Registrations for the 2011 Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Festival at the end of this week. The festival will be held Feb. 18-20 in
Meadowlands, west of Duluth. The main focus for birding will be the Sax-Zim bog, an annual hot spot for winter bird species. Read more about the festival at www.sax-zimbog.com

Recent sightings in the festival area include Great Gray Owls, Northern Hawk Owls, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ruffed
Grouse, Northern Goshawk, Northern Shrike, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Common Redpoll, Pine Grosbeak and Evening Grosbeak. There are scattered reports of Red Crossbill and White-winged Crossbill. In Duluth, there have been reports of Glaucous Gull, Thayer's Gull, and occasionally Iceland and Great Black-backed gulls. Bohemian Waxwings also have been reported in the Duluth area this past week.

Thanks to Duluth birder Mike Hendrickson for this information.