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20 Nov Ibis/Otter Tail Co [Dan & Sandy Thimgan ] 20 Nov Ibis/Otter Tail Co [Dan & Sandy Thimgan ] 20 Nov Gulls on Lake Detroit [Beau Shroyer ] 20 Nov Mute Swan [Robin LaFortune ] 20 Nov American Three-toed Woodpecker, Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owls - Koochiching County [Cameron Rutt ] 20 Nov Lesser Black-backed Gull/Canal Park Duluth [sparky stensaas ] 19 Nov [mou-rba] Duluth RBA 11/19/09 [Jim Lind ] 19 Nov [mou-rba] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Thursday, November 19, 2009 [Jeanie Joppru ] 19 Nov Re: mallard? [Gail Wieberdink ] 19 Nov Re: mallard? [Andrew Longtin ] 19 Nov Re: Bohemian Waxwings and pine grosbeaks [Bill Tefft ] 19 Nov mallard? [Gail Wieberdink ] 19 Nov Bohemian Waxwings and pine grosbeaks [Bill Tefft ] 19 Nov Lake Byllesby Today [] 19 Nov [mou-rba] MOU RBA 19 November 2009 [Anthony Hertzel ] 19 Nov boreal chickadees, gunflint trail, cook co. [Kate Kelnberger ] 19 Nov Shrike at Kilen Woods SP entrance [Eric Harrold ] 18 Nov Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian [Julian Sellers ] 18 Nov Grand Rapids Red-headed Woodpecker [Shawn Conrad ] 18 Nov Thoughts on N Hawk Owl and Gray Jay interaction [Chad Heins ] 18 Nov Shorebird news (long) [] 18 Nov Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... [Laura Erickson ] 18 Nov Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... [Terence Brashear ] 18 Nov Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... [Laura Erickson ] 18 Nov MRVAC auction fund raiser this Thursday ["Steve Weston" ] 18 Nov MRVAC auction fund raiser this Thursday [Steve Weston ] 18 Nov next Birds and Beer in Mpls this Thursday Nov 09 6:00pm [gordon andersson ] 18 Nov Canal Park/Park Point sightings (Duluth, MN) [Erik Bruhnke ] 17 Nov Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... [Rick Hoyme ] 17 Nov Observations of a Hawk Owl... [] 17 Nov Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian [Larry Sirvio ] 17 Nov Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian [Steve Roman ] 17 Nov White-crowned Sparrow lecture [dan&erika ] 17 Nov White-crowned Sparrow lecture ["dan&erika" ] 17 Nov Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian [Jonathon Jongsma ] 17 Nov remove from list [sbme ] 17 Nov Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian [Laura Erickson ] 17 Nov Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian [Jeff Stephenson ] 17 Nov Barrow's Goldeneye, Park Point, Duluth [] 17 Nov photos [Erik Bruhnke ] 16 Nov LBJs on the CBC, RSVP ASAP [Carl Greiner ] 16 Nov Superior Entry Gulls and a fox! [Erik Bruhnke ] 16 Nov Lake Osakis - Black and WW Scoter, No Pacific Loon [Herb Dingmann ] 16 Nov Brownsville Tundra Swan trip [Thomas Maiello ] 16 Nov Brownsville Tundra Swan trip [Thomas Maiello ] 16 Nov Mute Swan - Hennepin Co [Howard Towle ] 16 Nov Cave Swallow behavior in cold weather [] 15 Nov N Hawk Owl in Aitkin County [] 15 Nov N Hawk Owl in Aitkin County [Linda Sparling ] 15 Nov Re: Pacific Loon-Osakis [Dennis and Barbara Martin ] 15 Nov St. Louis County - Northern Hawk Owl [Shawn Conrad ] 15 Nov Minnesotas CBC dates [Andrew Longtin ] 15 Nov Evening Grosbeaks [Eileen Schantz-Hansen ] 15 Nov Evening Grosbeak pair Prescott, WI--15 Nov. [judith sparrow ] 15 Nov Carver County Short-eared Owl [John Cyrus ] 15 Nov There is a N Shrike at Wood Lake. I saw it near the marsh boardwalk around noon Sat- Warren Woessner nnto [Warren Woessner ] 15 Nov list [Pete ] 15 Nov Sherburne County ["Pastor Al Schirmacher" ] 15 Nov Sherburne County [Pastor Al Schirmacher ] 15 Nov Re: Swallow sp [Stevan Hawkins ] 14 Nov Chisago Co. Cattle Egret still present [] 14 Nov Chisago Co. Cattle Egret still present [Linda Sparling ] 14 Nov Pine County: Black Scoter [Douglas Mayo ] 14 Nov Swallow sp & WI Pt. Gulls [Michael Hendrickson ] 14 Nov Cattle Egret in Chisago County [] 14 Nov Cattle Egret in Chisago County [Linda Sparling ] 14 Nov Pacific Loon-Osakis [Milton Blomberg ] 14 Nov Fwd: California Gull lake Fremont [Nathan Schirmacher ] 14 Nov E Screech Owl, not present, Minnetonka, MN [George B Skinner ] 14 Nov Please subscribe me [tinkermn ] 14 Nov new list [Donald Jones ] 14 Nov mou-net has moved ["mou AT moumn.org" ] 14 Nov California Gull lake Fremont [Nathan Schirmacher ] 14 Nov California Gull lake Fremont [Nathan Schirmacher ] 13 Nov 2010 Sax Zim Winter Bird Festival [Michael Hendrickson ] 14 Nov Slaty-backed Gull photos [Erik Bruhnke ] Subject: Ibis/Otter Tail Co From: Dan & Sandy Thimgan <thimgan AT DIGITALJAM.COM> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:59:42 -0600 Thanks to a tip from Steve Millard, we observed an Ibis species at 3:00 this afternoon (11/20) south of the town of Fergus Falls in Western Township (in the extreme southwest corner of the county). Even with scopes, the bird was simply too distant for us to determine anything about it except its Ibis-ness. We could in no way discern eye color. Steve, on the other hand, has been able to observe the bird from close quarters on a couple of occasions this week. Although the default species would be White-faced Ibis, he believes the possibility of it being a Glossy Ibis at least needs to be seriously considered. He predicts (with the nice weather) that the bird may stick around through the weekend. The location: go south-southwest of Fergus Falls on Hwy 15 until it crosses CR 112 (or 140th Street); turn right and go west for one mile, then turn left (south) on 135th Ave. On the right (west) side of the road there is appropriate habitat the next quarter mile or so. At this location, we also saws swans, several duck species, and a vocal Wilson's Snipe. Bird on! Dan & Sandy -- Thimgans Battle Lake MN Otter Tail County ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Ibis/Otter Tail Co From: Dan & Sandy Thimgan <thimgan AT DIGITALJAM.COM> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:59:42 -0600 Thanks to a tip from Steve Millard, we observed an Ibis species at 3:00 this afternoon (11/20) south of the town of Fergus Falls in Western Township (in the extreme southwest corner of the county). Even with scopes, the bird was simply too distant for us to determine anything about it except its Ibis-ness. We could in no way discern eye color. Steve, on the other hand, has been able to observe the bird from close quarters on a couple of occasions this week. Although the default species would be White-faced Ibis, he believes the possibility of it being a Glossy Ibis at least needs to be seriously considered. He predicts (with the nice weather) that the bird may stick around through the weekend. The location: go south-southwest of Fergus Falls on Hwy 15 until it crosses CR 112 (or 140th Street); turn right and go west for one mile, then turn left (south) on 135th Ave. On the right (west) side of the road there is appropriate habitat the next quarter mile or so. At this location, we also saws swans, several duck species, and a vocal Wilson's Snipe. Bird on! Dan & Sandy -- Thimgans Battle Lake MN Otter Tail County _______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: Gulls on Lake Detroit From: Beau Shroyer <beaunshroyerduckbuster AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:41:39 -0600 Saw one adult Herring gull, 11 bonaparte's gulls and dozens of Ring-billed gulls on Lake Detroit today. There was one flying 200 yards out that immediately caught my eye. It was small (bonaparte's or forster's tern size) and had very dark wings. It had a very shallow wing beat, almost not flapping. I got binoculars on it for about two seconds before it flew out of sight behind a point. It had a black leading edge on the wings and light behind. I didn't notice if it had a dark trailing edge. My initial thought was Black Tern based on size, color and the way it flew. I haven't seen one since summer. Is this too late? The immiture black kittiwake in Sibley's guide looks similar, but I have no idea how they fly. Is this possible? Anybody in the area birding keep a watchful eye. It was much darker than the bonaparte's IMO. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the lake stays unfrozen until the CBC on Dec. 19? Also on the lake were a handful of each; common goldeneyes, redheads, mallards. One brown creeper along the shore. _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: I wanted simpler, now it's simpler. I'm a rock star. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?h=myidea?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_myidea:112009 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Mute Swan From: Robin LaFortune <fortune AT FRONTIERNET.NET> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:33:54 -0600 Hi, Although I checked a couple of times earlier this week, I did not find the Mute swan reported by Howard Towle until today. The swan was present again at the swan impoundment at Lake Rebecca PR along with 20+ Trumpeters, Canada geese and a few Cackling geese. It was rather quiet out otherwise, but a scrumptious day to be out- Robin LaFortune Delano ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: American Three-toed Woodpecker, Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owls - Koochiching County From: Cameron Rutt <cameronrutt AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:56:40 -0600 Sarah Glesner and I toured a fair amount of Koochiching real estate yesterday (11/19). The single, most productive patch of habitat was along the eastern portion of Twomey-Williams Forest Road, within the first mile north of County Road 30. A short, midday walk yielded a Northern Hawk Owl, a male American Three-toed Woodpecker, 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers, and all but one of the 7 Boreal Chickadees tallied for the day. The Great Gray Owl - among our last birds for the day (4:10 PM) - was along Pine Island Road, a very short distance north of the western end of County Road 30. The other Northern Hawk Owl was somewhere in the middle of Big Falls and Highway 65, alongside a fairly expansive bog on County Road 31. We watched this individual for some time in the morning sun, as a pair of Gray Jays and a single Blue Jay also investigated this treetop bird. Singles of both species cautiously worked their way up through the interior of the tamarack, until within striking distance, although neither did anything except fuss. The Northern Hawk Owl could be seen, and barely heard, making some squeaky groans, apparently provoked by the Gray Jays' presence. A small flock or two of Common Redpolls occasionally swirled overhead, not appearing nearly as bothersome as the jays. Other highlights from our day spent within county borders (Twomey-Williams Forest Road, Pine Island Road, 30, 13, 31, and 65) include: Gray Jay - 34 Brown Creeper - 1 Snow Bunting - 17 Pine Grosbeak - 46 Red Crossbill - 26 White-winged Crossbill - 12 Common Redpoll - 155 Evening Grosbeak - 9 The previous day (11/18), we wound our way through Sax-Zim Bog, St. Louis County. Among three other birding groups that we bumped into, we only heard of 2 Northern Hawk Owl sightings all day (both reported on the most recent Duluth RBA, per David Alexander and Frank Nicoletti). Our highlights follow: Northern Harrier - 1 male Rough-legged Hawk - 7 Gray Jay - 20 Black-billed Magpie - 2 (Correction Line Road and County Road 201) Boreal Chickadee - 1 (northern reaches of Owl Avenue) Pine Grosbeak - 10 and a Porcupine Good Birding, Cameron Rutt Duluth, St. Louis County ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Lesser Black-backed Gull/Canal Park Duluth From: sparky stensaas <sparkystensaas AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:54:37 +0000 Thursday November 19Canal Park, DuluthThe beautiful adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the far breakwall at Canal Park this evening at 4:15 pm (sorry Shawn).Photos at http://www.photoshelter.com/c/sparkyphotos/gallery-img-show/gulls-terns-jaegers/G000043Nc0OdqHMA/?P_ID=P0000TeZ.UIeD2Dw&_bqG=56&_bqH=eJwriHLxMjFyrzRyrSjxNSwtL84zCi6vyE9Jdo60MjW3MjQwsLJyj_d0sXU3AAITY79kA_.UQg9fR7UAkGgASDQkNUov1DPVxcilXM3dM97d0cfHNSgSmyYAGqIfzA--&I_ID=I0000mpWhr93bk.I Sparky Stensaas 2515 Garthus Road Wrenshall, MN 55797 218.341.3350 cell sparkystensaas AT hotmail.com www.sparkyphotos.com www.stoneridgepress.com www.kollathstensaas.com _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: [mou-rba] Duluth RBA 11/19/09 From: Jim Lind <rba AT MOUMN.ORG> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:06:00 -0700 -RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *November 19, 2009 *MNDU0911.19 -Birds mentioned Barrow's Goldeneye Red-throated Loon Broad-winged Hawk Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Slaty-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Northern Hawk Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Northern Parula Yellow-rumped Warbler -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore Date: November 19, 2009 Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) Reports: (218) 834-2858 Compiler: Jim Lind (jslind AT frontiernet.net) This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, November 19th, 2009 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. A BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was found by Peder Svingen on the 17th near the Park Point Recreation Area boat launch. Peder saw a RED-THROATED LOON on the 19th near the Sky Harbor Airport at Park Point, as well as two adult GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and a second-cycle THAYER’S GULL at Canal Park. A CAVE SWALLOW was reported by Nick Anich on the 14th along Moccasin Mike Road near the intersection of Wisconsin Point Road. GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, ICELAND GULLS, GLAUCOUS GULLS, and THAYER'S GULLS continue to be reported by several observers at the Superior Entry. The SLATY-BACKED GULL was seen by Erik Bruhnke and others on the 13th on the Minnesota side of the entry. Karl Bardon saw a record late BROAD-WINGED HAWK at Hawk Ridge on the 15th. Cameron Rutt and Sarah Glesner saw an “Audubon's” YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and a late NORTHERN PARULA on the 12th along Skiff Landing Road in Knife River. They also saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL along Lake County Road 2 just north of the railroad tracks about 20 miles north of Two Harbors, and another along the Whyte Road, 4.7 miles east of the Stony River Forest Road. David Alexander saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on the 19th along Forest Highway 11, 0.8 mile east of the Stony River Forest Road, and another bird 10 miles west of the Stony River Forest Road. He also saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL in the Sax-Zim Bog along CR 7 just south of Burns Greenhouse, and another along a snowmobile trail 2.4 miles south of Toivola. Linda Sparling found a NORTHERN HAWK OWL in Aitkin County on the 15th along CR 1 where the asphalt ends. Shawn Conrad saw one on the 15th along US Highway 2, three miles west of St. Louis County Road 31. Shawn also reported a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in Itasca County on Old Horseshoe Lake Road on the southwest side of Grand Rapids. