GREAT GRAY OWLS and NORTHERN HAWK OWLS continue to be easy to locate north of Duluth. The best area to check is along St. Louis County Road 7 in the Sax-Zim area. Please note that residents from the bog area are asking birders to pull off completely to the sides of roads. Please continue to report northern owl observations with locations and dates.
Mike Hendrickson reported a BOREAL OWL in Duluth on the 14th, just north of the intersection of Maxwell Street and Elm Street, though the bird has not been seen since. From Glenwood Street, head north on Jean Duluth Road for about three miles to West Tischer Road, then head east to Maxwell, and south to Elm.
A SNOWY OWL was reported in Duluth along Piedmont Avenue on December 9th.
Both BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER and AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER were reported from Spruce Road, which turns north off State Highway 1, roughly fourteen miles northwest of Lake County Road 2.
At least two TUFTED TITMICE are visiting the feeders at Jon Peterson’s home in the city of Wabasha, in Wabasha County. Drive one and one-half miles west of U.S. Highway 61 on County Road 77 to reach the general vicinity.
The TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE is still present on Ann Lake Campground Road in Sherburne County. It was reported as recently as December 12th. On the 11th, a Townsend’s Solitaire was at Grand Portage in Cook County along State Highway 61. Also in Cook County, a VARIED THRUSH was at a feeder at Mile Marker 210 along Old Ski Hill Road, which turns west off the Gunflint Trail at Mile Marker 210. Another Varied Thrush was seen on December 13th along Pineview Drive in Vadnais Heights, in Ramsey County. A Varied Thrush has been in a Coon Rapids, Anoka County yard for the past two weeks. And in Pennington County, Loren Race had a Varied Thrush visit his feeding station in the town of Goodridge on December 13th.