-RBA *Minnesota *Detroit Lakes *March 31, 2016 *MNDL1603.31 -Birds mentioned Wood Duck Hooded Merganser Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Snowy Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Merlin Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet American Robin Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch Common Redpoll -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes Date: March 31, 2016 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, March 31, 2016 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. This has been a fine spring week in the northwest, but we are getting the inevitable cool down tonight. Hopefully, it won't last long. Many species are back already, and the mix has changed greatly. Now the common redpolls are mostly gone, replaced by dark-eyed juncos, and the blackbirds and grackles are coming in more and more every day. Killdeer are heard commonly now, and horned larks are paired off and starting to sing. In Lake of the Woods County, Beth Siverhus this week saw several BALD EAGLES, one GOLDEN EAGLE, and three ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. Two SNOWY OWLS were reported by Jake Boyd on the shore of Lake of the Woods this week, straight north of Roosevelt. I am not sure which county they were in. In Roseau County, Beth Siverhus reported BALD EAGLE, MERLIN, RING-BILLED GULL, KILLDEER , DARK-EYED JUNCOS, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and PURPLE FINCH. COMMON REDPOLLS are still in Roseau County in large numbers. Here in Pennington County, I can report that most of the COMMON REDPOLLS have moved on. WOOD DUCKS and HOODED MERGANSERS are being seen along the rivers. Larger numbers of AMERICAN ROBINS have arrived, and are beginning to sing in the mornings. Some RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS have arrived this week. A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER pair is nesting in a tree beside our deck. Sandy Aubol in Polk County reported RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, BROWN CREEPER, FOX SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, and DARK-EYED JUNCO along the Red River in East Grand Forks on March 29. TURKEY VULTURE and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD were reported in Becker County by Heather Hundt on March 25. On March 24, Benjamin Eckhoff also saw a TURKEY VULTURE in Douglas County. Thanks to all who sent in their sightings this week. 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, April 7, 2016.