On October 31st and again on November 2nd, Bruce Fall observed a first winter CALIFORNIA GULL on the west side of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. Also present was a first winter THAYER’S GULL and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.

On November 1st, a PACIFIC LOON was found at Five Mile Rock east of Grand Marais in Cook County. Another was on Molly Stark Lake in Otter Tail County on the 3rd. And on October 26th, a Pacific Loon was on Lake Mille Lacs, seen from Mille Lacs County Road 35 on the south side of Vineland Bay.

Several NORTHERN HAWK OWLS have shown up over the last week. In Itasca County, one was along U.S. Highway 2, seven miles west of the town of Floodwood. In St. Louis County, one was found on November 3rd, two miles north of the town of Cotton on U.S. Highway 53. In Lake County, one was along County Road 7, one mile east of Forest Road 369, and a second was along County Road 2, one-quarter mile north of the first set of railroad tracks.

In Cook County, two Hawk Owls were along Forest Road 315, about three and one-half miles south of the Gunflint Trail. Another was along Forest Road 153, one-quarter of a mile west of the Cascade River. In Aitkin County, three Hawk Owls were along Aitkin County Road 18, all within two miles of U.S. Highway 169. And a fourth was on Aitkin County Road 1, about five miles north of the diversion channel. A Northern Hawk Owl was found near the Deep Portage Learning Center in Cass County on October 29th. Deep Portage is situated between Hackensack and Longville on the shores of Big Deep Lake.

And GREAT GRAY OWLS are also being reported across northeastern Minnesota. On November 2nd, one was along St. Louis County Road 43, one-half mile west of McQuade Road. Another was along St. Louis County Road 271, one mile north of West Knife River Road. Several more Great Gray Owls are being reported from the Sax Zim Bog area. In Lake County, a Great Gray was on the north side of the Two Harbors Golf Course along County Road 2, one-half mile north of State Highway 61. In Cook County, two Great Grays were seen just north of the intersection of County Road 14 and Trout Lake Road. Another was reported along Forest Road 315, roughly four miles south of the Gunflint Trail. And a Great Gray was at the stream crossing on Trout Lake Road about one mile north of Cook County Road 16.
On October 26th, a TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE was at the public access at the town of Cove on the southwest side of Lake Mille Lacs, and on November 4th, another was at the contact station at Buffalo Ridge State Park in Clay County.

Christine Baldwin of St. Paul had a VARIED THRUSH visit her yard on October 30th, but the bird has not been seen since.

Also reported this week were LONG-TAILED DUCK, SURF SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER, and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER from several stops along State Highway 61 in Cook County. And ten White-Winged Scoters were on Lake Byllesby in Dakota County on October 29th.