Duluth RBA

Duluth RBA phone number: 218-525-5952

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-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*August 9, 2001
*MNDU0108.09

-Birds mentioned
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: August 9, 2001
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Transcriber: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, August 9, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Probably because of the hotter-than-normal temperatures here in recent days, there has been very little birding activity in N E Minnesota lately. EVENING GROSBEAKS, which started migrating through Duluth over a month ago, are still being seen and heard at various locations; and NORTHERN CARDINALS have been heard singing this week in Duluth, most recently near the corner of College St and Missouri Ave near the UMD campus.

Today, Jim Lind saw a few shorebirds at the pond near the clubhouse at the Two Harbors golf course in Lake Co. In recent years, this location has been a good place to look for fall migrant shorebirds, and this morning there were SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS present. The golf course entrance is located along the N side of Hwy 61 on the E side of Two Harbors.

Again this season at Hawk Ridge, Dave Grosshuesch has already started banding migrant passerines. On six mornings this month over a total of 28 hours, Dave has banded 180 individuals of 27 species, and these include 4 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS (all today), 11 species of warblers (among these MOURNING WARBLER, CANADA WARBLER, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, and TENNESSEE WARBLER ), and SWAINSON'S THRUSH. Also of interest are the RED-EYED VIREO and CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER returns he netted; both of these had previously been banded at the Ridge in 1997.

Dave has also observed TURKEY VULTURE, NORTHERN HARRIER, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL and MERLIN passing over Hawk Ridge, and note the official counting and banding of raptors is scheduled to begin for the season next week on the 15th.

It's not too early to begin planning for the annual MOU Hawk Weekend in Duluth, September 14-15-16. Note that unless motel reservations are made ASAP, lodging in Duluth will be difficult to find that weekend. The Friday evening program at UMD will feature Dr. David Bird of McGill University who will speak on "Technology and Raptors: a Double-edged Sword." On Saturday night, Dr. Nick Escott of Thunder Bay will speak on "Thunder Cape Bird Observatory." As usual, there will be birding field trips in Duluth, nature hikes at Hawk Ridge, hawks in the hand and overhead at the Ridge, and a silent auction and banquet as part of the Saturday evening program at UMD. For more information, visit the Hawk Ridge website, , or call Molly Evans at 218-724-0261.

Unless something unusual is seen in the meantime which needs to be reported immediately, this Report is normally updated once a week on Thursdays, so that the next scheduled update will be on August 16. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 525-5952, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. Messages can also be left without having to wait for the report to end: to do this, after the tape starts playing push 5 on a touch-tone phone, the tape will stop, the tone will sound, and you can then leave your 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 of Natural History,10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to ; or visit the MOU web site at .




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