-RBA *Minnesota *Detroit Lakes *January 3, 2015 *MNDL1501.03 -Birds mentioned Ruffed Grouse Sharp-tailed Grouse Northern Goshawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Snowy Owl Barred Owl Great Gray Owl Northern Shrike Gray Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven Boreal Chickadee Golden-crowned Kinglet Snow Bunting White-throated Sparrow Red Crossbill White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes Date: January 3, 2015 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 Sunday, January 4, 2015 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. After a brown Christmas, the white has certainly come to the northland now. Up to 10 inches of the white stuff on us was dumped on us during the past 24 hours . The temperatures are plummeting as well, so there is no doubt about which season it is. Three Christmas bird counts were held in the northern counties of Roseau and Lake of the Woods this weekend. Twenty-three species were counted on the Beltrami-Island count on January 1, including RUFFED GROUSE, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, two GREAT GRAY OWLS, 2 BARRED OWLS, GRAY JAYS, 15 BOREAL CHICKADEES, RED-BREASTED NUTNATCH, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, COMMON REDPOLLS, HOARY REDPOLL, RED CROSSBILL, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. There are no farms or feeders in that count circle. 31 species were tallied on the Baudette count including SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, many COMMON RAVENS and AMERICAN CROWS, NORTHERN SHRIKE , and both grosbeaks, but no house sparrows. Very few raptors were noted. I have not heard how the Roseau CBC went today, as I came home due to the high winds, and heavy snow already fallen. In Roseau county, Beth Siverhus reported a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW in her yard in Warroad on December 29. Two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were reported in Marshall County – a dark phase one on December 28 seen by Beth Siverhus, and one seen by Gary Tischer along US 59 three miles south of Newfolden on December 31. Several flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS were seen along MN 32 this morning. Sandy Aubol observed a GOLDEN EAGLE near the intersection of Polk county roads 23 and 20 on December 28. She also saw 5 SNOWY OWLS in Polk County that day. Blaine Hansel saw a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE northeast of Ashby near Lake Christina on December 28. 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, January 8, 2015.