Itasca County and Chippewa National Forest Birding

Itasca County Big Day

A “Big Day” is an event where an individual or small team chooses a 24-hour period to locate and identify as many species of birds as possible in one county. Listed below are the species and totals of all officially recorded Big Days in Itasca County.

NEW Date: 5/24/2008 Observers: Shawn Conrad, Earl Orf , John Hockema, Dedrick Benz--# Species: 142
Date: 5/21/2004 Observers: Aaron Alto, Shawn Conrad, Earl Orf --# Species: 118
Date: 5/23/2003 Observer: Jeff Stephenson, Herb Dingmann, Chuck Krulas --# Species: 112
Date: 5/23/2003 Observer: Earl Orf -- # Species: 95
Date: 5/14/2002 Observers: Bob Janssen, Jerry Bonkoski --# Species: 77

Date: 5/21/2004

Observers: Aaron Alto, Shawn Conrad, Earl Orf

# Species: 118

American Bittern	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	White-crowned Sparrow
American Kestrel	Eastern Phoebe	Purple Finch	Baltimore Oriole
American White Pelican	Black Tern	Veery	Blackpoll Warbler
American Woodcock	Blue Jay	Tennessee Warbler	Common Grackle
Bald Eagle	Northern Flicker	Black-capped Chickadee	Le Conte's Sparrow
Blue-winged Teal	Mourning Dove	Gray Catbird	Mourning Warbler
Broad-winged Hawk	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Pine Siskin	Clay-colored Sparrow
Canada Goose	Caspian Tern	Hermit Thrush	Black-and-white Warbler
Common Goldeneye	Northern Saw-whet Owl	European Starling	Wilson's Warbler
Common Loon	Killdeer	Red-eyed Vireo	Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Merganser	Whip-poor-will	White-breasted Nuthatch	Fox Sparrow
Wilson’s Snipe	Gray Jay	Nashville Warbler	Brewer's Blackbird
Double-crested Cormorant	Herring Gull	Eastern Bluebird	Palm Warbler
Great Blue Heron	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Tree Swallow	Song Sparrow
Green Heron	Belted Kingfisher	Purple Martin	Swamp Sparrow
Hooded Merganser	Common Nighthawk	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Canada Warbler
Lesser Yellowlegs	American Crow	Northern Parula	Brown-headed Cowbird
Mallard	Rock Pigeon	American Robin	Ovenbird
Northern Harrier	Pileated Woodpecker	House Sparrow	Chipping Sparrow
Northern Shoveler	Barred Owl	Brown Thrasher	Common Yellowthroat
Osprey	Hairy Woodpecker	Cliff Swallow	Savannah Sparrow
Red-necked Grebe	Ring-billed Gull	Cedar Waxwing	Blackburnian Warbler
Red-tailed Hawk	Least Flycatcher	American Goldfinch	Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Ruffed Grouse	Great Crested Flycatcher	Evening Grosbeak	Yellow-headed Blackbird
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Yellow-throated Vireo	Chestnut-sided Warbler	American Redstart
Sora	Eastern Kingbird	Golden-winged Warbler	Red-winged Blackbird
Spotted Sandpiper	Common Raven	Yellow Warbler	Bobolink
Turkey Vulture	Downy Woodpecker	Barn Swallow	White-throated Sparrow
Wilson's Phalarope	Philadelphia Vireo	Cape May Warbler
Wood Duck	Common Tern	Wood Thrush

Date: 5/23/2003

Observer: Jeff Stephenson, Herb Dingmann, Chuck Krulas

# Species: 112

Common Loon	Pied-billed Grebe	Great Blue Heron	Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose	Wood Duck	Mallard	Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup	Common Goldeneye	Hooded Merganser	Common Merganser
Osprey	Bald Eagle	Northern Harrier	Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk	American Kestrel	Ruffed Grouse	Virginia Rail
Sora	Killdeer	Solitary Sandpiper	Wilson’s Snipe
Ring-billed Gull	Herring Gull	Common Tern	Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove	Chimney Swift	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Downy Woodpecker	Hairy Woodpecker	Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker	Least Flycatcher	Eastern Phoebe	Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird	Red-eyed Vireo	Blue Jay	American Crow
Common Raven	Tree Swallow	Cliff Swallow	Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee	Red-breasted Nuthatch	White-breasted Nuthatch	House Wren
Sedge Wren	Eastern Bluebird	Veery	Hermit Thrush
American Robin	Gray Catbird	European Starling	Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler	Orange-crowned Warbler	Nashville Warbler	Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler	Chestnut-sided Warbler	Magnolia Warbler	Cape May Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Black-throated Green Warbler	Blackburnian Warbler	Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler	Blackpoll Warbler	Black-and-white Warbler	American Redstart
Ovenbird	Mourning Warbler	Common Yellowthroat	Wilson’s Warbler
Chipping Sparrow	Clay-colored Sparrow	Savannah Sparrow	Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow	White-throated Sparrow	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird	Eastern Meadowlark	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird	Baltimore Oriole	House Finch	American Goldfinch
House Sparrow	American Bittern	Trumpeter Swan	Caspian Tern
Black Tern	Yellow-throated Vireo	Blue-headed Vireo	Warbling Vireo
Gray Jay	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Bank Swallow	Gray-cheeked Thrush
Scarlet Tanager	Pine Siskin	Evening Grosbeak	Final species record lost

