Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update January 31, 2013
Canada geese, trumpeter swans and mallards can be seen this time of year at open water sites and near power plants along rivers. Check out the various Minnesota Birding Trails and search for the many open water sites along the Great River Birding Trail. Birders will also enjoy spectacular views of bald eagles at certain bald eagle roosting sites along Highway U.S. 61 from Red Wing to Winona that overlook the Mississippi River. And don't miss the Sax-Zim Birding Festival held February 15-18, when birders from across the United States, Canada and other countries converge upon the small town of Meadowlands for this annual winter birding festival. Birders of all levels will enjoy field trips around the Sax-Zim Bog, Aitkin County and the Duluth area in search of winter boreal birds, as well as many speaker presentations and catered homestyle dinners! 218/427-2122
The following information has been provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union and their affiliates. This report is brought to you by ExploreMinnesota.com.
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The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
The Barrow's Goldeneye first found on Christmas Day is still being seen intermittently at the Superior Entry of Park Point in Duluth, although it is often absent.
A Harlequin Duck was reported on January 4th at Lock and Dam Number 4 on the Mississippi River, and it was still there on the 29th. To view this bird, look below the dam east of Kellogg in Wabasha County. Don Paul reported a Great Blue Heron on the 26th at the northeast corner of 84th Street and Normandale Boulevard in Bloomington, Hennepin County.
Two Snowy Owls are being seen in the southwestern corner of Dodge County in the vicinity of 690th Street and 120th Avenue. On the 19th, Kelly Larson found a Northern Hawk Owl along Clearwater County Road 30, three miles west of Shevlin. Another was seen on the 20th by Jim Rataczak in Aitkin County on the east side of State Highway 65, roughly five miles south of McGregor. And a couple of Boreal Owls are being seen along State Highway 61 between downtown Two Harbors and the Split Rock Lighthouse.
On the 25th, Shawn Conrad found two Black-Backed Woodpeckers at Scenic State Park in northeastern Itasca County. Both were foraging at the south end of the spruce bog on the fire tower trail.
Several Carolina Wrens are still being reported from feeding stations around the state. Paul Gunderson of Big Lake Township in Sherburne County has had one at his feeder since November 23rd. And Sharon Wood has had one visiting her Bloomington feeder since the 28th.
Two Townsend's Solitaires are now at the Ann Lake Campground in Sherburne County. Other sightings recently reported include observations of American White Pelican, Pied-Billed Grebe, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Northern Shike, Horned Lark, Spotted Towhee, Harris's Sparrow, Red-Winged Blackbird, Red Crossbill, and White-Winged Crossbill.
Information in this statewide birding report is provided by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU), Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club. To submit a bird sighting, email the MOU birding report compiler at rba@moumn.org.
