Duluth RBA
Duluth RBA
Duluth RBA
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-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *April 23 1998 *MNDU9804.23 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore
Date: April 23, 1998
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert
Transcriber: Rick Schroeder (avsaxman@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, April 23, 1998, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
In spite of the arrival of warmer than normal temperatures this week there has been a surprising and disappointing lack of new spring migrants reported in northeastern Minnesota. Indeed, the only new arrivals since last week's tape were AMERICAN COOT, BARN SWALLOW, BROWN THRASHER, SAVANNAH SPARROW, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.
Fortunately however, a few rarities were seen last week, including lone SWAINSON'S HAWK on both April 20th and 22nd, flying over Frank Nicolletti's Enger Tower hawk lookout on West Skyline Parkway; some AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS and some late BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS April 19th, along with two SANDHILL CRANES today, all of these also at Enger Tower.
Frank also saw a migrant LONG-EARED OWL at Park Point April 20 in the pines about a mile south of the recreation area. Terry Wiens saw a late NORTHERN SHRIKE April 17 along Strand Road just north of Duluth.
But even MORE interesting were the birds seen yesterday by Robby Johnson and Sean Putz at Wisconsin Point. They had a close look at a PRAIRIE FALCON flying over the point from Gull Bluff, which is reached by going East on the dirt road past the land fill. They had an amazing count of 14 RED-THROATED LOONS, which for some reason is a species which is hard to come by on the Minnesota side of Lake Superior.
And this week, Sean again saw a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER on the Allouez Bay side of Wisconsin Point, which apparently has been present most of April. Robby also reports that there's still a lot of gull activity at and around Wisconsin Point and the landfill, so it is likely that the GLAUCOUS GULL, THAYER'S GULL and ICELAND GULLS reported on last week's tape might still be present.
About the only other birding news this week is that there has been a Smelt run of sorts on Lake Superior, as evidenced by good numbers of HORNED GREBES, and a good variety of ducks seen on the lake. And if birders scan the lake in the coming days this would be a good time to spot an unusual loon, grebe, duck, or gull among them.
Finally, it is not too early to begin thinking about our Twelfth Annual Hawk Ridge Bird-a-thon and St. Louis County Big Day, which is scheduled for Saturday May 30. Birders of all levels of ability are invited to form or to join one of the birding teams attempting to find as many species as possible that day. And everyone, whether or not they are on one of the birding teams, is encouraged to pledge or to solicit pledges based on the number of birds seen on May 30, with all the proceeds for the benefit of the programs and research at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve.
For more information about any of this either give Terry Wiens a call at 525-6158, or you could call me at 525-6930.
The next scheduled update of this tape will be on Thursday, April 30.