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, November 26th. 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 mou AT moumn.org, or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: [mou-rba] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Thursday, November 19, 2009 From: Jeanie Joppru <rba AT MOUMN.ORG> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:47:57 -0700 -RBA *Minnesota *Detroit Lakes *November 19, 2009 *MNDL0911.19 -Birds mentioned Trumpeter Swan Merlin Northern Shrike Gray Jay Brown Creeper American Tree Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes Date: November 19, 2009 Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours) Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru AT q.com) This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, November 19, 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 wonderful mild week it has been in the northwest, and the sun has been shining most days too! Get out and enjoy the respite before the real Minnesota weather arrives. From Otter Tail County, Brad and Dee Ehlers reported a NORTHERN SHRIKE seen five miles south of Ottertail on November 11. Alma Ronningen reported seven TRUMPETER SWANS that hang out on a pond near Dent. At her feeder in Dent on November 19 were a BROWN CREEPER, AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, and DARK-EYED JUNCOS. Polk County sightings at the home of Sandy Aubol in East Grand Forks included MERLIN, NORTHERN SHRIKE, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS on November 12. From Agassiz NWR in Marshall County comes a report of a GRAY JAY seen by John Braastad on November 19 on the Maakstad Trail. Beth Siverhus reported a female NORTHERN CARDINAL at the home of Carol Parker in Warroad on November 18. Thanks to Alma Ronningen, Brad and Dee Ehlers, Beth Siverhus, John Braastad, Maggie Anderson, and Sandy Aubol for their reports. Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru AT q.com 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 Friday, November 27, 2009. Jeanie Joppru Pennington County, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: mallard? From: Gail Wieberdink <wieber64 AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:31:52 +0000 It is almost unanimous that this is a female Northern Pintail. Thank you to everyone who took the time to look and send a suggestion. In the number of years that we have been monitoring Lake Vadnais, we have only seen a Northern Pintail (male) on one other occasion so pintail did not occur to me. That one hung around for several weeks, I hope this one does, too! Thanks again, everyone. You are a great group. Gail ----- "Gail Wieberdink" wrote: | Saw a duck on Lake Vadnais this morning that doesn't quite look right for a female mallard. It was swimming in the vicinity of some mallards but off by itself. It appeared slightly smaller to me. It had an all black bill and the markings looked slightly different as well. Could this be a hybrid of some sort? I've posted a couple photos of it and included a mallard photo from the same general area. | | | http://www.flickr.com/photos/gailw/4118376774/in/photostream/ | | | There are hundreds of ring-necks on Vadnais plus more and more hooded mergansers. There are still good numbers of goldeneye and we saw at least 3 canvas backs. Did not see any red heads today but did see a couple yesterday along the south side of the lake along Vadnais Blvd. No swans today. | | | Would like to hear what folks have to say on the "odd duck." | | | Gail | | ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: mallard? From: Andrew Longtin <Birderguy AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:32:14 -0600 Gail, It's an adult female Northern Pintail.. Andrew I'm currently looking for my next career.. Please see http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlongtin I welcome advice, suggestions, and an opportunity to network.. Thanks.. -- Andrew Longtin Corcoran (Hennepin Co.) Minnesota See my WEB pages at: www.birderguy.com Email: Birderguy AT comcast.net Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Supporter http://www.hawkridge.org Minnesota Ornithologists' Union Member http://www.moumn.org Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) Member http://www.hmana.org Cornell Lab Member (PFW) http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Gail Wieberdink Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:16 PM To: MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] mallard? Saw a duck on Lake Vadnais this morning that doesn't quite look right for a female mallard. It was swimming in the vicinity of some mallards but off by itself. It appeared slightly smaller to me. It had an all black bill and the markings looked slightly different as well. Could this be a hybrid of some sort? I've posted a couple photos of it and included a mallard photo from the same general area. http://www.flickr.com/photos/gailw/4118376774/in/photostream/ There are hundreds of ring-necks on Vadnais plus more and more hooded mergansers. There are still good numbers of goldeneye and we saw at least 3 canvas backs. Did not see any red heads today but did see a couple yesterday along the south side of the lake along Vadnais Blvd. No swans today. Would like to hear what folks have to say on the "odd duck." Gail ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Bohemian Waxwings and pine grosbeaks From: Bill Tefft <efnbill AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:29:32 -0600 Sorry for the report from the anonymous location. The Bohemian waxwings are in Ely, MN. We have a lot of mountain ash and crab apple fruit in town that may hold them here this winter. Bill Tefft On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 3:23 PM, wrote: > Where are you??? > > > On Nov 19 2009, Bill Tefft wrote: > > Last night I heard reports of Bohemian Waxwings and this morning I saw my >> first flock in November - about 60 birds. Pine grosbeaks have also >> arrived >> in the area in small numbers. >> >> Bill Tefft >> >> ---- >> Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >> Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >> >> > -- > Marilyn S. Joseph, MD > Assistant Professor > Department of OB,Gyn and Women's Health > Associate Medical Director > Boynton Health Service > University of Minnesota > > ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: mallard? From: Gail Wieberdink <wieber64 AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:16:20 +0000 Saw a duck on Lake Vadnais this morning that doesn't quite look right for a female mallard. It was swimming in the vicinity of some mallards but off by itself. It appeared slightly smaller to me. It had an all black bill and the markings looked slightly different as well. Could this be a hybrid of some sort? I've posted a couple photos of it and included a mallard photo from the same general area. http://www.flickr.com/photos/gailw/4118376774/in/photostream/ There are hundreds of ring-necks on Vadnais plus more and more hooded mergansers. There are still good numbers of goldeneye and we saw at least 3 canvas backs. Did not see any red heads today but did see a couple yesterday along the south side of the lake along Vadnais Blvd. No swans today. Would like to hear what folks have to say on the "odd duck." Gail ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Bohemian Waxwings and pine grosbeaks From: Bill Tefft <efnbill AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:49:53 -0600 Last night I heard reports of Bohemian Waxwings and this morning I saw my first flock in November - about 60 birds. Pine grosbeaks have also arrived in the area in small numbers. Bill Tefft ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Lake Byllesby Today From: drewbec AT AOL.COM Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:32:20 -0500 This morning things were pretty quiet at Lake Byllesby. There were 2 Common Loons and a few distant waterfowl. Manuevering around the lake to various viewing locales, I was finally able to ID the birds. Interesting to me (among a few Mallards) were a Ring-necked Duck, a Red-breasted Merganser (unusual here in Fall), and a female Long-tailed Duck (LTDU). This is the first time ever that I have encountered this species (LTDU) at Lake Byllesby, even though all 3 scoters have been infrequently found here over the years. Unidentified were 4 additional birds still too distant to see well. Lots of passerine activity as well, but nothing out of the ordinary. Drew Smith Eagan, Dakota County ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: [mou-rba] MOU RBA 19 November 2009 From: Anthony Hertzel <rba AT MOUMN.ORG> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:29:30 -0700 -RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *November 19, 2009 *MNST0911.19 -Birds mentioned Mute Swan Tundra Swan Harlequin Duck White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Barrow's Goldeneye Pacific Loon Cattle Egret Northern Hawk Owl Townsend's Solitaire -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota Statewide Date: November 19, 2009 Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://moumn.org Reports: (763) 780-8890 Compiler: Anthony Hertzel (rba AT moumn.org) This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, November 19th 2009. On the 17th, a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was in the Duluth harbor near the boat ramp at the Recreation Area of Park Point. In Hennepin County, a MUTE SWAN was found at Lake Rebecca Park Reserve on the 15th. It was in an impoundment area just west of the lake. In Houston County, as many as 12,000 TUNDRA SWANS can be seen at Pool #8 south of La Crosse. On the 15th, two HARLEQUIN DUCKS were on Lake Osakis in Todd County, on the east side of the lake where highway 27 turns southwest. A PACIFIC LOON and two WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were there on the 14th. A pair of BLACK SCOTERS was on the west side of Grindstone Lake in Pine County on the 14th. In Chisago County, a late CATTLE EGRET was just north of the Washington County line on the 14th along 240th Street just east of county road 3. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL was found in Aitkin County on November 15th. It was north of the town of Aitkin on county road 1 where the asphalt ends. Another was seen on the same day along U.S. Highway 2, three miles west of St. Louis County Road 31. And two TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES were still at the Ann Lake campground in Sherburne NWR on the 15th. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, November 26th 2009. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: boreal chickadees, gunflint trail, cook co. From: Kate Kelnberger <kkelnberger AT BOREAL.ORG> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:04:10 -0600 yesterday afternoon I found a pair of boreal chickadees just off the Lima Grade on a trail by a gravel pit. The gravel pit is restricted but we walked in and found the trail. There is a bog nearby and a mix of jack pine, spruce, and other pines. -- Boreal Access Web Mailer ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Shrike at Kilen Woods SP entrance From: Eric Harrold <gentilis03 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:01:43 -0800 My question is which is it likely to be, a Loggerhead or Northern, given the time of year.   Eric Harrold Windom, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian From: Julian Sellers <juliansellers AT MSN.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:47:32 -0600 Today I came across the following on page 27 of Scott Weidensaul's "Of a Feather", where the author is describing the pioneering work of the Englishman Mark Catesby. Catesby published his "The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands" beginning in 1729 and ending in 1743, and he died in 1749 or 1750. Quoting Weidensaul: "Perhaps his most lasting contribution to American ornithology was the names he gave to the birds he described, many of which have come down to us today unchanged, or with a few grammatical tweaks: blew jay, red-headed and hairy wood-peckers, blew gross-beak, and hooping crane, as well as Canada goose, blue-winged teal, laughing gull, and purple finch." A couple of pages later, Weidensaul describes how Linnaeus imposed his sytem of nomenclature on "more than twelve thousand plants and animals, including seventy-five birds Catesby had originally described and named from North America." Weidensaul does not mention Catesby ever traveling north of the Carolinas, nor does he address whether Catesby a) knew that the Canada Goose was associated with that country, or b) was a friend of the taxidermist (or both). Julian On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:39:42 -0500, Laura Erickson wrote: >The Canada Goose was named by Linnaeus in 1758, and gets its name from its >breeding range. > >It is of course perfectly acceptable and correct to call one a "Canadian >goose" if you see it's passport or some other verification of its >citizenship. > >Best, Laura Erickson > >On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Jeff Stephenson > wrote: > >> >> I just read the information below on Wiki Answers. I don't know if it's >> true (anybody else know) but if so then since the goose was named after a >> person not Canada then it makes sense that it shouldn't be called a Canadian >> Goose. I also didn't know a person could name a new species after >> themselves. >> >> ***************************** >> John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the >> Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself, >> hence the name Canada Goose. >> >> ***************************** >> Jeff Stephenson >> Olmsted County, Rochester MN >> Cell Phone 507 254 8194 >> Home Phone 507 289 7635 >> >> ---- >> Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >> Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >> > > > >-- >-- >Laura Erickson >Science Editor >Cornell Lab of Ornithology >159 Sapsucker Woods Road >Ithaca, NY 14850 >607-254-1114 > > >If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting >our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing >that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our >award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter four >times a year. We invite you to join our "force for nature." To sign up or >watch our video about membership, visit >http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at >1-800-843-2473. > >For the love, understanding, and protection of birds > >There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There >is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the >assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. > >--Rachel Carson > >Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. > >---- >Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Grand Rapids Red-headed Woodpecker From: Shawn Conrad <itascabirder AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:58:27 -0600 This post is for the benefit of the individual(s) recording Red-headed Woodpecker sightings. Over the weekend, a Red-headed Woodpecker visited the feeders at my parents' house on Old Horseshoe Lake Road on the SW side of Grand Rapids. What is likely the same bird has also been visiting Aaron and Teresa Alto's suet feeders about a half mile to the south. -- Shawn Conrad http://users.2z.net/itasca_chippewa_birding/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Thoughts on N Hawk Owl and Gray Jay interaction From: Chad Heins <odunamis AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:23:41 -0800 I haven't heard anyone mention this thought so I will. It is possible that the Northern Hawk Owl was trying to remove the jays from the area to protect his caches not necessarily to eat the jays directly. How would you like it if a robber watched you while you worked hard at hiding food for later? Chad Heins Mankato, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Shorebird news (long) From: Robert_Russell AT FWS.GOV Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:45:30 -0600 I recently attended the national shorebird council meeting and Waterbird Society meeting at Cape May, New Jersey. Canadian and American shorebird biologists and land managers attended the meeting. Joe Canada's son-in-law Canada Dry also graced us with his presence. Some findings applicable to Midwestern shorebirders are: Piping Plover conservation in the Great Lakes is finally paying off as several pairs bred in northern Wisconsin (Apostle Islands) and in Ontario and a pair bred in northern Illinois. Red flags though continue for this population (70+ pairs) with birds lost to botulism and some killed by Merlins which are moving south as a breeding bird in the Sleeping Bear Dunes region of Michigan. Some avian and mammalian predators along the Atlantic coast now are keying in on the cages used to protect the nesting plovers, causing some rethinking on how to avoid attracting predators. Several U of MN folks (current and former students and faculty) are leading the effort in understanding this species in the Northern Great Plains and Great Lakes. Several papers highlighted Semipalmated Sandpipers (SESA) which have severely decreased in the Bay of Fundy staging area (likely due to a dike across the upper bay that destroyed tidal flow and their chief food source) and northern South American wintering areas with heavy hunting pressure in Guyana and Surinam where the local version of "birding" is to go out with long wires on Sunday and whip them up and down into a flock of shorebirds, killing many in the process. This is not done by impoverished folks for subsistence but by teenagers and families that often arrive at the site in rather well-off SUVs, making a day of it at the beach (mudflat). Several hundred thousand shorebirds may be harvested in this manner. Aerial surveys conducted in Feb, 1982 revealed 1,957,163 shorebirds in coastal northern South America and only 403,959 in Dec, 2008 over the same area. Eastern arctic Semi Sands are longer billed than western arctic birds, sunstantially so in many cases and these are the ones showing the greatest population decline. Intense surveys of western arctic Semi Sands (short-billed birds) showed steady or increasing populations. Most Midwestern migrant SESA are of the short-billed populations with long-billed birds primarily migrating south along the Atlantic coasts. Several Marbled Godwits (MAGO) that breed on Akimiski Island, James Bay were fitted with satellite collars and to the surprise of everyone headed southwest (some over Duluth!) and ended up wintering on the Sea of Cortez in Sonora or Baja California, Mexico. MAGOs were also banded last winter in Georgia and most of them flew to the northern Great Plains. I don't believe those results have been published yet so I'll wait on reporting the details. Researchers at the The Center for Conservation Biology (Virginia) have been banding whimbrels at Virginia coastal staging areas. Many of these birds were recorded flying by Toronto in late May with several flying to breeding areas in the western Hudson Bay lowlands and a couple continuing on NW to the MacKenzie delta. Give pause for reflection on these superb flyers when you see one on the rocks of Grand Marais next May. Several birds returned back to Virginia in the fall, then on to Antilles and northern South America for wintering. There was also discussion on the effects of climate change upon shorebirds. Many breeding birds in the vicinity of Hudson Bay were thought to have failed due to the cold early summer. No Little Gulls at all were known to have fledged near Churchill. Productivity in other parts of Alaska and the western Arctic was thought to be normal. Some folks noted increased shrub production and areal coverage in the Arctic which might be affecting tundra species like American Golden-plover. ****************************************************************** Robert P. Russell, USFWS Ft. Snelling. MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... From: Laura Erickson <chickadee.erickson AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:05:58 -0500 According to the BNA (hawk owl account written in 1998), "Early studies suggest that this owl eats primarily small rodents, but recent evidence indicates that grouse, ptarmigan, and hares comprise a greater proportion of their diet than previously thought." Most of the work cited by the BNA authors was done in Scandinavia rather than North America, so it sounds like there are a lot of interesting gaps birders can fill! Best, Laura On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 10:56 AM, Terence Brashear wrote: > Interesting observation Shawn. > > You might find this paper from "The Condor" interesting since it deals with > prey selection by Northern Hawk-Owl. Of note is the reference to a Northern > Hawk-Owl taking a Spruce Grouse as a prey item. > > http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v097n01/p0208-p0220.pdf > > Terry Brashear > > Hennepin County, MN > > http://www.naturepixels.com > > birdnird AT yahoo.com > > --- On Wed, 11/18/09, Laura Erickson wrote: > > From: Laura Erickson > Subject: Re: [mou-net] Observations of a Hawk Owl... > To: MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU > Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 6:30 AM > > This is a really interesting and insightful post! I suspect the > interactions > noted by Shawn really do have, at heart, to do with the owl and jays' > caches, but we can't know this for sure until we've seen more of these > behaviors. This would be a fascinating thing for birders to keep track of > this winter, and deserves some sort of summary (by Shawn, I'd think) in The > Loon. Last year I got a couple of not-good but interesting photos of a > raven > harassing a hawk owl--this is clearly a different thing, and so it would be > valuable for people who do notice interactions between Hawk Owl and Gray > Jays to send them on, especially when it's known who put food into the > cache > and who is trying to get it. > > There aren't a lot of interspecific interactions reported for the Northern > Hawk Owl. According to The Birds of North America Online: > > >>Nonpredatory Interspecific Interactions > > >>When surrounded by mobbing birds, individual sometimes makes itself thin > and assumes a position of camouflage, with eyes reduced to slits. May > extend > neck forward and give Screeching Call (see Sounds: vocalizations, above; > Cramp > 1985< > http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/356/articles/species/356/biblio/bib022 > >). > In Alaska, harassed most often by Gray Jay; also American Robin and Varied > Thrush (*Ixoreus naevius*); robins and thrushes strike perched owls on > occasion. Male hawk owl responded aggressively to an attacking American > Kestrel (*Falco sparverius*) by jumping from its perch and presenting its > talons as the kestrel dove (Kertell > 1986< > http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/356/articles/species/356/biblio/bib062 > >). > Generally remains conspicuous and unrestrained (Voous > 1988< > http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/356/articles/species/356/biblio/bib128 > >), > however; not easily displaced by smaller birds mobbing it (JRD, PAD). > > >>Observed flying toward and displacing Pileated Woodpecker, in 1 case, > after woodpecker landed in same tree as owl (JRD, PAD); this is a prey > species, and hawk owls use nest cavities of this woodpecker for nesting. > Observed fanning tail and squawking loudly when Common Raven perched 50 m > away (R. W. Nero pers. comm.), but S. Wilson (pers. comm.) reported both > species within 40 m of each other with no interactions observed. In nw. > Ontario, observed chasing Common Raven several times from deer gut pile on > which the owl was feeding; pursued raven for 100 m (S. Walshe pers. comm.). > > Best, Laura > > (If you're interested, my raven-hawk owl photos are here: > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/48014585 AT N00/3148423415/in/set-72157611402003364/ > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/48014585 AT N00/3149255012/in/set-72157611402003364/ > > Best, > > Laura Erickson > > in Ithaca, NY, dreaming of Peder's Barrow's Goldeneye, Erik's gulls, and > Northern Hawk Owls. > > > On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:41 PM, wrote: > > > The Northern Hawk Owl that I happened upon today provided some > interesting > > moments. Most notably was the way in which it interacted with the local > > gray jay family. By interaction, I actually mean complete lack of > > tolerance. The owl was working a recently logged area in the middle of a > > bog. > > Every and anytime the jays were within earshot, the hawk owl was after > > them. > > At one point, I had lost view of the owl and was trying to pish the jays > > in > > and one responded, coming in quite close to investigate. The jay was > > sizing me up, when suddenly it gave a sharp AAAPP!! (That's what it > > sounded > > like), and took off just in time for me to hear a swooosh coming over my > > head. > > The hawk owl was in hot pursuit and appeared falcon like in it's > banking > > and maneuverability. The owl was relentless in driving the jays away. > I > > considered this for a while as I watched and marveled. Was the owl > trying > > to catch and eat the jay? Perhaps. Are there records of hawk owls > > catching > > and eating gray jays? Would love to hear if anyone knows. But then I > > observed something that I really found interesting. The owl, in between > > bouts > > of jay chasing, removed a cached vole from a tree and flew to another > tree > > and re-cached the vole under some peeled bark and lichen in the fork of > > the tree some twenty feet off the ground. I wonder if the jays, clever > as > > they are, have been watching where this owl has been caching voles, and > > might not be stealing from the owl when the opportunity presents itself? > > Like > > squirrels who watch where other squirrels cache their nuts. Would jays > > eat a vole? Interesting to say the least. Towards the end of my > > observing > > the owl, it caught another vole and cached it eight feet off the ground, > > on > > the SIDE of a tree, in a crevice created by peeling bark. The owl had > to > > hang on to the side of the tree like a woodpecker while it worked the > vole > > into the crack, only thing showing when it was done was the tail and > hind > > feet of the vole. During my watching the owl, it cached three voles in > > three > > different trees including the re-cached vole. And there are a lot of > > voles in this area. I counted five that skirted my footsteps during the > > day. > > While in this area (Hedbom Bog) on the St. Louis County side, I also > > observed two male black backed woodpeckers, common redpolls (a few), red > > crossbills (a few), american gold finches, and one pine grosbeak. When > > the > > finches (or the ravens) saw the hawk owl, they would circle around it > and > > chatter in their own ways. All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a > > very > > seasonable November Day. Good Birding to you. And, if interested, I'll > > post a > > picture of today's owl in the showcase section of MOU. > > Regards, > > Shawn Zierman. > > > > ---- > > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > > > > > -- > -- > Laura Erickson > Science Editor > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 159 Sapsucker Woods Road > Ithaca, NY 14850 > 607-254-1114 > > > If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting > our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing > that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our > award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter > four > times a year. We invite you to join our "force for nature." To sign up or > watch our video about membership, visit > http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at > 1-800-843-2473. > > For the love, understanding, and protection of birds > > There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. > There > is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the > assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. > > --Rachel Carson > > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > > > > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- -- Laura Erickson Science Editor Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-254-1114 If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter four times a year. We invite you to join our "force for nature." To sign up or watch our video about membership, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at 1-800-843-2473. For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... From: Terence Brashear <birdnird AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:56:07 -0800 Interesting observation Shawn.  You might find this paper from "The Condor" interesting since it deals with prey selection by Northern Hawk-Owl. Of note is the reference to a Northern Hawk-Owl taking a Spruce Grouse as a prey item. