I got a photo of a Merlin on Oct. 10 at Lac Qui Parle NWR.
 
Mike
www.picturetrail.com/naturephotos 
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Jeanie Joppru
To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 8:01 PM
Subject: [mou-rba] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Thursday, October 15, 2009

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*October 15, 2009
*MNDL0910.15
-Birds mentioned -Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: October 15, 2009
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru ([log in to unmask])

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, October 15, 2009 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218)847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.

What a strange weather week we have had with all the mixed precipitation: snow, then rain, then freeze, then more snow,rain and who knows what else! It has , however , brought lots of migrant sparrows to the feeders and made birding much more interesting.

Arguably the best sighting this week was a GYRFALCON seen by Keith Corliss 1.5 miles east of the intersection of US 75 and 28th Ave N just east of the Moorhead wastewater treatment ponds and the sugar beet plant.

At Agassiz NWR in Marshall County, Gregg Knutsen found 4 juvenile SURF SCOTERS on the north end of Thief Bay Pool. This area is not in the area open to the public normally, and that road is always a question so I would not recommend anyone trying for those, but the sighting is a heads up to watch for scoters elsewhere in the northwest. Numbers of TUNDRA SWANS on the refuge are peaking, SANDHILL CRANES are increasing, along with the ducks and geese. A lone SNOW GOOSE was seen on the field near Ditch 11 on the east side. Maggie Anderson reported 25-30 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS at the far side of Webster Pool on October 15. Other species at the refuge included GREAT EGRETS, GREAT BLUE HERONS, and HARRIS'S SPARROWS.

Here in Pennington County, Shelley Steva saw 200 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in Thief River Falls on October 10. On the 9th, she saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK in the county. On Sunday, October 11,we did a Big Sit on our deck near Thief River Falls and tallied 32 species in just over 11 hours of birding without leaving the deck. Included were all the usual migrant sparrows except for fox sparrow, a fly by group of TUNDRA SWANS, WOOD DUCKS, five species of woodpecker including RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and PURPLE FINCH.

In Red Lake County on October 9, Shelley Steva saw ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, also a SHORT-EARED OWL one mile east of Plummer. On October 8, she observed 6 GRAY PARTRIDGE two miles north of Oklee.

Sandy Aubol in East Grand Forks,Polk County, reported EASTERN PHOEBE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER at her place, and on the 13th she saw a FOX SPARROW.

Dennis Weisenborn reported a late LEAST FLYCATCHER in his yard in Moorhead, Clay County on October 13.

From Becker County, Don Barton reported a BALD EAGLE at Detroit Lake, and TRUMPETER SWANS at Tamarac NWR. Dave and Betty Hochhalter observed RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN CARDINAL, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at their home in Detroit Lakes this week.

Alma Ronningen in Dent, Otter Tail County , reported CEDAR WAXWINGS, EASTERN TOWHEE, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, HARRIS'S SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, and DARK-EYED JUNCO on October 15.

Dave and Betty Hochhalter reported RING-NECKED PHEASANT, WILD TURKEY, RED-TAILED HAWK, and GREAT HORNED OWL among others near Alexandria, Douglas County,this week.

Thanks to Alma Ronningen, Dave and Betty Hochhalter, Dennis Weisenborn, Don Barton, Gregg Knutsen, Keith Corliss, Maggie Anderson, Mark Otnes, Sandy Aubol, and Shelley Steva for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at [log in to unmask] OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took place. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, October 22, 2009.

Jeanie Joppru Pennington County, MN