UP Rare Bird Report for January 22, 2009

Thu Jan 22 17:13:09 EST 2009

UP Rare Bird Report for January 22, 2009

Recent updates to the 2009 photo gallery at www.UPBirders.org include Three-toed Woodpecker, Gyrfalcon, Boreal Owl and Hoary Redpoll.  

Highlights

AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER*
Gyrfalcon
Iceland Gull
Thayer's Gull
Snowy Owl
Great Gray Owl
Northern Hawk Owl
Boreal Owl
Black-backed Woodpecker
Varied Thrush
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Hoary Redpoll

Baraga County
The female AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER* discovered by Joe Youngman on January 1st on the Baraga/Houghton County line, has been reported by multiple observers through the 22nd. One party was unable to find the bird at the known stake-out, relocated the woodpecker along US-41 on the west side of the road just inside of Houghton County. A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER has been reported from this location as well. For detailed directions contact Joe Youngman at murphnj AT up.net. Max Henschell reported that there were 2 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS on the Baraga Plains burn on the 19th. 

Marquette County
David Pavlik and Scot Stewart had an adult GYRFALCON along the City of Marquette waterfront on January 11th. The bird was observed again on the 13, 16 & 21st. This is presumed to be (and looks like) the GYRFALCON that has wintered in Marquette for 2 previous years now. SNOWY OWLS are still being reported frequently in the City of Marquette with recent sightings from the lower harbor and the NMU athletic fields and compost yard along Lakeshore Drive. David Pavlik had 2 HOARY REDPOLLS at Little Presqu
e Isle on the 18th. BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS have been making an appearance in Marquette with Greg Cleary reporting a flock of 71 along Lakeshore Boulevard on the 11th. A flock of 49 were seen in flight over the lower harbor on the 13th, and a flock of 20 in south Marquette on the 21st. A flock of 9 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were reported from Michigamme on the 12th. The amount of mountain ash berries in the Village of Michigamme is staggering, and this could be a good location for large waxwing flocks as the winter draws on. Alison Vilag reported that a female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER and 2+ BOREAL CHICKADEES were near the trailhead of the McCormick Tract Wilderness Area off the Peshekee Grade on January 10th. Alec Lindsay reports that there were 4 BOREAL CHICKADEES in the McCormick Track on the 18th. The ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER at the feeders of Lou & Pri Chappell was reported through 20th. Surprising was the discovery of a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER coming to the feeders of Vicki Bennon in Diorite on the 18th. Vicki also reports that there are a few GRAY JAYS coming to her feeders. Making for a rare winter record on Lake Superior, a male REDHEAD has been present since the 3rd at the hot ponds at the Presque Isle Power Plant at the mouth of the Dead River. 

Dickinson County
Bruce Ottenburger reports that the male VARIED THRUSH returned to his home on January 15th. There have been no further reports.

Alger County
Jude Holloway reported a HOARY REDPOLL at her feeders along 16 Mile Road on January 9th. Ju
de also reports that TRUMPETER SWANS can be found at their traditional wintering location on Trout Lake in the Hiawatha National Forest, and that 2 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were off of Doe Lake Road. Left off of last week's report was a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER on the Au Train CBC along Doe Lake Road on December 22nd. The number of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Grand Marais is approaching epic levels with a conservative count of 1200+ on Janauary 10th. 

Schoolcraft County
Tony Block reports that he saw a SNOWY OWL in Manistique on January 11th. Ron Annelin reported a small owl, most likely a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was at his feeders on the 9th. 

Chippewa County
Eastern Chippewa County continues to be a birding hotspot for the state with a number of notable sightings in the last couple of weeks. NORTHERN HAWK OWLS have been consistently been found in 3 locations- 1 in Rudyard on Tilson Road just north of the railroad tracks north of the Tilson/Mackinaw Trail fork; and 2 in Pickford, with 1 at the southeast corner of M-48 and McCabe, and the other along M-48 one mile east of M-129. GREAT GRAY OWLS are beginning to be appear with Lois & Bob Robbins reporting 1 by their home along 11 Mile Road just off of M-129 on January 6th and 11th. Two second-hand reports of GREAT GRAY OWLS include 1 south on Centerline Road where it "T's" into Bay Road on the 8th; and one 6 miles south of Pickford. Of course, please use respect and caution when viewing or photographing owls and not cause them to flush unnece
ssarily. Any action that causes an already possible starving owl to burn energy in this sub-zero weather could endanger its life, in addition to  a possible collision with an car, as several of these birds are along busy roadways. There have only been second-hand reports of the GYRFALCON that was reported in the farm country from near the Village of Dafter in recent weeks. Joel Lake photographed a BOREAL OWL at his home on Izaak Walton Bay, west of Sault Ste. Marie on the 10th. SNOWY OWLS remain easy to find in the greater Soo region with the mainstay of reports coming from the Rudyard "loop"- aka, the roads of Centerline, M-48 and Hantz Road that loop around I-75 east of Rudyard. SNOWY OWLS have also been observed along Ridge Road south of Sault Ste. Marie. Jim Dawe and Mark & Joanie Hubinger reported a HOARY REDPOLL feeding on grit near the intersection of 7 Mile and Ridge Roads on the 11th. A HOARY REDPOLL has been reported at the feeding station in the Dunbar Forest by Joseph Pins on a frequent basis. Dawe & the Hubingers also reported that gulls at the Dafter Dump on the 11th included 1 THAYER'S GULL, 3 ICELAND GULLS, 6 GLAUCOUS GULLS and several GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS. Lathe Claflin reported 4 GLAUCOUS GULLS at Dafter Dump on the 16th. Other birds reported from the Soo region include several NORTHERN SHRIKES, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and good numbers of SHARP-TAILED GROUSE.

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All birds marked with20an asterisk “*” in the report are review species in the State of Michigan and should be documented with photos or a written description. Please send documentation to Adam Byrne at the Michigan Birds Records Committee at either 11771 Rachel LN, Dewitt, MI, 48820 or by email at Byrnea”AT”msu.edu

For further information about the Records Committee, please visit: http://www.michiganaudubon.org/mbrc/mbrc_home.html

To report rare birds, please email me at the TheOwlRanch at aol.com or to Birdnet at UPBirders.org if you are a subscriber. For more information on Birdnet, or UP birds, please visit www.UPBirders.org

Till next time,

~Skye Haas

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