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v097n01/p0208-p0220.pdf Terry Brashear Hennepin County, MN http://www.naturepixels.com birdnird AT yahoo.com --- On Wed, 11/18/09, Laura Erickson wrote: From: Laura Erickson Subject: Re: [mou-net] Observations of a Hawk Owl... To: MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 6:30 AM This is a really interesting and insightful post! I suspect the interactions noted by Shawn really do have, at heart, to do with the owl and jays' caches, but we can't know this for sure until we've seen more of these behaviors. This would be a fascinating thing for birders to keep track of this winter, and deserves some sort of summary (by Shawn, I'd think) in The Loon. Last year I got a couple of not-good but interesting photos of a raven harassing a hawk owl--this is clearly a different thing, and so it would be valuable for people who do notice interactions between Hawk Owl and Gray Jays to send them on, especially when it's known who put food into the cache and who is trying to get it. There aren't a lot of interspecific interactions reported for the Northern Hawk Owl. According to The Birds of North America Online: >>Nonpredatory Interspecific Interactions >>When surrounded by mobbing birds, individual sometimes makes itself thin and assumes a position of camouflage, with eyes reduced to slits. May extend neck forward and give Screeching Call (see Sounds: vocalizations, above; Cramp 1985). In Alaska, harassed most often by Gray Jay; also American Robin and Varied Thrush (*Ixoreus naevius*); robins and thrushes strike perched owls on occasion. Male hawk owl responded aggressively to an attacking American Kestrel (*Falco sparverius*) by jumping from its perch and presenting its talons as the kestrel dove (Kertell 1986). Generally remains conspicuous and unrestrained (Voous 1988), however; not easily displaced by smaller birds mobbing it (JRD, PAD). >>Observed flying toward and displacing Pileated Woodpecker, in 1 case, after woodpecker landed in same tree as owl (JRD, PAD); this is a prey species, and hawk owls use nest cavities of this woodpecker for nesting. Observed fanning tail and squawking loudly when Common Raven perched 50 m away (R. W. Nero pers. comm.), but S. Wilson (pers. comm.) reported both species within 40 m of each other with no interactions observed. In nw. Ontario, observed chasing Common Raven several times from deer gut pile on which the owl was feeding; pursued raven for 100 m (S. Walshe pers. comm.). Best, Laura (If you're interested, my raven-hawk owl photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48014585 AT N00/3148423415/in/set-72157611402003364/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/48014585 AT N00/3149255012/in/set-72157611402003364/ Best, Laura Erickson in Ithaca, NY, dreaming of Peder's Barrow's Goldeneye, Erik's gulls, and Northern Hawk Owls. On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:41 PM, wrote: > The Northern Hawk Owl that I happened upon today provided some interesting > moments.  Most notably was the way in which it interacted with the local > gray jay family.  By interaction, I actually mean complete lack of > tolerance.  The owl was working a recently logged area in the middle of a >  bog. > Every and anytime the jays were within earshot, the hawk owl was  after > them. > At one point, I had lost view of the owl and was trying to  pish the jays > in > and one responded, coming in quite close to investigate.   The jay was > sizing me up, when suddenly it gave a sharp AAAPP!!  (That's  what it > sounded > like), and took off just in time for me to hear a swooosh coming  over my > head. >  The hawk owl was in hot pursuit and appeared falcon like in  it's banking > and maneuverability.  The owl was relentless in driving  the jays away.  I > considered this for a while as I watched and  marveled.  Was the owl trying > to catch and eat the jay?   Perhaps.  Are there records of hawk owls > catching > and eating gray  jays?  Would love to hear if anyone knows.  But then I > observed  something that I really found interesting.  The owl, in between > bouts > of  jay chasing, removed a cached vole from a tree and flew to another tree > and  re-cached the vole under some peeled bark and lichen in the fork of > the tree some twenty feet off the ground.  I wonder if the jays,  clever as > they are, have been watching where this owl has been caching  voles, and > might not be stealing from the owl when the opportunity presents  itself? > Like > squirrels who watch where other squirrels cache their  nuts.  Would jays > eat a vole?  Interesting to say the least.   Towards the end of my > observing > the owl, it caught another vole and cached  it eight feet off the ground, > on > the SIDE of a tree, in a crevice  created by peeling bark.  The owl had to > hang on to the side of  the tree like a woodpecker while it worked the vole > into the crack, only thing  showing when it was done was the tail and hind > feet of the  vole.  During my watching the owl, it cached three voles in > three >  different trees including the re-cached vole.  And there are a lot of > voles  in this area.  I counted five that skirted my footsteps during the >  day. > While in this area (Hedbom Bog) on the St. Louis County side, I also > observed two male black backed woodpeckers, common redpolls (a few), red > crossbills (a few),  american gold finches, and one pine grosbeak.   When > the > finches (or the ravens) saw the hawk owl, they would circle around it  and > chatter in their own ways.  All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a >  very > seasonable November Day.  Good Birding to you.  And, if  interested, I'll > post a > picture of today's owl in the showcase section of  MOU. > Regards, > Shawn Zierman. > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- -- Laura Erickson Science Editor Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-254-1114 If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife.   In addition to knowing that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive  our award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter four times a year.  We invite you to join our "force for nature."  To sign up or watch our video about membership, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at 1-800-843-2473. For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds.  There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... From: Laura Erickson <chickadee.erickson AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:30:52 -0500 This is a really interesting and insightful post! I suspect the interactions noted by Shawn really do have, at heart, to do with the owl and jays' caches, but we can't know this for sure until we've seen more of these behaviors. This would be a fascinating thing for birders to keep track of this winter, and deserves some sort of summary (by Shawn, I'd think) in The Loon. Last year I got a couple of not-good but interesting photos of a raven harassing a hawk owl--this is clearly a different thing, and so it would be valuable for people who do notice interactions between Hawk Owl and Gray Jays to send them on, especially when it's known who put food into the cache and who is trying to get it. There aren't a lot of interspecific interactions reported for the Northern Hawk Owl. According to The Birds of North America Online: >>Nonpredatory Interspecific Interactions >>When surrounded by mobbing birds, individual sometimes makes itself thin and assumes a position of camouflage, with eyes reduced to slits. May extend neck forward and give Screeching Call (see Sounds: vocalizations, above; Cramp 1985). In Alaska, harassed most often by Gray Jay; also American Robin and Varied Thrush (*Ixoreus naevius*); robins and thrushes strike perched owls on occasion. Male hawk owl responded aggressively to an attacking American Kestrel (*Falco sparverius*) by jumping from its perch and presenting its talons as the kestrel dove (Kertell 1986). Generally remains conspicuous and unrestrained (Voous 1988), however; not easily displaced by smaller birds mobbing it (JRD, PAD). >>Observed flying toward and displacing Pileated Woodpecker, in 1 case, after woodpecker landed in same tree as owl (JRD, PAD); this is a prey species, and hawk owls use nest cavities of this woodpecker for nesting. Observed fanning tail and squawking loudly when Common Raven perched 50 m away (R. W. Nero pers. comm.), but S. Wilson (pers. comm.) reported both species within 40 m of each other with no interactions observed. In nw. Ontario, observed chasing Common Raven several times from deer gut pile on which the owl was feeding; pursued raven for 100 m (S. Walshe pers. comm.). Best, Laura (If you're interested, my raven-hawk owl photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48014585 AT N00/3148423415/in/set-72157611402003364/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/48014585 AT N00/3149255012/in/set-72157611402003364/ Best, Laura Erickson in Ithaca, NY, dreaming of Peder's Barrow's Goldeneye, Erik's gulls, and Northern Hawk Owls. On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:41 PM, wrote: > The Northern Hawk Owl that I happened upon today provided some interesting > moments. Most notably was the way in which it interacted with the local > gray jay family. By interaction, I actually mean complete lack of > tolerance. The owl was working a recently logged area in the middle of a > bog. > Every and anytime the jays were within earshot, the hawk owl was after > them. > At one point, I had lost view of the owl and was trying to pish the jays > in > and one responded, coming in quite close to investigate. The jay was > sizing me up, when suddenly it gave a sharp AAAPP!! (That's what it > sounded > like), and took off just in time for me to hear a swooosh coming over my > head. > The hawk owl was in hot pursuit and appeared falcon like in it's banking > and maneuverability. The owl was relentless in driving the jays away. I > considered this for a while as I watched and marveled. Was the owl trying > to catch and eat the jay? Perhaps. Are there records of hawk owls > catching > and eating gray jays? Would love to hear if anyone knows. But then I > observed something that I really found interesting. The owl, in between > bouts > of jay chasing, removed a cached vole from a tree and flew to another tree > and re-cached the vole under some peeled bark and lichen in the fork of > the tree some twenty feet off the ground. I wonder if the jays, clever as > they are, have been watching where this owl has been caching voles, and > might not be stealing from the owl when the opportunity presents itself? > Like > squirrels who watch where other squirrels cache their nuts. Would jays > eat a vole? Interesting to say the least. Towards the end of my > observing > the owl, it caught another vole and cached it eight feet off the ground, > on > the SIDE of a tree, in a crevice created by peeling bark. The owl had to > hang on to the side of the tree like a woodpecker while it worked the vole > into the crack, only thing showing when it was done was the tail and hind > feet of the vole. During my watching the owl, it cached three voles in > three > different trees including the re-cached vole. And there are a lot of > voles in this area. I counted five that skirted my footsteps during the > day. > While in this area (Hedbom Bog) on the St. Louis County side, I also > observed two male black backed woodpeckers, common redpolls (a few), red > crossbills (a few), american gold finches, and one pine grosbeak. When > the > finches (or the ravens) saw the hawk owl, they would circle around it and > chatter in their own ways. All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a > very > seasonable November Day. Good Birding to you. And, if interested, I'll > post a > picture of today's owl in the showcase section of MOU. > Regards, > Shawn Zierman. > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- -- Laura Erickson Science Editor Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-254-1114 If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter four times a year. We invite you to join our "force for nature." To sign up or watch our video about membership, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at 1-800-843-2473. For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: MRVAC auction fund raiser this Thursday From: "Steve Weston" <sweston2 AT comcast.net> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:15:06 -0600 Where: Our annual fundraising silent auction, live auction and bake sale will be held at REI Bloomington 750 American Blvd W - Bloomington, MN 55420-1059 When: Thursday November 19, 2009 6:00-9:00 pm 6:00 pm Drop off auction donations, purchase treats at the Buy-Now-Bake-Sale section, check out other items and enjoy refreshments 6:30 pm Silent auction bidding opens, refreshments continue 7:00 - 8:15 pm Live auction 8:15 - 8:45 pm check out and clean up (we have to be out of the building by 8:50) Why: Raise money for the Refuge (including funding interns and providing bussing for students) and other environmental education projects. Who: You and your friends. Please come to the Auction and buy something. We will have items in every price range. If you can donate something to sell, wonderful! Get some of your holiday shopping done, have fun and raise money to support a variety of environmental education projects. There will be items in a wide price range - for example q Spotting scope and tripod: Vortex Skyline 20-60x80 Angled Spotting Scope donated by Eagle Optics (list price $648) q Front row seat at Wood-duck jump party q Books q Home-made goodies: bread, cookies, candy and jams q Produce (apples, squash) q Gift certificates for local businesses q Sharp-Tailed Grouse habitat tour and blind time for 4, next spring in north-central Minnesota * Old Log Theater tickets * Half-day birding with Bob Janssen * Owl prowl with Steve Weston to find Long-eared and Saw-whet Owls Lenox porcelain birds Steve Weston MRVAC Program Chair_______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: MRVAC auction fund raiser this Thursday From: Steve Weston <sweston2 AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:15:06 -0600 Where: Our annual fundraising silent auction, live auction and bake sale will be held at REI Bloomington 750 American Blvd W - Bloomington, MN 55420-1059 When: Thursday November 19, 2009 6:00-9:00 pm 6:00 pm Drop off auction donations, purchase treats at the Buy-Now-Bake-Sale section, check out other items and enjoy refreshments 6:30 pm Silent auction bidding opens, refreshments continue 7:00 - 8:15 pm Live auction 8:15 - 8:45 pm check out and clean up (we have to be out of the building by 8:50) Why: Raise money for the Refuge (including funding interns and providing bussing for students) and other environmental education projects. Who: You and your friends. Please come to the Auction and buy something. We will have items in every price range. If you can donate something to sell, wonderful! Get some of your holiday shopping done, have fun and raise money to support a variety of environmental education projects. There will be items in a wide price range - for example q Spotting scope and tripod: Vortex Skyline 20-60x80 Angled Spotting Scope donated by Eagle Optics (list price $648) q Front row seat at Wood-duck jump party q Books q Home-made goodies: bread, cookies, candy and jams q Produce (apples, squash) q Gift certificates for local businesses q Sharp-Tailed Grouse habitat tour and blind time for 4, next spring in north-central Minnesota * Old Log Theater tickets * Half-day birding with Bob Janssen * Owl prowl with Steve Weston to find Long-eared and Saw-whet Owls Lenox porcelain birds Steve Weston MRVAC Program Chair ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: next Birds and Beer in Mpls this Thursday Nov 09 6:00pm From: gordon andersson <gpandersson AT MSN.