-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*December 15, 2011
*MNDL1112.15

-Birds mentioned
Ring-necked Pheasant
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Great Horned Owl
Snowy Owl
Short-eared Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Shrike
Black-billed Magpie
Brown Creeper
Varied Thrush
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: December 15, 2011
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, December
15, 2011 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.

Here in the northwestern part of the state, we await the first
measurable snowfall that will stay. Folks with perennials and folks with
snow "toys" are eagerly awaiting that time. So far we have only seen
flurries once in a while.

Ron Erpelding and Herb Dingmann made another swing through the northern
counties last weekend and reported a SHORT-EARED OWL flying from Otter
Tail into Grant County along Otter Tail CR 26 on December 9.

In Wilkin County on December 9. they reported NORTHERN HARRIER,
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and GREAT HORNED OWL .

Marshall Howe found 350 SNOW BUNTINGS in central Hubbard County between
Dorset and Nevis on December 12. Among them were 30 LAPLAND LONGSPURS.
On December 14 , he saw a NORTHERN SHRIKE on MN 71 at Lake Alice west of
Lake George.

Ron Erpelding and Herb Dingmann observed a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and COMMON
REDPOLLS at Tamarac NWR in Becker County on December 8, and reported
that the VARIED THRUSH seen earlier is still there.

In Clay County they saw a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at the feeders of Bob
O'Connor in Moorhead on December 9. PINE SISKINS and COMMON REDPOLLS
were at the Moorhead State Science Center near Buffalo River SP.

Their Norman County sightings included RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and BROWN
CREEPER at the Hendrum county park.

Mahnomen County sightings this week were RING-NECKED PHEASANT, GREATER
PRAIRIE-CHICKEN and NORTHERN SHRIKE.

In Polk County, Ron Erpelding and Herb Dingmann found two SNOWY OWLS ,
both along 290th St NW west of MN 32 and south of US 2. Sandy Aubol
reports tonight that the EASTERN TOWHEE, HARRIS'S SPARROW, and
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW are still coming to her feeders. A GREAT HORNED
OWL also visited her neighborhood in East Grand Forks. Herb and Ron also
found LAPLAND LONGSPURS and SNOW BUNTINGS in the area where the snowy
owls were seen. Heidi Hughes found a GOLDEN EAGLE at 190St NW between CR
68 and MN 1 on December 10. Eight ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were also seen
along 190th St NW.

An AMERICAN KESTREL , RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, and
BREWER'S BLACKBIRD were seen in Red Lake County on December 9.

Here in Pennington County, I saw a mature BALD EAGLE soaring over the
fields east of Thief River Falls one morning this week.

Thanks to Heidi Hughes, Herb Dingmann , Ron Erpelding, Marshall Howe,
and Sandy Aubol 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, December
22, 2011



Jeanie Joppru
Pennington County, MN