Duluth RBA

Previous reports: March 20 27 , April 10 16 25 , May 1 8 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide
-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*May 8, 1997
*MNDU9705.08

-Birds mentioned
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore
Date: May 8, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218)525 5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert
Transcriber: Barb Adams badams@fac1.css.edu
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, May 8, 1997, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

The season's migration in Duluth and vicinity and for that matter throughout the state have been disappointing so far with most migrants arriving several days behind schedule.

Some additional species did arrive in Duluth this week: SORA, COMMON TERN, PURPLE MARTIN, CLIFF SWALLOWS, BARN SWALLOWS, GRAY CATBIRD, PALM WARBLERS, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW

Some highlights from the Duluth area this week: May 2: the SURF SCOTER found by Bruce Munson and Kent Montgomery at Wisconsin Point. May 4: SANDHILL CRANE that Frank Nicoletti saw flying over Enger Tower May 5: unexpected flock of 9 WILLETS seen by Audrey Evers at Fisherman's Point in Hoyt Lakes in Northern St. Louis County. May 6: RED CROSSBILLS and a singing male PINE WARBLER (possibly on nesting territory) in the pines at park Point near the South end of Sky Harbor airport runway. and Terry Weins found a VESPER SPARROW on the Strand Road about a couple hundred yards west of Lester River Rd. May 8: Frank Nicoletti saw flocks of 14 and 10 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS

Outside Duluth there is a pair of nesting MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS in a nest box near the parking lot behind Calvary Lutheran Church in Bemidji at the intersection of US Highway 71 and the Highway 2 bypass.

At Enger Tower Frank Nicoletti had the highest daily counts of the season with over 1400 hawks on both May 5 and 6. Most of these were BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, but there was an unexpected SWAINSON'S HAWK and GOLDEN EAGLE on May 5.

Frank's seasonal total for Enger Tower since mid-March is over 10,000 raptors.

Lou Oakland northbound flock at least 500 SHARP-SHINED HAWKS at Park Pt.

The 11th Annual Hawk Ridge Birdathon and St. Louis County Big Day is scheduled later this year on Saturday, May 31. Birders of all levels of ability are invited to form or join one of the birding teams who will be out that day. Pledges based on the number of species are currently being collected for the benefit of Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. If you'd like to participate, make a pledge, or if you have any questions about the Birdathon, call Terry Weins at 525.6158.

The next scheduled update of this tape will be three days late on Sunday, May 18, when there will be hopefully more to report.




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