-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *December 23, 2008 *MNDU0812.23 -Birds mentioned Harlequin Duck Long-tailed Duck Sharp-tailed Grouse Red-necked Grebe Cooper's Hawk Peregrine Falcon Thayer's Gull Glaucous Gull Snowy Owl Northern Hawk Owl Great Gray Owl American Three-toed Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker Boreal Chickadee American Robin Varied Thrush Cedar Waxwing Golden-crowned Sparrow Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll Evening Grosbeak -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore Date: December 23, 2008 Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) Reports: (218) 834-2858 Compiler: Jim Lind ([log in to unmask]) This is the Duluth Birding Report for Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. A total of 57 species was found by about 50 participants on the Duluth Christmas Bird Count on the 20th. A GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW was seen on count day at 21 East College Street, although it has not been seen since early on the 21st. Other species of interest included a female-plumaged HARLEQUIN DUCK at the mouth of the French River, 11 LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Brighton Beach, COOPER'S HAWK, two PEREGRINE FALCONS, THAYER’S GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, and three SNOWY OWLS in the Duluth harbor, a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER along Norwood Street, a BOREAL CHICKADEE on the 2700 block of Greysolon Road, and a VARIED THRUSH at Charlotte Street and Eileen Avenue near the UMD campus. Record-high numbers of AMERICAN ROBINS, CEDAR WAXWINGS, and COMMON REDPOLLS were also seen on count day. The Two Harbors CBC on the 21st turned up 39 species including two RED-NECKED GREBES near Knife River and THAYER'S GULL and GLAUCOUS GULL at Two Harbors. Howard Weinberg has had an AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER and BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS in recent weeks at his home 487 Valley Road (CR 11), about three miles west of Two Harbors. Participants on the Sax-Zim CBC found a record-high 35 species on the 22nd. Four GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen at one time along the Sax Road (CR 28), 0.2 mile east of Stickney Road (CR 207). One was seen along the Nichols Lake Road (CR 232), 1.6 miles east of CR 7, and another was along the McDavitt Road (CR 213), 4.2 miles north of the Sax Road. Three NORTHERN HAWK OWLS were seen along the Sax Road between CR 7 and the Stickney Road, and another was seen along the McDavitt Road about 3 miles north of the Sax Road. Nine SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were found at CR 7 and Sax Road, and another was seen at Correction Line Road and CR 29. An AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER and a BOREAL CHICKADEE were seen along the McDavitt Road, 3.5 miles south of the Zim Road. Two BOREAL CHICKADEES and a HOARY REDPOLLS were seen at the “deer-rib feeding station” along the Admiral Road (CR 788) north of the Sax Road. Two other HOARY REDPOLLS were seen with flocks of COMMON REDPOLLS along McDavitt Road and along the Poplar Road away from feeders. EVENING GROSBEAKS were seen at the Morse feeding station along the Blue Spruce Road (CR 211), one mile north of CR 133, at the Abramson's feeding station on the Little White Face River Road north of CR 133, and at the intersection of the Dart Road and North Dart Road. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, January 1st. The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-2858. Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded message. 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, either write us c/o the Bell Museum, e-mail us at [log in to unmask], or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org.