The northern owl invasion occurring in northern Minnesota is turning out to be fairly substantial, and there is currently over 40 NORTHERN HAWK OWLS and more than 45 GREAT GRAY OWLS on record. It is impracticable to try to list them all, so only those that are both easy to find and likely to be found are being listed.

A Northern Hawk-Owl was found on November 6th just before Mile Marker 76 on State Highway 61 on the lake side of the highway. This appears to be in Lake County. On November 11th, there was a Northern Hawk Owl along Interstate 35 north of Barnum in Carlton County. The owl was near the freeway, just south of Mile Marker 223, on the east side of the road. Also on the 11th, a Northern Hawk Owl was seen at the edge of a small spruce bog at Mile Marker 43 of U.S. Highway 53 in St. Louis County, and another was at Mile Marker 33 on the east side of the same highway.

On November 9th, a Great Gray Owl was along St. Louis County Road 202 in the Sax-Zim Bog area, one-half mile south of County Road 52. Another was on U.S. Highway 61, one-quarter of a mile east of Homestead Road in St. Louis County. And a Great Gray Owl was along West Knife River Road about one mile west of St. Louis County Road 41.

On November 10th, a BLACK SCOTER was out from the 34th Street access to Lake Superior on Park Point in Duluth. Four LONG-TAILED DUCKS, a SURF SCOTER, and a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER were all at Good Harbor Bay in Cook County on the 6th.

On November 9th, an adult THAYER’S GULL was reported along U.S. Highway 61 south of Lake City, in Wabasha County. The gull was seen just south of Lake Pepin. On the 11th, the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, CALIFORNIA GULL, and two Thayer’s Gulls were all present at Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.

Maurita Geerts reported a SCARLET TANAGER in her yard in the Aitkin area of Aitkin County on the 8th.

On the 9th, a group of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS was in the Sax-Zim Bog area along St. Louis County Road 202, one-half mile south of County Road 52. Many people are also reporting BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, RED CROSSBILLS, PINE SISKINS, COMMON REDPOLLS, and PINE GROSBEAKS throughout northeastern Minnesota.