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:35:53 -0600 at Merlin's Rest bar/restaurant 36th & Lake St Mpls This is a friendly group of individuals who introduce themselves or others they know at the table. Strangers --maybe known by an email you remember-- become acquaintances. The next time you go, you know some more people. Maybe from 10 to 20 people. meets irregularly. started by birdchick, Sharon Stiteler. she is funny. It is noncompetitive --- both listers and non-listers and backyard birders to people who have been watching and studying birds for 20-30 years in far countries. If ecobirder is there, you can see amazing images on his laptop of his latest birding. People share info, experiences, photos, new publications and often the conversation may not be about birds more friendly than the bus ride to work and more casual and interesting? than the lecture on the genetics of the Ethiopian subspecies of wattled crane (for example). people arrive as they can, but it is usually over around 8:00, especially if the live music starts then. birders& photographers & just plain folks ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Canal Park/Park Point sightings (Duluth, MN) From: Erik Bruhnke <birdfedr AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:06:57 -0600 This morning while birding at Canal Park with my friend Aldo, we observed 2 Thayer's Gulls among the Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls. Special thanks to Karl Bardon for helping me identify the 2nd-cycle Thayer's Gull. I don't know if I've this seen this age of Thayer's Gull before, and without a gull specialty guide, some gull ID can be quite tricky.The Great Black-backed Gull photo is from this afternoon at Canal Park Thayer's Gull (2nd-cycle) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493213 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493214 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493215 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493217 Thayer's Gull (adult) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493218 Here's a fun shot to enjoy. Look at that gull! http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493210 Great Black-backed Gull (juvenile) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493212 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119493211 Also, special thanks to Peder Svingen and Cameron Rutt for calling me this afternoon, regarding sightings that Peder had earlier in the day. Cameron and I got to see the male Barrow's Goldeneye and adult male Long-tailed Duck swimming around the bay between Park Point and the Superior grain silos. Both birds were stunning, and the Long-tailed Duck even had it's long tail still attached. Very cool! With the addition of about 250+ Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Mallards, and a Hooded Merganser, the afternoon at Canal Park was quite the thrill. Good birdwatching, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN NATURALLY AVIAN - Guided bird hikes and bird photography www.pbase.com/birdfedr birdfedr AT gmail.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Observations of a Hawk Owl... From: Rick Hoyme <rhoyme AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:52:29 -0600 I remember one of the first Minnesota Birding Weekends I went on up in Sax-Zim we saw a Hawk Owl go after a Gray Jay looking for a meal. I don't believe it was successful but it was definitely trying for food. It sounds more likely the Jays were trying to steal the voles. Corvids are omnivores. Gray Jays are nicknamed Camp Robbers and maybe they are also attempted Owl robbers as well. Rick Hoyme -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of SCmzd AT AOL.COM Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 9:42 PM To: MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Observations of a Hawk Owl... The Northern Hawk Owl that I happened upon today provided some interesting moments. Most notably was the way in which it interacted with the local gray jay family. By interaction, I actually mean complete lack of tolerance. The owl was working a recently logged area in the middle of a bog. Every and anytime the jays were within earshot, the hawk owl was after them. At one point, I had lost view of the owl and was trying to pish the jays in and one responded, coming in quite close to investigate. The jay was sizing me up, when suddenly it gave a sharp AAAPP!! (That's what it sounded like), and took off just in time for me to hear a swooosh coming over my head. The hawk owl was in hot pursuit and appeared falcon like in it's banking and maneuverability. The owl was relentless in driving the jays away. I considered this for a while as I watched and marveled. Was the owl trying to catch and eat the jay? Perhaps. Are there records of hawk owls catching and eating gray jays? Would love to hear if anyone knows. But then I observed something that I really found interesting. The owl, in between bouts of jay chasing, removed a cached vole from a tree and flew to another tree and re-cached the vole under some peeled bark and lichen in the fork of the tree some twenty feet off the ground. I wonder if the jays, clever as they are, have been watching where this owl has been caching voles, and might not be stealing from the owl when the opportunity presents itself? Like squirrels who watch where other squirrels cache their nuts. Would jays eat a vole? Interesting to say the least. Towards the end of my observing the owl, it caught another vole and cached it eight feet off the ground, on the SIDE of a tree, in a crevice created by peeling bark. The owl had to hang on to the side of the tree like a woodpecker while it worked the vole into the crack, only thing showing when it was done was the tail and hind feet of the vole. During my watching the owl, it cached three voles in three different trees including the re-cached vole. And there are a lot of voles in this area. I counted five that skirted my footsteps during the day. While in this area (Hedbom Bog) on the St. Louis County side, I also observed two male black backed woodpeckers, common redpolls (a few), red crossbills (a few), american gold finches, and one pine grosbeak. When the finches (or the ravens) saw the hawk owl, they would circle around it and chatter in their own ways. All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a very seasonable November Day. Good Birding to you. And, if interested, I'll post a picture of today's owl in the showcase section of MOU. Regards, Shawn Zierman. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Observations of a Hawk Owl... From: SCmzd AT AOL.COM Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:41:32 EST The Northern Hawk Owl that I happened upon today provided some interesting moments. Most notably was the way in which it interacted with the local gray jay family. By interaction, I actually mean complete lack of tolerance. The owl was working a recently logged area in the middle of a bog. Every and anytime the jays were within earshot, the hawk owl was after them. At one point, I had lost view of the owl and was trying to pish the jays in and one responded, coming in quite close to investigate. The jay was sizing me up, when suddenly it gave a sharp AAAPP!! (That's what it sounded like), and took off just in time for me to hear a swooosh coming over my head. The hawk owl was in hot pursuit and appeared falcon like in it's banking and maneuverability. The owl was relentless in driving the jays away. I considered this for a while as I watched and marveled. Was the owl trying to catch and eat the jay? Perhaps. Are there records of hawk owls catching and eating gray jays? Would love to hear if anyone knows. But then I observed something that I really found interesting. The owl, in between bouts of jay chasing, removed a cached vole from a tree and flew to another tree and re-cached the vole under some peeled bark and lichen in the fork of the tree some twenty feet off the ground. I wonder if the jays, clever as they are, have been watching where this owl has been caching voles, and might not be stealing from the owl when the opportunity presents itself? Like squirrels who watch where other squirrels cache their nuts. Would jays eat a vole? Interesting to say the least. Towards the end of my observing the owl, it caught another vole and cached it eight feet off the ground, on the SIDE of a tree, in a crevice created by peeling bark. The owl had to hang on to the side of the tree like a woodpecker while it worked the vole into the crack, only thing showing when it was done was the tail and hind feet of the vole. During my watching the owl, it cached three voles in three different trees including the re-cached vole. And there are a lot of voles in this area. I counted five that skirted my footsteps during the day. While in this area (Hedbom Bog) on the St. Louis County side, I also observed two male black backed woodpeckers, common redpolls (a few), red crossbills (a few), american gold finches, and one pine grosbeak. When the finches (or the ravens) saw the hawk owl, they would circle around it and chatter in their own ways. All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a very seasonable November Day. Good Birding to you. And, if interested, I'll post a picture of today's owl in the showcase section of MOU. Regards, Shawn Zierman. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian From: Larry Sirvio <lmsirvio AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:28:44 -0600 and Lord Baltimore didn't name the oriole.... and Joe California didn't name the California condor... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Roman" To: Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 5:21 PM Subject: Re: [mou-net] Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian > So Jim Florida didn't name the Florida Scrub Jay? > > > Steve Roman > Champlin, MN > cicindela AT gmail.com > http://steveroman.naturescapes.net/ > http://www.tc.umn.edu/~decke003//CicindelaTropicale/Home.htm > 612-508-1528 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Laura Erickson" > To: > Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 2:39 PM > Subject: Re: [mou-net] Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian > > >> The Canada Goose was named by Linnaeus in 1758, and gets its name from >> its >> breeding range. >> >> It is of course perfectly acceptable and correct to call one a "Canadian >> goose" if you see it's passport or some other verification of its >> citizenship. >> >> Best, Laura Erickson >> >> On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Jeff Stephenson >> >> wrote: >> >>> >>> I just read the information below on Wiki Answers. I don't know if it's >>> true (anybody else know) but if so then since the goose was named after >>> a >>> person not Canada then it makes sense that it shouldn't be called a >>> Canadian >>> Goose. I also didn't know a person could name a new species after >>> themselves. >>> >>> ***************************** >>> John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the >>> Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself, >>> hence the name Canada Goose. >>> >>> ***************************** >>> Jeff Stephenson >>> Olmsted County, Rochester MN >>> Cell Phone 507 254 8194 >>> Home Phone 507 289 7635 >>> >>> ---- >>> Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >>> Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> -- >> Laura Erickson >> Science Editor >> Cornell Lab of Ornithology >> 159 Sapsucker Woods Road >> Ithaca, NY 14850 >> 607-254-1114 >> >> >> If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider >> supporting >> our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing >> that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our >> award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter >> four >> times a year. We invite you to join our "force for nature." To sign up >> or >> watch our video about membership, visit >> http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at >> 1-800-843-2473. >> >> For the love, understanding, and protection of birds >> >> There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. >> There >> is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the >> assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. >> >> --Rachel Carson >> >> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. >> >> ---- >> Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >> Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian From: Steve Roman <cicindela AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:21:09 -0600 So Jim Florida didn't name the Florida Scrub Jay? Steve Roman Champlin, MN cicindela AT gmail.com http://steveroman.naturescapes.net/ http://www.tc.umn.edu/~decke003//CicindelaTropicale/Home.htm 612-508-1528 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Laura Erickson" To: Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 2:39 PM Subject: Re: [mou-net] Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian > The Canada Goose was named by Linnaeus in 1758, and gets its name from its > breeding range. > > It is of course perfectly acceptable and correct to call one a "Canadian > goose" if you see it's passport or some other verification of its > citizenship. > > Best, Laura Erickson > > On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Jeff Stephenson > > wrote: > >> >> I just read the information below on Wiki Answers. I don't know if it's >> true (anybody else know) but if so then since the goose was named after a >> person not Canada then it makes sense that it shouldn't be called a >> Canadian >> Goose. I also didn't know a person could name a new species after >> themselves. >> >> ***************************** >> John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the >> Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself, >> hence the name Canada Goose. >> >> ***************************** >> Jeff Stephenson >> Olmsted County, Rochester MN >> Cell Phone 507 254 8194 >> Home Phone 507 289 7635 >> >> ---- >> Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >> Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >> > > > > -- > -- > Laura Erickson > Science Editor > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 159 Sapsucker Woods Road > Ithaca, NY 14850 > 607-254-1114 > > > If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting > our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing > that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our > award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter > four > times a year. We invite you to join our "force for nature." To sign up > or > watch our video about membership, visit > http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at > 1-800-843-2473. > > For the love, understanding, and protection of birds > > There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. > There > is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the > assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. > > --Rachel Carson > > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: White-crowned Sparrow lecture From: dan&erika <danerika AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:10:42 -0600 Hi All-- I have "published" almost everything I know about White-crowned Sparrow races on my blog, http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com I trust you don't find these musings too intrusive. If so, just delete this e-mail. dan -- Dan or Erika Tallman Northfield, Minnesota http://danerika.googlepages.com/home http://picasaweb.google.com/danerika danerika AT gmail.com ".... the best shod travel with wet feet" "Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes ...."