large black corvids that I have seen in the bog throughout most of my past visits (Common Ravens are the predominant corvid species in the bog, with Blue Jays at some feeding stations, and Gray Jays scattered throughout much of the densely-wooded sections of the bog. A sleeping porcupine was seen sleeping in a stand of Tamarack, and a little rodent (picture below) was observed scurrying through the road. Other tidbits and commentary will be added into my blog. Here are the bird species observed today: Rough-legged Hawk - 2 Bald Eagle - 1 Downy Woodpecker - 1 Hairy Woodpecker - 2 Northern Shrike - 4 Blue Jay - 4 Gray Jay - 9 American Crow - 8! Common Raven ~20 Black-capped Chickadee ~20 Boreal Chickadee - 3 Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2 Pine Grosbeak ~50 Pine Grosbeak http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/132138814 Gray Jay http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/132138815 Boreal Chickadee (eating seed) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/132138813 Porcupine! http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/132138816 Little rodent in the bog... Maybe a vole? http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/132138817 Good birdwatching, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN NATURALLY AVIAN - Bird photography and guided birdwatching tours www.pbase.com/birdfedr www.naturallyavian.blogspot.com birdf...@gmail.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today + Ramsey Co. AMKE
Nice finds, Chris. Our list (our being Erik Brunkhe, newbie to birding Dan Phillips and I) at Sax-Zim Bog (Cotton, St. Louis County) was slightly different: 1. NO Great Gray Owls. We tried McDavitt Rd. yesterday evening and we tried for your Great Gray (see Chris's post) this morning and had no luck. 2. We had 2-4 Black-billed Magpies on Sax Rd. and another road that had a deer kill (forgot the name, the road ran north and south.) 3. 20ish Snow Buntings were seen along Highway 7 and 2 Bald Eagles at that same deer kill. We had more Rough-legged Hawks and less Northern Shrikes, but aside from that, all numbers and bird species were pretty much the same. Also, I'm not too sure how uncommon American Kestrel is in a county as urban (and small area-wise) as Ramsey County, but I saw one today at the NW part of the junction of CR-94 and Highway 35W. This is on the west side of Shoreview. Based on what reports I've seen and what I've personally seen this winter, it appears that there are higher numbers overwintering here than what is typical. Good birding! Alyssa DeRubeis confirmed overwinterer in Golden Valley, Hennepin Co. On Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 10:22 PM, Chris West swallowtailedk...@gmail.comwrote: Hi everyone, A couple of my friends and I spent the day in the bog today. We arrived right around sunrise and left shortly after sunset. Winter finches are almost nonexistent. Our entire tally was 10 C Redpolls along Highway 16 north of the bog proper. Pine Grosbeaks were fairly common with several hanging around the feeders on Arkola Rd and a few flocks flying over in various places. Black-capped Chickadees were dirt common everywhere, but we did manage to find two Boreal Chickadees at the feeders on Admiral Rd and heard one at the feeders on Arkola Rd. Lots of Red-breasted Nuthatches around too. Interestingly enough, our 3rd bird of the morning was a Great Gray Owl along Highway 16 between Highway 25 and 5. The N Hawk-owl at the south end of McDavitt was still present this evening. These were the only two owls we saw. 4 N Shrikes, a Rough-legged Hawk along the west end of Arkola Rd, Blue and Gray Jays, 20 or so Ruffed Grouse, a Mourning Dove and a White-breasted Nuthatch made up most of the rest of the birds we saw today. No sign of any Black-backed or 3-toed Woodpeckers at all. McDavitt was completely silent and there was very little sign of any recent workings in the area, nor was there any trail into the trees near the road. Yesterday afternoon, we checked out Canal Park. Tally was: Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull (several of them Kumlien's Gulls), Great Black-backed, Glaucous. I'm fairly certain I had a juvie Lesser Black-backed over the Superior Landfill too, but I couldn't be 100% sure since it was flying fairly high. Did have a Peregrine Falcon flyby as we were driving through Duluth too. -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog today + Canal Park yesterday
