[mou] Duluth RBA 5/20/07 - Birdathon update

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Sunday, May 20th, 2007 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

This report is being updated to report on results from this weekend's 
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Great Minnesota Birdathon, as well as to 
report a male PAINTED BUNTING in eastern Lake County.  The bunting 
has been coming to a feeder at 6420 Highway 61, which is 
approximately a half mile southwest of the intersection of Lake 
County Road 6 and Highway 61.  The home is on the lakeside of a very 
narrow part of MN Highway 61 and parking is impossible on the 
shoulder of the highway.  Visitors are urged to use caution when 
pulling into the driveway from the highway.

A tentative total of 190 species were found on Saturday's St. Louis 
County Big Day, with additional species seen during other categories 
of county Big Days, Big Sits, etc.  The "Cold Duck" team led by Dave 
Benson had the highest St. Louis County total with 166 species found 
on Saturday.

In St. Louis County on the 19th a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was at 
Indian Point in western Duluth; a BLACK SCOTER was seen on the bay 
side of Park Point and two more were seen at Stoney Point; six RUDDY 
DUCKS were at Mud Lake in Gary New-Duluth and another was seen at the 
Biwabik sewage ponds; SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were seen in the Sax-Zim 
bog along the Arkola Road (CR 52) near the junction of CR 203 and 
others were seen along CR 7; an EARED GREBE was seen at the Biwabik 
sewage ponds; a WESTERN GREBE was seen on the lakeside of Park Point 
near the bathhouse; a flyover BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen just 
west of Stoney Point; a WILLET was seen at 40th Ave West in Duluth; a 
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and WILSON'S PHALAROPES were at the Meadowlands 
sewage ponds; a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was seen in Sax-Zim along the 
McDavitt Road; a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO was found at Indian Point; and 
a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was at the Rice Lake dam north of Duluth.

Two RED-THROATED LOONS were also seen at the Park Point recreational 
area on the 18th, as well as a GRAY JAY and two EASTERN TOWHEES.

In Lake County on the 19th a female SUMMER TANAGER was seen a home 
along East Lakeshore 
Drive, just northeast of Silver Bay.  A female SMITH'S LONGSPUR, 
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, RUDDY DUCK, and two SANDHILL CRANES were 
at the Beaver Bay sewage ponds.  An EARED GREBE and YELLOW-HEADED 
BLACKBIRD were at the Castle Danger sewage ponds.

Today there was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD in Lake County along the MN 
Highway 61 expressway at the Isaacson Road.  Another mockingbird was 
seen on private land near the Encampment River on the 18th.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, May 
24th.  The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-
2858.  Information about bird sightings may be left following the 
recorded message.

The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota 
Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more 
information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum, e-mail 
us at mou at moumn.org, or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org.