This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, January 14, 2016 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218)847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.
The world is white around the northwest tonight, and the real cold is to arrive later. Birds have been busy at the feeders in preparation for the long night. There are several reports of snowy owls this week as it appears that some are starting to make their way back north.
A THREE-TOED WOODPECKER was spotted by Cindi McDougall on January 9 on a logging road east of the Pitt Grade Forest Road in Lake of the Woods County. Also in that county, Mike Thiele reported a PILEATED WOODPECKER at a yard in Warroad.
From Marshall County on the west side of Agassiz NWR, an AMERICAN ROBIN was still to be found in the yard of Cliff Steinhauer on January 14.
Tammy Swick reported a SNOWY OWL a few miles southwest of Thief River Falls, Pennington County, on January 12.
Several SNOWY OWLS were found in Polk County this week. Dan Linder found one adult male along a gravel road southeast of Alvarado on January 6. Two more were seen by Donna and Leon Thoreson five miles northeast of Climax on January 9. Both appeared to be adult males. Another was seen on January 12 north of Eldred. In Donna and Leon’s yard near Climax were an AMERICAN ROBIN, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, HARRIS’S SPARROW, COMMON REDPOLLS, and AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. A BALD EAGLE and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE were seen feeding on roadkill nearby. In East Grand Forks, Sandy Martens reported DARK-EYED JUNCOS, PINE SISKINS, COMMON REDPOLLS, HOUSE FINCHES, and others at her feeders on January 9.
Kathy Bresee in Moorhead, Clay County, reported EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES, NORTHERN CARDINAL, PINE SISKINS , and COMMON REDPOLLS among others coming to her yard on January 5.
Thanks to Cindi McDougall, Cliff Steinhauer, Dan Linder, Kathy Bresee, Donna and Leon Thoreson, Mike Thiele, Sandy Martens, and Tammy Swick for their reports.
Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru@mncable.net OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber’s toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took place. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, January 21, 2016.