Hi everyone, A couple of my friends and I spent the day in the bog today. We arrived right around sunrise and left shortly after sunset. Winter finches are almost nonexistent. Our entire tally was 10 C Redpolls along Highway 16 north of the bog proper. Pine Grosbeaks were fairly common with several hanging around the feeders on Arkola Rd and a few flocks flying over in various places. Black-capped Chickadees were dirt common everywhere, but we did manage to find two Boreal Chickadees at the feeders on Admiral Rd and heard one at the feeders on Arkola Rd. Lots of Red-breasted Nuthatches around too. Interestingly enough, our 3rd bird of the morning was a Great Gray Owl along Highway 16 between Highway 25 and 5. The N Hawk-owl at the south end of McDavitt was still present this evening. These were the only two owls we saw. 4 N Shrikes, a Rough-legged Hawk along the west end of Arkola Rd, Blue and Gray Jays, 20 or so Ruffed Grouse, a Mourning Dove and a White-breasted Nuthatch made up most of the rest of the birds we saw today. No sign of any Black-backed or 3-toed Woodpeckers at all. McDavitt was completely silent and there was very little sign of any recent workings in the area, nor was there any trail into the trees near the road. Yesterday afternoon, we checked out Canal Park. Tally was: Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull (several of them Kumlien's Gulls), Great Black-backed, Glaucous. I'm fairly certain I had a juvie Lesser Black-backed over the Superior Landfill too, but I couldn't be 100% sure since it was flying fairly high. Did have a Peregrine Falcon flyby as we were driving through Duluth too. -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sax Zim Bog Today/Birds 12/21
I was helping out with the Sax-Zim Bog Christmas Bird Count from 7:30am-12:30pm Highlights: - Great Gray Owl: 2.5 miles east of Co. Rd 7 on Nichols Lake Rd (CR 232) - 2 Hawk Owls (Fide Tony Hertzel) both on CR 28 (Zim Rd). 1. On the corner of CR 28 CR 7 2. .25 miles west of CR 7 on CR 28 - 2 Boreal Chickadees coming to the feeding station on Admiral Rd. Jason Mandich of Hibbing created this feeding station about 3 miles north of CR 28 on the east side of Admiral Rd. There are 3 large deer ribs tied to a tree and a bird feeder. The bird feeder attracts common redpolls and black-capped chickadees. -Evening Grosbeaks at the Morse feeding station on Blue Spruce Rd and also at the Abramson's feeding station on Little White Face River Rd. Both of these locations are off CR 133. -White-winged Crossbills in the spruce trees at the Mueller feeding station on CR 201 just north of Meadowlands. After crossing over the Dart Rd take the first driveway on your right. Drive pass the large garage and pallets and drive behind behind house. Behind the house there are some feeders and also a large group of platform feeders in the spruce trees. There is a small path off the drive way that leads you to a opening in the spruce trees to view the feeders. You will not be able to view these feeders from the driveway unless you get out and walk this small path to the feeding station. There were also several Common Redpolls here. -Black-billed Magpie on CR 28 about 1 miles west of CR 7. -50 Snow Buntings along CR 7 just north of CR 28 near the Byrne's Greenhouse. Other reports from Sax-Zim Bog today: 2 Great Gray Owls were seen along CR 28 near the Stickney Rd this morning (Tony Hertzel) 1 Black-backed Woodpecker along the McDavitt Rd seen this morning (Tony Hertzel) *12/21 a Great Gray Owl was seen by Jason Mandich on the McDavitt Rd Dec 21: - The female/imm Harlequin Duck that Kim Eckert found on 12/20 Duluth CBC was seen Sunday at the same spot at the mouth of French River. - 3 Long-tailed Ducks (Kim Eckert recorded 11 on the Duluth CBC at Brighton Beach) were there at Brighton Beach just north of Lester River off Scenic 61. * There is a large wood platform feeder on Owl Avenue. This feeder was built and placed by John Seikula of Hibbing, MN. From CR 52 (Arkola Rd) go south on Owl Avenue for about 2.5 - 3 miles. Right before the road bends to the west or as you leave the bog habitat there is dike that goes east-west. Look on the west side of the dike about 10 yards off the road you'll see his large wood feeder filled with sunflowers. John has been palcing feed here for a few years and this year he placed a large feeder on a tree. John is also know for placing seed on Owl Avenue road, McDavitt Rd and Admiral Rd for the birds to eat. John and Jason have created some wonderful bird feeding viewing areas in the bog for us birders to enjoy and I thank them both!! Mike Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota Website: http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/ Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/ Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
