This is the Duluth Birding Report for January 17th, 2017 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
The CURVE-BILLED THRASHER at 605 NE 11th Street in Grand Rapids in Itasca County was still present as of the 17th. The bird has apparently been present for a month or so and was seen (and heard singing) as recently as the 9th. The homeowners welcome birders but ask to not park in front of the white house next door on the corner, and only visit between 8 am and 5 pm. The GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW at 44th Avenue East and Regent Street continues to be seen daily as recently as the 15th, with the most consistent time being at about 7:30 in the morning. A LONG-TAILED DUCK continues to be seen at Canal Park as recently as the 16th, as well as a late-lingering GREATER SCAUP. I have a second-hand report of a VARIED THRUSH at the WLSSD composting site at 27th Avenue West on the weekend of the 14th, but I don't have any other details. A BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW have also been seen by several observers in recent days at the WLSSD site. Harley Hanson briefly saw a male VARIED THRUSH on the 16th on Otsego Street in the Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth. A female VARIED THRUSH was seen on the 17th in Grand Marais at West 10th Avenue and 2nd Street. A late-lingering WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD were also seen in the same area. An immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was seen on the 15th at 2nd Avenue and 3rd Street in Two Harbors. Josh Watson saw a HARLEQUIN DUCK on the 17th at East Bay in Grand Marais. 130 LONG-TAILED DUCKS were seen at Good Harbor Bay west of Grand Marais on the 17th, and a RED-NECKED GREBE was seen at Taconite Harbor. The RED-NECKED GREBE at Agate Bay in Two Harbors was still present on the 15th. Small numbers of SPRUCE GROUSE were reported by several observers between the 13th and 16th along Lake County Road 2 about a quarter mile north of the Sand River and a mile south of MN Highway 1. Craig Mandel and others saw two SPRUCE GROUSE and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER on the 13th along the Tomahawk Trail, about 1.5 miles east of MN 1. Clinton Neinhaus also saw two SPRUCE GROUSE on the 15th along the Tomahawk Trail around FR 1484. Craig's group saw a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER on the 15th along MN 1, 0.7 mile south of the Tomahawk Trail, and another along Lake County Road 2, 3.1 miles south of the Sand River. They also found BOREAL CHICKADEES along Lake CR 2 near the Greenwood Lake access. Frank Nicoletti saw a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER at Greenwood Lake on the 15th. Ryan Brady saw two BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS in the Sax-Zim Bog on the 17th along the McDavitt Road (CR 213) near the south logging road. He also saw a HOARY REDPOLL along Owl Avenue south of the welcome center. Craig Mandel and others saw seven SHARP-TAILED GROUSE along the east side of CR 229, north of the Racek Road. BOREAL CHICKADEES continue to be seen occasionally at the Admiral Road (CR 788) feeders. The next scheduled update of this report will be on or about Monday, January 23rd. This report is compiled from MOU-net postings, local eBird checklists, various Facebook group pages (some of which may require joining), and personal contacts. Please follow the links below for the most up-to-date information: MOU-net: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html eBird: http://ebird.org/ebird/places Facebook group pages: Minnesota Ornithologists Union: https://www.facebook.com/groups/moumn.group/ Minnesota Birding: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mnbirding/ Minnesota Rare Bird Alert: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1570731239835376/ Northeast Minnesota Birding: https://www.facebook.com/groups/177159692431348/ Sax-Zim Bog: https://www.facebook.com/groups/saxzimbog/ Duluth Phenology: https://www.facebook.com/groups/duluthphenology/ Information about bird sightings may be sent to the Duluth Rare Bird Alert at [email protected] The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, write us c/o the Bell Museum, e-mail us at [email protected], or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