Date: 5/23/2003

Observer: Earl Orf

# Species: 95

American Crow	Cape May Warbler	Least Flycatcher	Ruffed Grouse
American Goldfinch	Chestnut-sided Warbler	Magnolia Warbler	Savannah Sparrow
American Kestrel	Chimney Swift	Mallard	Song Sparrow
American Redstart	Chipping Sparrow	Mourning Dove	Spotted Sandpiper
American Robin	Common Goldeneye	Nashville Warbler	Swamp Sparrow
American White Pelican	Common Grackle	Northern Flicker	Tennessee Warbler
American Woodcock	Common Loon	Northern Harrier	Tree Swallow
American Yellow Warbler	Common Merganser	Northern Parula	Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle	Common Nighthawk	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Veery
Baltimore Oriole	Common Raven	Osprey	Vesper Sparrow
Barn Swallow	Common Yellowthroat	Ovenbird	Whip-poor-will
Belted Kingfisher	Cooper's Hawk	Pileated Woodpecker	White-breasted Nuthatch
Black Tern	Eastern Kingbird	Purple Finch	White-throated Sparrow
Black-and-white Warbler	Eastern Phoebe	Purple Martin	Wilson's Snipe
Blackburnian Warbler	European Starling	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Wilson's Warbler
Black-capped Chickadee	Golden-winged Warbler	Red-eyed Vireo	Wood Duck
Black-throated Green Warbler	Gray Catbird	Red-necked Grebe	Wood Thrush
Blue Jay	Great Blue Heron	Red-tailed Hawk	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Blue-headed Vireo	Great Crested Flycatcher	Red-winged Blackbird	Yellow-headed Blackbird
Blue-winged Teal	Hairy Woodpecker	Ring-billed Gull	Yellow-rumped Warbler
Bobolink	Hermit Thrush	Ring-necked Duck
Bonaparte's Gull	Hooded Merganser	Rock Pigeon
Broad-winged Hawk	House Finch	Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Brown-headed Cowbird	House Sparrow	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Canada Goose	Killdeer	Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Date: 5/14/2002

Observers: Bob Janssen, Jerry Bonkoski

# Species: 77

Common Loon	Short-billed Dowitcher	Black-capped Chickadee	Black-and-white Warbler
Horned Grebe	Bonaparte’s Gull	Boreal Chickadee	American Redstart
Great Blue Heron	Ring-billed Gull	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Ovenbird
Turkey Vulture	Caspian Tern	White-breasted Nuthatch	Chipping Sparrow
Canada Goose	Rock Pigeon	Brown Creeper	Savannah Sparrow
Wood Duck	Mourning Dove	Winter Wren	Song Sparrow
Mallard	Belted Kingfisher	Sedge Wren	Swamp Sparrow
Blue-winged Teal	Hairy Woodpecker	Golden-crowned Kinglet	White-throated Sparrow
Northern Shoveler	Northern Flicker	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Dark-eyed Junco
Common Goldeneye	Least Flycatcher	Veery	Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-breasted Merganser	Eastern Phoebe	Hermit Thrush	Bobolink
Osprey	Eastern Kingbird	American Robin	Red-winged Blackbird
Bald Eagle	Blue-headed Vireo	Brown Thrasher	Eastern Meadowlark
Broad-winged Hawk	Philadelphia Vireo	European Starling	Brewer’s Blackbird
Red-tailed Hawk	Red-eyed Vireo	Northern Parula	Common Grackle
American Kestrel	Gray Jay	Cape May Warbler	Brown-headed Cowbird
Merlin	Blue Jay	Yellow-rumped Warbler	House Sparrow
Killdeer	American Crow	Black-throated Green Warbler
Greater Yellowlegs	Common Raven	Palm Warbler
Lesser Yellowlegs	Tree Swallow	Bay-breasted Warbler