Dear Fellow Midwestern Birdwatchers,
This is a concise trip report of the much advertised non-profit trip to
Minnesota.
We saw fifty birds.
As you may recall I tried to organize a rather last minute trip to the
Duluth area of Minnesota to try for some of the specialties and rarities of
the area. On January fifth there were five of us in a rental van headed for
Duluth.
We saw almost every resident or all-but-guaranteed species but two or three.
For some reason, (only the birds know) the once-copious-this-winter Bohemian
Waxwings and Purple Finches were nowhere to be seen or heard.
We missed the Boreal Owl migration by a few hours -literally! Mike
Hendrickson, a very good local guide, kept with the story that "they are do
soon" and "they show up around this time every year - there's got to be one
here now!." We mounted a concerted search for one the night before our
departure -but to no avail. The next morning, on Sunday the 11th, I checked
the MOU-RBA -as I always do- and lo and behold, they had found one dead that
night of our search.
As we neared Madison, WI on Highway 94, Mike Hendrickson called us to let us
now that we should "come quick" as he was staring straight at one.
During the following week as I was birding in Florida (the reason for the
tardiness of this posting) many more were found, including a cyclist Boreal
Owl perched on a bike in someone's garage in Duluth.
Well, that's birding.
We did however -quite unexpectedly- find a Townsend's Solitaire in Ely, MN.
Thanks to you, Mark, for finding that one!
We did not see the Harlequin duck or the Varied Thrush that had been so
enthusiastically reported and chased in the week prior to our arrival to the
frozen north of Minnesota.
For the rest of the story, simply take a look at out trip report. The trip
report is available on Bubo.org. This is a wonderful bird listing website
run by a few "Twichers" in England. I will post all of my trip report here
and they may be found by my name: Morris Gevirtz, or by searching for the
birding location.
You may also view the list at this URL:
http://spreadsheets.google.<goog_1232637972987>
com/ccc?key=p8lcuH_
<goog_1232637972987>EmCyXdadXBGINweg<http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p8lcuH_EmCyXdadXBGINweg>
I have also appended the list to this message.
Here's a link to some of the pictures of the
trip.<http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgevirtz/sets/72157612865683608/>
One other matter of business. (but not for business)
This trip was so pleasant, so entertaining, birdfully successful and cheap
(less than $400) that I want to do something similar again -and soon!
I have some ideas about where to organize another trip.
*Crane Creek* in around May 15th (the peak or the warbler migration there)
*Southern Florida* and the Dry Tortugas in April or May
*Belize and/or Southern Mexico* in June or July. (Note: I am a native
Spanish speaker and Latin America is my stomping ground!)
Would any of you be interested in doing something like this. Have you any
other places in mind?
Lets join forces and together go places we wouldn't go on our own. Let's
meet new people, see great places and, of course, pad our bird lists
-together!
THE LIST
Morris Gevirtz: Minnesota Life List MOURC Record(s) 1 to 50 of 50 total.
No. Species Scientific Name Date Location Comments
1 Canada Goose Branta canadensis 05/01/2009 Wisconsin
2 *Tundra Swan* Cygnus columbianus 05/01/2009 Near baraboo
Lone bird among hundreds of Canada Geese
3 American Black Duck Anas rubripes 06/01/2009 Duluth, Canal
4 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Seen all along the trip
5 Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Lake Superior Tens to
Hundredred seen most every day along Lake Superior
6 *Barrow's Goldeneye * Bucephala islandica 06/01/2009 Duluth
Canal, near Naval Museum
7 Common Merganser Mergus merganser 06/01/2009 Duluth Canal
8 *Ruffed Grouse * Bonasa umbellus Minnesota Two specimens
found dead in St. Louis and Lake Co. on two different days.
9 *Sharp-tailed Grouse * Tympanuchus phasianellus 10/01/2009
Tamarack, MN One flock of more than Thirty Seen .25 miles south of
Tamarack. Seen right at dawn.
