[mou] Cook Co Spruce Grouse; Duluth Least Bittern

[Eckert K R]

The Minn Birding Weekends group in Cook Co this past weekend, June 
30-July 1, turned up a few birds of note, especially a female Spruce 
Grouse on the Lima Grade Rd. (This road turns S off the Gunflint Trail 
~1 mi S of the Trail Center Cafe.) Unfortunately, it appeared only 
briefly in the grass along the side of the road (it had probably been 
dust-bathing in the road), and only one or two of us were able to get a 
look at it. The location was about half-way between the Gunflint Trail 
on the north and the Lima Mountain Rd on the south (I forgot to take a 
mileage reading).

Also farther S along the Lima Grade in the black spruce bog ~1/2 mile S 
of the Lima Mt Rd were a drumming female Black-backed Woodpecker plus a 
family group of Boreal Chickadees.

Other highlights included:
- a pair of Red-necked Grebe on L Superior near Five Mile Rock (species 
not known to nest in NE Minn);
- a Whip-poor-will seen and heard along CR 58, ~1/2 mi N of Hwy 61 (CR 
58 turns off Hwy 61 just W of Five Mile Rock and ends at CR 60);
- Sedge Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Le Conte's Sparrow, and Bobolink (all 
locally uncommon to rare in Cook Co) in the meadow along CR 60, ~1/2 mi 
E of the CR 58 jct;
- among the 18 species of warblers still singing on territory were both 
a Tennessee and Cape May along CR 58, and a Black-throated Blue still 
on the Moose Viewing Trail at the top of the hill <1/4 mi from the 
trailhead (this trailhead is signed along the Gunflint Tr just N of the 
North Brule River).

Perhaps more significant were the 2 Least Bitterns in Duluth reported 
to me by Ron Erpelding. He saw them on June 29 in the marsh on the N 
side of Mud Lake in the St Louis River backwaters in the Gary-New 
Duluth neighborhood. From Hwy 23, turn E on Hwy 39, at the bottom of 
the hill park on the left below the RR viaduct, walk under the viaduct 
and hike the RR tracks through Mud L to the far N end.

Kim Eckert

(Please note new e-mail address: eckertkr at gmail.com)


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