Jim Otto and I spend the day birding various Cook county spots. Some highlights: One female Spruce Grouse on Lima Mountain road. 12 Red Crossbills (Lima Grade) Boreal Chickadees (Lima Grade) 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers (Magnetic Rock hiking Trail) Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls; small flocks at several locations. 1 Surf Scoter continuing in Grand Marais Harbor. 10 Long-tailed Ducks (Paradise Beach) 3 White-winged Scoters (Paradise Beach) One of the White-winged Scoters was first observed flying up the shore just west of Colvill. We matched speed with this duck at just over 55 miles per hour. We sped up a bit, and just beat this bird to Paradise Beach, 5+ miles from where we first saw it, it was flying by just as we got out of the car. It slowed down a bit near the other sea ducks at Paradise Beach, but then continued on up the shore. Some birds seen late yesterday but not today include a flock of 120 Bohemian Waxwings at the Grand Marais campground, and a Northern Pintail in Grand Marais Harbor. Doug Kieser Minneapolis