10 Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo Wisconsin Several flocks
seen along the highway on the trip to and from Duluth
11 * Bald Eagle* Haliaeetus leucocephalus Wisconsin,
Minnesota Many tens seen throught the trip and every day near feeding on
carcases, fish, or garbage at the Superior Dump.
12 Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Wisconsin Seen from the
highway on the trips to and from Suluth.
13 *Rough-legged Hawk* Buteo lagopus 11/01/2009 Wisconsin
Several seen from the highway on the return trip from Duluth
14 American Kestrel Falco sparverius 05/01/2009 Wisconsin
Several Individuals seen along highway, one found dead.
15 Herring Gull Larus argentatus Lake Superior Seen every
day in great quantities
16 * Thayer's Gull* Larus thayeri 10/01/2009 Superior Dump, WI
One maybe two seen at dump.
17 * Iceland Gull * Larus glaucoides 10/01/2009 Superior Dump,
WI One Gleaming indivisual seen at Superior Dump
18 *Lesser Black-backed Gull* Larus fuscus Superior Dump, WI
One maybe two seen at dump.
19 Rock Pigeon Columba livia Ubiquitous Can you belive that
we saw more than ten of these?
20 Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura 05/01/2009 Canal Park
Partcularly beautiful bird.
21 * Snowy Owl* Bubo scandiacus 07/01/2009 Lake Superior (Seen
from Superior, WI) One yarmocha wearing indivisual, heavily tagged and
painted soppoted on the Lake ice on this day.
22 *Northern Hawk Owl* Surnia ulula 07/01/2009 Corner of Co Rd.
7 and Sax rd.
23 *Great Gray Owl* Strix nebulosa 07/01/2009 Sax Zim Bog,
Two individuals seen on on this date and the other along the Hwy 61 on the
11th.
24 Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus 11/01/2009 NOT SEEN BY GROUP
Our guide called us to have us see the owl he FINALLY found as we were 200
miles south of Duluth.
25 Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus 05/01/2009 Near
Baraboo WI One individual Hear in woods near Baraboo.
26 Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens Many seen and heard
throughout the trip
27 *Hairy Woodpecker* Picoides villosus 07/01/2009 Sax Zim
Bog Regularly seen at Carcass feeders in the Bog
28 *American Three-toed Woodpecker * Picoides dorsalis 09/01/2009
McDavitt Rd. One individual seen a
29 *Black-backed Woodpecker* Picoides arcticus 09/01/2009
McDavitt Rd.
30 Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus 10/01/2009 Kitchi Gami
Park One Awesome guy in a tree. GREAT views.
31 Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor 06/01/2009 HWY 51 Several
individuals seen along this highway.
32 *Gray Jay* Perisoreus canadensis 09/01/2009 Admiral Road
Feeder
33 Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata Ubiquitous
34 *Black-billed Magpie * Pica hudsonia 09/01/2009 Sax Zim Bog
35 American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Ubiquitous
36 Common Raven Corvus corax Ubiquitous north of Eau Clair
37 Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus Ubiquitous
38 *Boreal Chickadee * Poecile hudsonica 09/01/2009 Admiral Road
Feeder Seen every day at feeder
39 Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis 06/01/2009 Seen
everyday at feeders and thought the trip
40 White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis Ubiquitous
41 * Townsend's Solitaire* Myadestes townsendi 09/01/2009 Ely,
MN One individual seen on Lookout Ridge Road
42 Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Ubiquitous
43 * Pine Grosbeak* Pinicola enucleator 09/01/2009 Gilbert, MN
Residential Feeder
44 House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Sparse but widespread
45 *White-winged Crossbill* Loxia leucoptera Gilbert, MN
46 *Common Redpoll * Carduelis flammea Ubiquitous Copious
this year
47 *Hoary Redpoll* Carduelis hornemanni 09/01/2009 Gilbert, MN
Residential Feeder
48 *Pine Siskin * Carduelis pinus 06/01/2009 Seen several
times thoughut trip at feeders
49 *Evening Grosbeak* Coccothraustes vespertinus Blue Spruce
Rd. Feeder Seen everyday aBlue Spruce Feeders
50 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Ubiquitous
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