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 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]