Hi All, SAX-ZIM BOG Sax-Zim Bog is snow covered and the birding is quite good. The lakes and ponds are now iced over. Last of the Trumpeter Swans left on Tuesday.
Mary Lou's feeding station is open...and one feeder is filled at Welcome Center. Admiral Road feeders and most others will be started after deer season ends (Nov 19). Short-eared Owl (seen Monday and Tuesday) in north part of bog Great Gray Owl (seen sporadically along McDavitt at dusk...no sign of any irruption) N Hawk Owl (recent second hand report along Stone Lake Road) Northern Shrikes Rough-legged Hawks (few) Sharp-tailed Grouse (up to 8 at the feeder at the farm on CR29/229 just south of Correction Line Road on east side...MORNING is best) American Three-toed Woodpecker (male along bog stretch of McDavitt...UNUSUAL in the Bog...Absent in most years.) Black-backed Woodpecker (along bog stretch of McDavitt...listen quietly for flaking of bark from the road...CAUTION: Ditches are filled with water and not completely frozen!) Gray Jays (as usual...May be in any Black Spruce boggy area) Boreal Chickadees (no recent reports...but pishhh loudly along any Black Spruce bog stretch and see what you get) redpolls (quite common with flocks feeding in birches and alders) Pine Grosbeaks Evening Grosbeaks (Mary Lou's feeders...mainly in MORNING) White-winged Crossbills (only a few...very few cones on the spruces) Red Crossbills (occasional fly overs) American Tree Sparrows (still around) Snow Buntings (along CR7...much more common in rural Carlton Coun ty) WELCOME CENTER OPENS ON SAT. DEC. 9 DOWNLOADABLE BIRDING MAP AVAILABLE AT www.saxzim.org CARLTON COUNTY Rough-legged Hawks and Snow Buntings quite common now. Have seen up to 6 Roughlegs in a couple hours of birding backroads. Snow Buntings along CR1, CR3, CR4, CR102 in bigger flocks. Flock near Finke's Berry Farm numbering 100 Black-backed Woodpecker working a White Pine in my woods which is mostly aspen, White Pine, Basswood and Red Maple....The point being, that with all the "3-toed" woodpeckers moving down the shore this Fall, it might pay to check out any areas of N MN with dying trees...They could be anywhere! Horned Larks Crossbills (both spp. occasionally) redpolls Sparky Stensaas 2515 Garthus Road Wrenshall MN 55797 218.341.3350 sparkystens...@hotmail.com www.ThePhotoNaturalist.com www.KollathStensaas.com www.SaxZim.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
