I was searching for Pine Grosbeaks in several counties today, starting in Chisago and heading west. I found them in a couple of places in Chisago - one bird about a mile south of North Branch a block east of Forest Blvd (CR30) on 382nd St and just around the bend on Clara Ave, and a pair of birds about a mile from the Isanti border just north of MN95 (just east of Cambridge) on N Pine Lake Rd about a half mile east of Bennette Ave (north side of road).
I wasn't able to find any in Isanti County until I checked out Braham where Denny Martin had reported finding them yesterday (database entry). I only found about 8 birds in the west side of town just south of the Elementary School (& HS) on Southview to 10th street. The flock was not visible until I drove into the 10th St cul-de-sac and found them in a crabapple on the north side of the loop. While I was searching for them I was up on the county line with Kanabec (Isanti CR4 - which is also Isanti 6th Street NW and also Kanabec 421st Avenue NW) and a large flock of them flew over and into Kanabec County. I followed them north on Quail Street and found them in a crabapple on the west side of the road (fire #1047). I also spotted one Pine Grosbeak in the same tree. I found about a dozen Pine Grosbeaks in Milaca in Mille Lacs County at the intersection of 6th St & 2nd Ave. On the border of Mille Lacs and Benton Counties I was able to re-find a flock about a mile and a half south of MN23 that had been previously reported by Milton Blomberg. They were moving back and forth across the road. Another re-find was a small group of Pine Grosbeaks that Denny Martin reported at a farm place along Morrison CR26 just to the east of 360th Ave (~1-1/2 mile W of CR33 and a mile N of Benton County in the southeastern corner of Morrison). Bob Ekblad Olmsted County in SE Minnesota http://www.Birding-Minnesota.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
