Since the December 29 Duluth RBA, there have been few postings on mou-net about the winter specialties of Duluth and elsewhere in NE Minnesota. True, there may be birding information on various Facebook pages, private text messages, and other means, but such reports (which often omit specific locations) may be difficult or unavailable for many birders to access.
Accordingly, here's what I've been aware of through this past weekend, but please note that other birders deserve credit for finding most of these, are probably more informed about some of these species than I am, and any corrections/updates they can provide to this summary would be welcome. Keep in mind as well that the strong cold front that blew in last Saturday and is still with us may change the status of some species. Hope this helps.... Harlequin Duck - no recent reports (last reported in Duluth Dec 9) Common Eider - still present at Canal Park in Duluth, at least as of Jan 3; a few wintering N Pintails and a hybrid Com Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser are also here Spruce Grouse - no reports from usual Lake Co sites since Dec 11 Sharp-tailed Grouse - inconsistent sightings at a few locations in Sax-Zim Bog, most notably 9 individuals on Jan 2 at a feeder (!) on CR 29, 2.2 mi N of CR 133 N Goshawk - a few sightings at random locations in Sax-Zim Bog (and elsewhere) gulls - Thayer's and Glaucous still present at Canal Park in Duluth; Iceland (last reported Dec 28) and Great Black-backed (reported Jan 4 & 6 after a 4-week absence) also possible Snowy Owl - only sporadically on the Duluth side of the Duluth-Superior, and best looked for in Superior, WI (along 28th St by the high school, along Hammond Ave S of 28th St by the Middle School, and along Tower Ave from the airport N to 28th St); none apparently reported elsewhere in NE Minn N Hawk Owl - as others have reported, 2 individuals present as of last weekend along Jean Duluth Rd just NE of Duluth: 1 just S of Beyer Rd (4 mi N of Glenwood St), and 1 just N of Kelly J's Sewing (4.3 mi N of Beyer Rd); only recent sighting in Sax-Zim area was last week along Hwy 53, ~3 mi S of CR 133 Great Gray Owl - only recent reports from Sax-Zim, especially along McDavitt Rd (2.5 - 3.5 mi N of Sax Rd) and Admiral Rd (3 - 5 mi N of Sax Rd); hardly any reports elsewhere Boreal Owl - no reports all season (which is normal) Am Three-toed Woodpecker - ditto Black-backed Woodpecker - seen last weekend in Sax-Zim along McDavitt Rd (2.5 - 3.0 mi N of Sax Rd) and Admiral Rd (3.7 mi N of Sax Rd); hardly any reports elsewhere, except 4 on Jan 3 Isabella CBC Peregrine Falcon - sporadically in the Port Terminal area of Duluth, most recently Jan 3 (and no Gyrfalcon reports all season, which is normal) Northern Shrike, Gray Jay, Black-billed Magpie - usual few at random locations in Sax-Zim (and elsewhere, except for magpies) Boreal Chickadee - as in past winters, most consistent at Admiral Rd suet feeders in Sax-Zim (3.9 mi N of Sax Rd), especially if peanut butter is available (OK to bring your own); also a record number (43) on Jan 3 Isabella CBC Townsend's Solitaire and Varied Thrush - no recent reports Bohemian Waxwing - almost non-existent in NE Minn; only recent report from NE of Duluth along W Knife River Rd (from Hwy 61, go 5.5 mi N on Homestead Rd to the T, then ~1 mi W) Snow Bunting - inconsistent along CR 7 in Sax-Zim; few reports elsewhere Golden-crowned Sparrow - still present at 4401 Regent St in Duluth, at least as of Jan 4, and probably most consistent at dawn (~7:30-7:45 am); as others have reported, please watch the feeder from the sidewalk or no closer than the corner of the front porch Pine Grosbeak - only a few reports from random locations, except more common in central Lake Co (~100 on Jan 3 Isabella CBC) Red and White-winged crossbills - even fewer reports from random locations and easily missed Common and Hoary redpolls - good redpoll numbers this winter; recent Hoary sites include Loretta's feeders in Sax-Zim Bog (0.5 mi E of CR 7 on Kelsey-Whiteface Rd), and the waxwing area on W Knife River Rd (see above) Evening Grosbeak - as others have reported, best looked for in Sax-Zim at Mary Jo's feeders on CR 444 (1 mi W & 1/2 mi N of jct of CRs 27 and 5), and the Morse feeders on Blue Spruce Rd (1 mi N from CR 133); few reports elsewhere Kim R Eckert, Duluth http://www.mbwbirds.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