--Thoreau ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: White-crowned Sparrow lecture From: "dan&erika" <danerika AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:10:42 -0600 Hi All-- I have "published" almost everything I know about White-crowned Sparrow races on my blog, http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com I trust you don't find these musings too intrusive. If so, just delete this e-mail. dan -- Dan or Erika Tallman Northfield, Minnesota http://danerika.googlepages.com/home http://picasaweb.google.com/danerika danerika AT gmail.com ".... the best shod travel with wet feet" "Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes ...."--Thoreau_______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian From: Jonathon Jongsma <jonathon AT QUOTIDIAN.ORG> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:53:09 -0600 On Tue, 2009-11-17 at 15:39 -0500, Laura Erickson wrote: > The Canada Goose was named by Linnaeus in 1758, and gets its name from its > breeding range. > > It is of course perfectly acceptable and correct to call one a "Canadian > goose" if you see it's passport or some other verification of its > citizenship. > > Best, Laura Erickson > > On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Jeff Stephenson > wrote: > > > > > I just read the information below on Wiki Answers. I don't know if it's > > true (anybody else know) but if so then since the goose was named after a > > person not Canada then it makes sense that it shouldn't be called a Canadian > > Goose. I also didn't know a person could name a new species after > > themselves. > > > > ***************************** > > John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the > > Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself, > > hence the name Canada Goose. > > > > ***************************** I find it amusing that not only is somebody attempting to spread an urban legend about the origin of the canada goose's name, but they credited its classification to a taxidermist rather than a taxonomist ;) Another hint is its Latin name Branta canadensis (i.e. 'of Canada') ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: remove from list From: sbme <sbme AT UMN.EDU> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:30:55 -0600 Hi... much as I find the MOU e-mailings most interesting, I need to drop off the list because I can't handle the traffic along side all the other ones that pile up. Thank you Peter Jordan pajordan AT umn.edu -- UMN.EDU ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian From: Laura Erickson <chickadee.erickson AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:39:42 -0500 The Canada Goose was named by Linnaeus in 1758, and gets its name from its breeding range. It is of course perfectly acceptable and correct to call one a "Canadian goose" if you see it's passport or some other verification of its citizenship. Best, Laura Erickson On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Jeff Stephenson wrote: > > I just read the information below on Wiki Answers. I don't know if it's > true (anybody else know) but if so then since the goose was named after a > person not Canada then it makes sense that it shouldn't be called a Canadian > Goose. I also didn't know a person could name a new species after > themselves. > > ***************************** > John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the > Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself, > hence the name Canada Goose. > > ***************************** > Jeff Stephenson > Olmsted County, Rochester MN > Cell Phone 507 254 8194 > Home Phone 507 289 7635 > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- -- Laura Erickson Science Editor Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-254-1114 If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter four times a year. We invite you to join our "force for nature." To sign up or watch our video about membership, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at 1-800-843-2473. For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian From: Jeff Stephenson <stephensonjeff AT CHARTER.NET> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:18:33 -0600 I just read the information below on Wiki Answers. I don't know if it's true (anybody else know) but if so then since the goose was named after a person not Canada then it makes sense that it shouldn't be called a Canadian Goose. I also didn't know a person could name a new species after themselves. ***************************** John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself, hence the name Canada Goose. ***************************** Jeff Stephenson Olmsted County, Rochester MN Cell Phone 507 254 8194 Home Phone 507 289 7635 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Barrow's Goldeneye, Park Point, Duluth From: psvingen AT D.UMN.EDU Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:06:13 -0600 At 12:40 PM today (11/17), I found a drake Barrow's Goldeneye in the Duluth harbor. There is a green park bench near the boat ramp at the Recreation Area on Park Point, and if one sits on that bench and points a spotting scope towards the Holcium Elevator at the Port Terminal, the bird in question was directly in line with the elevator. There were about 400 Common Goldeneye, five Black Scoters, and a male Long-tailed Duck in this same area. The Barrow's was about 400 yards away and based on a somewhat truncated black shoulder spur, appears to be the same indiviudal that overwintered in Duluth beginning 11/1/2008. -- Peder H. Svingen Duluth, MN ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using the University of Minnesota Duluth Webmail ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: photos From: Erik Bruhnke <birdfedr AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:37:42 -0600 Here's my most recent photos from today! Enjoy *Hawk Ridge* Northern Goshawk http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465434 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465467 * Canal Park* Ring-billed Gull http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465427 Thayer's Gull http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465407 *Superior Entry (Wisconsin Point)* Fox, just sleepin' away http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465457 Iceland Gull & Thayer's Gull! http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465445 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465446 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465447 Iceland Gull http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465449 Thayer's Gull http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465451 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465454 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465455 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465456 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465452 (a favorite of mine from today) Herring Gull http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465444 Ring-billed Gull http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465450 I'm not sure about this one... Overall darker brown tones lead me towards Thayer's Gull, however the primaries look incredibly pale and frosty, even for being the underside. Bill on this bird is very petite, which leads me to Iceland gull. The secondaries on a Thayer's Gull should be slightly darker (undersides) than on the undersides of the primaries. The secondaries look nearly as pale as the primaries from the underside, suggesting Iceland. Any thoughts? http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119465448 Good birdwatching, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN NATURALLY AVIAN - Guided bird hikes and bird photography www.pbase.com/birdfedr birdfedr AT gmail.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: LBJs on the CBC, RSVP ASAP From: Carl Greiner <cgreiner AT MCHSI.COM> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:00:33 -0600 All the Sparrows on the Minnesota Christmas Bird Count American Tree Sparrow (163,717) Chipping Sparrow (29) Clay-colored Sparrow (2) Dark-eyed Junco (240,057) Eastern Towhee (24) Field Sparrow (49) Fox Sparrow (132) Golden-crowned Sparrow (2) Green-tailed Towhee (2) Harris's Sparrow (273) Lapland Longspur (20,612) Lark Bunting (1) Lark Sparrow (2) Lincoln's Sparrow (2) Eastern Towhee (36) Savannah Sparrow (2) Snow Bunting (198,421) Song Sparrow (975) Spotted Towhee (9) Swamp Sparrow (59) Vesper Sparrow (4) White-crowned Sparrow (68) White-throated Sparrow (1,260) Seems like I am forgetting one.oh yeah House Sparrow (1,181,207) Song Sparrows on the Minnesota Christmas Bird Count The Song Sparrow was first counted in 1931 (count year 32) and the latest data we have is in 2008 (count year 109). It has been tallied 420 times in 66 locations. A total of 975 birds have been counted. The highest count was 21 birds enumerated in St. Paul (South Central) in 1961. Bloomington has counted the most - 123, followed by Rochester with 83, and Austin with 72. The Myth of the Song Sparrow BY ERNEST SETON THOMPSON His mother was the Brook, his sisters were the Reeds, And they every one applauded when he sang about his deeds. His vest was white, his mantle brown, as clear as they could be, And his songs were fairly bubbling o'er with melody and glee. But an envious Neighbor splashed with mud our Brownie's coat and vest,. And then a final handful threw that stuck upon his breast. The Brook-bird's mother did her best to wash the stains away. But there they stuck, and, as it seems, are very like to stay. And so he wears the splashes and the mud blotch as you see. But his songs are bubbling over still with melody and glee. To help, contact your local Audubon Chapter, the MOU CBC Coordinator, Carl Greiner at (507) 271-8286, or visit the MOU CBC website at http://www.moumn.org/CBC/ for more information or to sign up. Carl Greiner M.O.U CBC Coordinator 1616 Hill St. S.W. Chatfield, MN. 55923 507-271-8286 cgreiner AT mchsi.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Superior Entry Gulls and a fox! From: Erik Bruhnke <birdfedr AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:14:11 -0600 This afternoon I birdwatched at the Superior Entry at Wisconsin Point. There were so many gulls there! One of the biggest surprises was seeing a fox near the end of the boulder-based breakwall (Minnesota side). It was just sleeping away, curled up in a little ball. I got some very distant photos of that little guy. The temperature and lighting were fantastic this afternoon. I got some really cool photos, which will be attached in a soon-to-come email. I am just going through my photos right now. There were even a few shots I got of a Thayer's Gull and Iceland Gull next swimming and flying next to each other. Today I spent the middle of the day up at Hawk Ridge, and was able to get some close shots of an adult Northern Goshawk flying by! Location: Superior Entry (Wisconsin) Observation date: 11/16/09 Number of species: 6 Common Goldeneye 9 Ring-billed Gull 70 Herring Gull 100 Thayer's Gull 5 Iceland Gull 1 Glaucous Gull 2 Good birdwatching, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN NATURALLY AVIAN - Guided bird hikes and bird photography www.pbase.com/birdfedr birdfedr AT gmail.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Lake Osakis - Black and WW Scoter, No Pacific Loon From: Herb Dingmann <herbdingmann AT CHARTER.NET> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:30:32 -0600 Ron Erpelding asked me to post that he was unable to re-find the Pacific Loon on Lake Osakis today. He did find both White-winged and Black Scoters there, however. Herb Dingmann ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Brownsville Tundra Swan trip From: Thomas Maiello <thomas AT angelem.com> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:51:46 -0600 Drove down to Pool #8 south of La Crosse yesterday with three novice birders hoping to see thousands of Tundra Swans and make an impression. It worked. -Saw a reported 12,000 Tundra Swans that I guess-timated to be more like 20K - heck let's make it 120K for bragging rights - after all I don't competitively fish or watch much football. -Saw a large flock (30-40) of white pelicans sitting in their midst -Great Blue Heron -Belted Kingfisher -Goldeneyes -Pintails (lifer for me) -Black Duck (lifer for me) -Many Bald Eagles along way and at the site -Hooded Mergansers -Mallards -Green-winged Teal -Gadwalls -Many other birds flying in and out - too busy to see them all. Seeing these various birds is one thing but watching them behave, interact and feed was even better. They were right in front of us. The viewing area south of Brownsville has two excellent permanently mounted spotting scopes, a wonderful railing and info area. A delightful volunteer answered questions and showed us the arrowroot bulbs the swans were eating. There were between 20 to 30 visitors there throughout our time there with plenty of room for all. Highly recommend a day-trip and a stop at perhaps a casino dinner buffet on the way back. Yum! (cigarette smoke was a bit much but we have a washing machine for our clothes.) A rich, fulfilling and belly filling day was had by all. Day started out sunny and cool but ended cloudy and chilly or we would have stayed hours at the viewing area. As it was, 45 minutes was plenty of time. Thomas Maiello Angel Environmental Management, Inc. Maple Grove, MN _______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: Brownsville Tundra Swan trip From: Thomas Maiello <thomas AT ANGELEM.COM> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:51:46 -0600 Drove down to Pool #8 south of La Crosse yesterday with three novice birders hoping to see thousands of Tundra Swans and make an impression. It worked. -Saw a reported 12,000 Tundra Swans that I guess-timated to be more like 20K - heck let's make it 120K for bragging rights - after all I don't competitively fish or watch much football. -Saw a large flock (30-40) of white pelicans sitting in their midst -Great Blue Heron -Belted Kingfisher -Goldeneyes -Pintails (lifer for me) -Black Duck (lifer for me) -Many Bald Eagles along way and at the site -Hooded Mergansers -Mallards -Green-winged Teal -Gadwalls -Many other birds flying in and out - too busy to see them all. Seeing these various birds is one thing but watching them behave, interact and feed was even better. They were right in front of us. The viewing area south of Brownsville has two excellent permanently mounted spotting scopes, a wonderful railing and info area. A delightful volunteer answered questions and showed us the arrowroot bulbs the swans were eating. There were between 20 to 30 visitors there throughout our time there with plenty of room for all. Highly recommend a day-trip and a stop at perhaps a casino dinner buffet on the way back. Yum! (cigarette smoke was a bit much but we have a washing machine for our clothes.) A rich, fulfilling and belly filling day was had by all. Day started out sunny and cool but ended cloudy and chilly or we would have stayed hours at the viewing area. As it was, 45 minutes was plenty of time. Thomas Maiello Angel Environmental Management, Inc. Maple Grove, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Mute Swan - Hennepin Co From: Howard Towle <towle001 AT UMN.EDU> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:46:51 -0600 While hiking at Lake Rebecca Park Reserve in western Hennepin County on Sunday afternoon, I came upon a Mute Swan. The swan was in an impoundment area together with about two dozen Trumpeter Swans just west of Lake Rebecca (directions below). The reason for the delay in posting this was that I wanted to check with the Three Rivers Park folks about the possible status of this bird. They tell me that they do not currently have any captive or rehabbed Mute Swans and that this swan occasionally flies in to join the Trumpeters. It is perhaps one that overwinters near Monticello. There were no signs of clipped wings or tags evident. Hence, I suspect that this is a wild bird. Also present were a number of Cackling Geese. Howard Towle Golden Valley, MN Directions: Enter Lake Rebecca Park from County Road 50 just south of Highway 55 and turn right. Park at the top of the hill near the reservation picnic grounds. There is an access road that heads off east from the end of the parking lot near the trailhead for the Deerwood Trail. Follow the access road east, then south and east again for about 1/2 mile and you will come to a small pond where the swans were. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Cave Swallow behavior in cold weather From: Robert_Russell AT FWS.GOV Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:43:45 -0600 Tip for Duluth birders trying to confirm Cave/Cliff Swallows. Last week I was in Cape May, New Jersey and found that Cave Swallows would forage in early-to mid afternoon low over sand dunes and over marshes and ponds in the morning, no doubt due to the availability of insect life. Good luck! Bob Russell ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: N Hawk Owl in Aitkin County From: hagsela AT aol.com Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:01:58 -0500 At dusk I found a Northern Hawk Owl north of the town of Aitkin on County Road 1, just after the asphalt ends and the dirt road begins. The bird was perched high in a tree in an open field with cows. A bit further north on County 1 I saw a Barred Owl. Other than that, it was a quiet day in Aitkin County - at least the parts I visited. Linda Sparling_______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: N Hawk Owl in Aitkin County From: Linda Sparling <hagsela AT AOL.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:01:58 -0500 At dusk I found a Northern Hawk Owl north of the town of Aitkin on County Road 1, just after the asphalt ends and the dirt road begins. The bird was perched high in a tree in an open field with cows. A bit further north on County 1 I saw a Barred Owl. Other than that, it was a quiet day in Aitkin County - at least the parts I visited. Linda Sparling ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Pacific Loon-Osakis From: Dennis and Barbara Martin <dbmartin AT SKYPOINT.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:21:44 -0600 Pacific Loon was still present today out from Linwood Resort on the east side of the lake. Very nice find by Milt. Also present 5 Common Loons for nice comparisons, although the Pacific was staying by itself most of the time. In the area were two White-winged Scoters, one flock of 200 Buffleheads and Common Goldeneye, 4 late Western Grebes, and a separate flock of near 400 Redheads, ringnecks, scaup, Gadwall, Mallards, and a few others. Staying away from shore and the hunting areas. We never heard a shot while we birded the lake area for 2 plus hours. At Battle Point Park there was a Red-necked Grebe and 2 more Common Loons. Every single gull was a Ring-billed Gull. Probably 200 plus birds and no variation. The 3 Black Scoters were still on the east pond at the Rice sewage ponds. Dennis and Barbara Martin Shorewood, MN dbmartin AT skypoint.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Milton Blomberg" To: Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 1:30 PM Subject: [mou-net] Pacific Loon-Osakis > Birded Lake Osakis this morning and just after the rain quit and on the > Todd County side (NE part of the lake) near Sunfish Resort bay area (S of > Battle Point County Park), found a nicely colored Pacific Loon. Other > birds on or around the lake, though sporadic, > 1-Western Grebe, 1-Pied-billed Grebe, Ringneck Ducks, 100 HoodMergs, > 2-Goldeneye, only several hundred coots, Red-winged blackbirds. > White-capping by 11AM, no scoters. > In a plowed field with Ring-billed Gulls, a huge flock of Brewer's > Blackbirds. mjb > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: St. Louis County - Northern Hawk Owl From: Shawn Conrad <itascabirder AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:09:57 -0600 This morning around 0830, I found a Northern Hawk Owl along Hwy 2 between Floodwood and the St. Louis River, 3.1 miles W of CR 31, or more accurately, in the ash swamp along Hwy 2 almost directly across from Lavoy Rd. -- Shawn Conrad http://users.2z.net/itasca_chippewa_birding/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Minnesotas CBC dates From: Andrew Longtin <Birderguy AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:53:31 -0600 Hey all you CBC compilers, it's getting close to the season of counting and many have not been assigned dates yet.. Friendly reminder.. http://moumn.org/CBC/locations_map.php I'm currently looking for my next career.. Please see http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlongtin I welcome advice, suggestions, and an opportunity to network.. Thanks.. -- Andrew Longtin Corcoran (Hennepin Co.) Minnesota See my WEB pages at: www.birderguy.com Email: Birderguy AT comcast.net Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Supporter http://www.hawkridge.org Minnesota Ornithologists' Union Member http://www.moumn.org Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) Member http://www.hmana.org Cornell Lab Member (PFW) http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Evening Grosbeaks From: Eileen Schantz-Hansen <eileenmsh AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:40:11 -0600 Since Tuesday, Nov 9th I've had a dozen evening grosbeaks at my feeder. The most I've seen here for a few years and have been feeding daily. Eileen Schantz-Hansen Carlton, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Evening Grosbeak pair Prescott, WI--15 Nov. From: judith sparrow <jsparrow AT CENTURYTEL.NET> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:42:21 -0600 Greetings, I had a pair of Evening Grosbeaks in my yard around noon today, Nov. 15, along with a flock of 15-20 Cedar Waxwings. The grosbeaks stayed for about 5 minutes before flying off to the north. I live in a heavily wooded area about 4.5 miles south of Prescott, WI and right across the Mississippi River from Hastings, MN. Judith Sparrow ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Carver County Short-eared Owl From: John Cyrus <cyrus150 AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:57:59 +0000 A Short-eared Owl was perched in a marshy area north of Hwy 5. just west of the turnoff to Lake Waconia beach. This is the same area that I saw a Long-eared Owl perched a couple months ago. I also found an adult Thayer's Gull at Carver Park. He was on the lake that is north of the nature center. He was kind enough to stand out of the water showing his bright pink legs and then swim beside a Ring-billed to give a size comparison. Other birds of interest today were 43 Tundra Swans at Rapids Lake MVNWR, 8 Common Loons on Lake Waconia(I've never seen a Pacific Loon, so I'm no expert. I am fairly sure they were all Common. A couple were a bit distant, so I can't be sure.), 2 Pied-billed Grebes at Carver Park, a Yellow-rumped Warbler at Carver Park, and 16 Purple Finches at Rapids Lake MVNWR. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: There is a N Shrike at Wood Lake. I saw it near the marsh boardwalk around noon Sat- Warren Woessner nnto From: Warren Woessner <WWoessner AT SLWIP.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:27:11 -0600 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: list From: Pete <priola AT OUTDOORCLICK.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:56:59 -0600 Guessing I need to resubmit myself? I am on the list and have been for years. Not exactly sure what this means please advise. -- Pete Riola 651-247-1160 www.outdoorclick.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Sherburne County From: "Pastor Al Schirmacher" <pastoral AT princetonfreechurch.net> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:12:35 -0600 Nathan & I traveled around Sherburne County yesterday, covering Lake Fremont (near Zimmerman), Elk River near 169, Big Lake, Ann Lake, Blue Hill Trail in the refuge, and Princeton Sewage Ponds. The highlight, of course, was the second winter California Gull on Lake Fremont. A Thayer's Gull was in the ag fields near the Elk River dump, and two Townsend's Solitaires were present at Ann Lake. As an aside, Bald Eagles were omnipresent. Good birding to all. Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties _______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: Sherburne County From: Pastor Al Schirmacher <pastoral AT PRINCETONFREECHURCH.NET> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:12:35 -0600 Nathan & I traveled around Sherburne County yesterday, covering Lake Fremont (near Zimmerman), Elk River near 169, Big Lake, Ann Lake, Blue Hill Trail in the refuge, and Princeton Sewage Ponds. The highlight, of course, was the second winter California Gull on Lake Fremont. A Thayer's Gull was in the ag fields near the Elk River dump, and two Townsend's Solitaires were present at Ann Lake. As an aside, Bald Eagles were omnipresent. Good birding to all. Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Re: Swallow sp From: Stevan Hawkins <shawkins4 AT SATX.RR.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:07:53 -0600 MOUers: If the swallow with the square tail has a tan butt, then it is a Cave or Cliff Swallow. If that tan butted swallow has a light throat and a dark forehead, it is a Cave Swallow; If that tan butted swallow has a dark throat and light forehead, it is a Cliff Swallow. The fact that on the San Antonio CBC Cave Swallow is a fairly common bird and Cliff Swallow is much less likely argues for the Wisconsin Point swallow being a Cave Swallow. Hope this helps. Onward! Steve Stevan Hawkins San Antonio TX -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael Hendrickson Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 5:07 PM To: MOU-NET AT LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Swallow sp & WI Pt. Gulls I arrived at Wisconsin Point at 11am and stayed till 2:50pm. I was birding with Peder Svingen, Karl Bardon and Lars Benson. At 2:40pm I spotted a swallow species zipping over the rocky break wall which is the furthest break wall from us. It only allowed me a second look but from what I saw it had a square tail and a buffy breast. The swallow never was seen again. At 3:05pm I was heading a block west of the intersection of Mocassin Mike Rd and the road the leads out to the end of WI Pt. I noticed 2 swallows while I was driving and one of them had a facial looks of a Cliff/Cave Swallow. I immediatly turned around and tried to catch up to them as they were heading towards the landfill above Mocassin Mike Rd. I never was able to relocate them but I called the other birders back at the Superior entry about the sighting. At 3:25pm I got a call that Peder Svingen ran into a WI birder ( Nick Anich ) who inform Peder he spotted a Cave Swallow at the same intersection where I spotted two swallow species and I was told that Nick thought there were possibly two Cave Swallows. So did I possbily see a Cave Swallow in Mn? UGH! I'll be at Park Point and WI Pt looking for swallows if they stick around. Gulls seen on the MN breakwall: - Great Black-backed Gull ( adult nonbreeding ) - Great black-backed Gull ( Peder found this interesting gull as it looks like this bird was moving into 2nd cycle and it darker than the other two first cycles we been seeing off and on. So there might be 4 GBBGs in Minnesota!! ) - 2 Thayer's Gulls ( adult and 1st cycle ) - 4 Glaucous Gulls ( all 1st cycles ) - 1 Iceland Gull ( 1st cycle ) Other birds seen: - 2 Red-throated Loons ( Karl Bardon spotted ) - 1 Western Grebe ( WI waters ) - 10 Long-tailed Ducks Wisconsin Pt / Superior entry has such a high turn over rate of new gulls being seen each day and hopefully something more exotic like a Mew Gull will be found. So anyway Duluth birders keep an eye out for swallows along the northshore and park point. Mike Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota Website: http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/ Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Chisago Co. Cattle Egret still present From: hagsela AT aol.com Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:19:07 -0500 I saw the Cattle Egret reported to me by Herb Dingman and Ron Erpalding. The bird was easily, though distantly, visible from the road. Two other birders were there when I arrived at 3:25. The egret seems to be eating worms or some insects still around. It stayed close to one of four horses grazing together, flying once to catch up with its large companions. The egret was still present when I left at 3:40. As I mentioned in my 1st post, the bird is in Chisago County, but observed from 240th St., which is the Washington/Chisago county line. From the south, take Washington County 3 north out of Scandia. At 240th St. turn right. There are several houses and driveways, but you will almost immediately see a large field on your left where the horses are grazing. Linda Sparling_______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: Chisago Co. Cattle Egret still present From: Linda Sparling <hagsela AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:19:07 -0500 I saw the Cattle Egret reported to me by Herb Dingman and Ron Erpalding. The bird was easily, though distantly, visible from the road. Two other birders were there when I arrived at 3:25. The egret seems to be eating worms or some insects still around. It stayed close to one of four horses grazing together, flying once to catch up with its large companions. The egret was still present when I left at 3:40. As I mentioned in my 1st post, the bird is in Chisago County, but observed from 240th St., which is the Washington/Chisago county line. From the south, take Washington County 3 north out of Scandia. At 240th St. turn right. There are several houses and driveways, but you will almost immediately see a large field on your left where the horses are grazing. Linda Sparling ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Pine County: Black Scoter From: Douglas Mayo <twizler AT MSN.