During the Minn BIrding Weekends trip up the North Shore, we found a=20 very late & out-of-range Lark Sparrow in Grand Marais. It was present=20 much of the morning of Nov 7 along the S side of Hwy 61 across the road=20=
from the post office. Initially it was feeding with a small flock Snow=20= Buntings and a Lapland Longspur, but later it was by itself. On the same morning part of our group saw a Townsend's Solitaire in=20 Hovland. It was first spotted as it briefly perched near the Chicago=20 Bay breakwater and then flew towards Hwy 61, where it was relocated a=20 couple minutes later on the W side of town. To expand on Chris's and Mike's reports on this past weekend: - Scoters were few in number: the only Surf we saw was at Good Harbor=20 Bay; the only Blacks (3) at Hovland; and only White-wingeds (2) a=20 single flying by Two Harbors and one at Good Harbor Bay. - The juv Pacific Loon, probably the same individual initially reported=20= a week ago, was still present on the morning of Nov 7 on the East Bay=20 side of Grand Marais near the base of Artists Point; it appeared to=20 have been roosting for the night with a Common Loon on the gravel=20 beach. - First-winter Thayer's Gull on the inner harbor breakwater in Grand=20 Marais. - We found a total of 4 Great Gray Owls: the one posted by Chris was=20 actually near house/fire #260 (not a mile marker) of the Onion River=20 Rd; two were on Cook Co Rd 7 =96 7 mi W of Grand Marais (or 1 mi W of = the=20 Dream Catcher B&B), and 3 mi W of Grand Marais; and one was near Stoney=20= Point along the Hwy 61 expressway near the Alseth Rd jct. - Gray Catbird still present just W of the Outpost Motel (I think this=20= had first been found the previous weekend). - Unidentified meadowlark (probably Western) in Grand Marais near the=20 municipal swimming pool. Kim Eckert
