-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *December 24, 2009 *MNDU0912.24 -Birds mentioned Long-tailed Duck Barrow's Goldeneye Spruce Grouse Horned Grebe Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Snowy Owl Northern Hawk Owl Great Gray Owl Boreal Owl Black-backed Woodpecker Boreal Chickadee Varied Thrush Brown Thrasher Chipping Sparrow Fox Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Black-headed Grosbeak -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore Date: December 24, 2009 Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) Reports: (218) 834-2858 Compiler: Jim Lind ([log in to unmask]) This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, December 24th, 2009 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. A BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK was found by Pat Thomas on the 18th at her feeders at 6219 East Superior Street, and the bird has been seen daily though at least the 24th. Birders are welcome to look for the bird, but are asked to limit the number of visitors to five at a time and to stay between the driveway and the back door while looking for the bird. The male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE last seen in Duluth about a month ago was relocated by Peder Svingen during the Duluth CBC on the 19th on Lake Superior at Leif Erickson Park. Other highlights from the count included three ICELAND GULLS, three THAYER’S GULLS, eight GLAUCOUS GULLS, and two GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS at Canal Park, a SNOWY OWL the Port Terminal, a VARIED THRUSH at 3920 Rehbein Road (CR 242), and late-lingering CHIPPING SPARROW and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. Highlights from the Two Harbors CBC on the 20th included a LONG-TAILED DUCK at Burlington Bay, ten HORNED GREBES at the Stewart River, a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER at Stony Point and another along the Airport Road, and late-lingering BROWN THRASHER, CHIPPING SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. A BOREAL OWL was seen on the Sax-Zim CBC on the 21st on Owl Avenue (CR 202), 0.5 mile north of the South Overton Road (CR 980). A NORTHERN HAWK OWL was seen along CR 133, 1.5 miles east of CR 7, and BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were found along the Nichols Lake Road, 1.4 miles west of US Highway 53. Two GREAT GRAY OWLS continue to be seen by several observers in Aitkin County as recently as the 22nd along CR 18 near the Pietz's Road (320th Place). As many as three NORTHERN HAWK OWLS have also been seen along CR 18. Steve and Jo Blanich reported a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on the 20th about ten miles south of Aitkin near the intersection of US Highway 169 and 250th Lane. They also saw single NORTHERN HAWK OWLS north of Aitkin along CR 1 at the diversion ditch and 0.25 mile north of the end of the pavement, and north of Palisade along CR 5, five miles north of town and 0.7 mile south of CR 232. In Lake County on the 18th, Dave Benson and others found a GREAT GRAY OWL along CR 2 a mile south of the northernmost railroad crossing, a NORTHERN HAWK OWL at the junction of CR 2 and MN Highway 1, a SPRUCE GROUSE along CR 2 about 1.5 miles north of Greenwood Lake, and four BOREAL CHICKADEES on the Spruce Road at Endless Waters Road, about 0.2 mile east of MN Highway 1. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, December 31st. 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.