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:57:12 -0600 This morning I found a pair of Black Scoters on the west side of Grindstone Lake in Pine County. I observed these birds from the observation deck at the Audubon Center of the North Woods. Douglas Mayo ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Swallow sp & WI Pt. Gulls From: Michael Hendrickson <mlhendrickson AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:06:52 -0800 I arrived at Wisconsin Point at 11am and stayed till 2:50pm. I was birding with Peder Svingen, Karl Bardon and Lars Benson. At 2:40pm I spotted a swallow species zipping over the rocky break wall which is the furthest break wall from us. It only allowed me a second look but from what I saw it had a square tail and a buffy breast. The swallow never was seen again. At 3:05pm I was heading a block west of the intersection of Mocassin Mike Rd and the road the leads out to the end of WI Pt. I noticed 2 swallows while I was driving and one of them had a facial looks of a Cliff/Cave Swallow. I immediatly turned around and tried to catch up to them as they were heading towards the landfill above Mocassin Mike Rd. I never was able to relocate them but I called the other birders back at the Superior entry about the sighting. At 3:25pm I got a call that Peder Svingen ran into a WI birder ( Nick Anich ) who inform Peder he spotted a Cave Swallow at the same intersection where I spotted two swallow species and I was told that Nick thought there were possibly two Cave Swallows. So did I possbily see a Cave Swallow in Mn? UGH! I'll be at Park Point and WI Pt looking for swallows if they stick around. Gulls seen on the MN breakwall: - Great Black-backed Gull ( adult nonbreeding ) - Great black-backed Gull ( Peder found this interesting gull as it looks like this bird was moving into 2nd cycle and it darker than the other two first cycles we been seeing off and on. So there might be 4 GBBGs in Minnesota!! ) - 2 Thayer's Gulls ( adult and 1st cycle ) - 4 Glaucous Gulls ( all 1st cycles ) - 1 Iceland Gull ( 1st cycle ) Other birds seen: - 2 Red-throated Loons ( Karl Bardon spotted ) - 1 Western Grebe ( WI waters ) - 10 Long-tailed Ducks Wisconsin Pt / Superior entry has such a high turn over rate of new gulls being seen each day and hopefully something more exotic like a Mew Gull will be found. So anyway Duluth birders keep an eye out for swallows along the northshore and park point. Mike Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota Website: http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/ Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Cattle Egret in Chisago County From: hagsela AT aol.com Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:11:15 -0500 Herb Dingman and Ron Erpalding just called to report a Cattle Egret just north of the Washington County line in Chisago County. THe bird is associating with horses in a field you get to by taking County 3 north out of Scandia to 240th St. Take a right on 240th (the county line) and they saw the bird on the left (North) .1 mile east of County 3. I'm heading there now. Linda Sparling_______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: Cattle Egret in Chisago County From: Linda Sparling <hagsela AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:11:15 -0500 Herb Dingman and Ron Erpalding just called to report a Cattle Egret just north of the Washington County line in Chisago County. THe bird is associating with horses in a field you get to by taking County 3 north out of Scandia to 240th St. Take a right on 240th (the county line) and they saw the bird on the left (North) .1 mile east of County 3. I'm heading there now. Linda Sparling ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Pacific Loon-Osakis From: Milton Blomberg <MJBFLWRMT AT MSN.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:30:00 -0600 Birded Lake Osakis this morning and just after the rain quit and on the Todd County side (NE part of the lake) near Sunfish Resort bay area (S of Battle Point County Park), found a nicely colored Pacific Loon. Other birds on or around the lake, though sporadic, 1-Western Grebe, 1-Pied-billed Grebe, Ringneck Ducks, 100 HoodMergs, 2-Goldeneye, only several hundred coots, Red-winged blackbirds. White-capping by 11AM, no scoters. In a plowed field with Ring-billed Gulls, a huge flock of Brewer's Blackbirds. mjb ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Fwd: California Gull lake Fremont From: Nathan Schirmacher <natester166 AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:44:14 -0600 Nathan Schirmacher Mille Lacs County Begin forwarded message: > From: Nathan Schirmacher > Date: November 14, 2009 8:14:07 AM CST > To: MOU , MNBIRD > Subject: California Gull lake Fremont > > There was a second winter California Gull at Lake Fremont this > morning at about 7:45. It was seen in flight and briefly on the > water before it flew south ( I assume towards the elk river dump). > Lake Fremont is located just north of Zimmerman. Any questions feel > free to email. > > Nathan Schirmacher > Mille Lacs County ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: E Screech Owl, not present, Minnetonka, MN From: George B Skinner <george.skinner AT GTE.NET> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:13:41 -0600 The owl was not in the box this morning. We have not seen it since the first posting. There is still just one pellet in the box. I won't post again until it returns. George Skinner 15330 Lynn Terrace Minnetonka, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Please subscribe me From: tinkermn <tinkermn AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:10:55 -0600 Please add me to the list. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: new list From: Donald Jones <dl7jones AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:06:35 -0600 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: mou-net has moved From: "mou AT moumn.org" <mou-net@MOUMN.ORG> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:00:41 -0700 mou-net has moved to mou-net AT lists.umn.edu. Please resend your message to that address. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: California Gull lake Fremont From: Nathan Schirmacher <natester166 AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:14:07 -0600 There was a second winter California Gull at Lake Fremont this morning at about 7:45. It was seen in flight and briefly on the water before it flew south ( I assume towards the elk river dump). Lake Fremont is located just north of Zimmerman. Any questions feel free to email. Nathan Schirmacher Mille Lacs County _______________________________________________ mnbird mailing list mnbird AT lists.mnbird.net http://lists.mnbird.net/mailman/listinfo/mnbird Unsubscribe: %(user_optionsurl)s Subject: California Gull lake Fremont From: Nathan Schirmacher <natester166 AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:14:07 -0600 There was a second winter California Gull at Lake Fremont this morning at about 7:45. It was seen in flight and briefly on the water before it flew south ( I assume towards the elk river dump). Lake Fremont is located just north of Zimmerman. Any questions feel free to email. Nathan Schirmacher Mille Lacs County ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: 2010 Sax Zim Winter Bird Festival From: Michael Hendrickson <mlhendrickson AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:28:41 -0800 Hello Well its that time of the year to think about winter and one of the great things about winter is winter birding!! Sax-Zim Bog is always on the radar for birders from all over North America and Europe who come and search the bog to see the following birds: Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Rough-legged Hawks, occasionally a Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk Owls, Great Gray Owls, American Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Shrikes, Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays, Pine Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, Red & White-winged Crossbills, Common and Hoary Redpolls and Evening Grosbeaks. Down in Duluth birders can search for Bohemian Waxwings or possibly a Varied Thrush or a Townsend Solitaire. In the Duluth Harbor in the early dawn hours or at dusk Snowy Owls during most winters can be found hunting or roosting out on the bay ice. If there is open water in the canal park area birders can search among the hundreds of Common Goldeneyes for a Long-tailed Duck or Harlequin Duck. Also gull species like Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gulls can be found at times sitting out among the Herring Gulls on the break walls in the Canal Park area but most birders head over to the WI Landfill where hundred and at times 1000s of gulls will congregate at the land fill. Of course Gyrfalcons will be on the radar for most birders and occasionally Duluth and Superior harbors will attract a Gyrfalcon that feed on the pigeons around the grain elevators during the winter season. Out in Aitkin County the main highlight is watching 30 or so Sharp-tailed Grouse do some early courting and dancing in mid February! Aitkin County also offers better odds than Sax Zim Bog in finding a Snowy Owl or possibly a Great Gray Owl north of Palisade along CR 18. If you want to see some great winter birds, be led by some of the best birders in the state, eat some of the best food around and listen to some great speakers than head up to Meadowlands, Minnesota for our third season!! February 12-14th 2010 will be the third annual Sax-Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival. All the festival activities will be held at the Meadowlands community center in Meadowlands, MN. This years festival speakers will be Kim Risen and Al Batt. Kim Risen will presenting a talk on Friday Feb. 12 called Mexico" Birding Wonderland and Al Batt will be speaking on Saturday Feb. 13. We brought Al Batt back because he was a such a huge hit with the locals last year that those that missed his presentation asked if we bring him back! The field trip destinations include Sax-Zim Bog, Aitkin County and Duluth & WI Landfill. This year we will be offering our first workshop led by Sparky Stensaas and Shawn Zierman called "Winter Pixels: Bird and Nature Photography in the White Season" . I added some new field trip leaders this year and hopefully will have 3 leaders per trip to help get everyone on birds. There will also be local craftsmen and area bird clubs for birders to purchase one of their products or learn about some of our local bird clubs like Duluth Audubon and Hawk Ridge. So far the season is looking good with several sightings of Northern Hawk Owls (16-18 owls so far) and I am sure more will be found as winter moves in and more importantly when deer hunting season finishes up. Lots of finches are moving around especially White-winged and Red Crossbills and Pine Grosbeaks and redpolls are beginning to move down into northern Minnesota in fair numbers. Last year we saw lots of good birds and the main highlights were the Northern Hawk Owls and a Boreal Owl plus all the winter bird specialties coming to the many feeders in the bog. Speaking of feeders there will be once again 3 main feeding stations in the Sax-Zim Bog area. These birding stations will be located at Paul Mueller's farm, Helen & Dave Abramson's residence and the Morse's residence. All these feeding stations can be found on the Sax-Zim Bog website under feeding stations. I am also sure there will be a few deer rib stations found on the Admiral Rd, Arkola Rd and Owl Avenue just like last year that attracted Boreal Chickadees and other goodies! The two main locations to link up to the Sax-Zim Bog Festival website and register for the festival are the following locations. 1. MOU website: Look in "Birding Minnesota" and click on Sax-Zim Bog Festival: http://moumn.org/sax-zim/index.html 2. My Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/ ( Look on the left hand side column ) If you have not attended this festival you are missing out on home town flavor festival that is small in some ways but HUGE on the birds we see! Thanks Mike Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota Website: http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/ Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Subject: Slaty-backed Gull photos From: Erik Bruhnke <birdfedr AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:56:07 -0600 Attached are my photos from today. Lighting was very tricky, because not only was the sky very overcast, but the air was dense with cool moisture, and so conditions were tough... Enjoy the photos! Slaty-backed Gull http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356789 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356791 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356792 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356793 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356794 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356795 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356796 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/119356798 I am new to hybrid gulls, and in my past email when I was tallying up the total numbers of votes per species on the gull, I associated Nelson's Gull with the wrong hybrid gull... Nelson's Gull is a Glaucous Gull x Herring Gull hybrid. The Glaucous-winged Gull x Herring Gull hybrid still leads with the most votes for the gull in these photos. Tomorrow I'll hopefully get the details down about this bird! Gull species? http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/gull_id Good birdwatching, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN NATURALLY AVIAN - Guided bird hikes and bird photography www.pbase.com/birdfedr/naturallyavian birdfedr AT gmail.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html