[mou] Duluth RBA 4/17/03

[David R. Benson]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, April 17, 2003, sponsored
by the Minnesota Ornithologists'Union.

The first large push of passerines arrived in Duluth this week. On Tuesday,
following strong southerly winds and warm temperatures on Monday, the city
was full of kinglets and creepers, plus the first reported individuals of
several expected species.

By yesterday, large numbers of diving ducks had moved into the harbor. A
SURF SCOTER was at 38th Street on Minnesota Point. Ten BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS
were seen in East Duluth on the 11th, and there were reports of Bohemian
Waxwings flying through Duluth on several days last week.

The season's total at the West Skyline Hawk Count is over 8,300 raptors
including 1,488 on the 11th with 234 BALD EAGLES, and 1120 RED-TAILED
HAWKS. The first OSPREYS of the season arrived on the 14th; there were 8
GOLDEN EAGLES on the 12th and two RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, one each on the
11th and 12th, plus an adult, light-morph SWAINSON'S HAWK on the 12th. 32
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were counted on the 12th.

Migrants reported for the first time this week included DOUBLE-CRESTED
CORMORANT, GREAT BLUE HERON, AMERICAN WIGEON, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN
SHOVELER, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK, SANDHILL CRANE, LESSER
YELLOWLEGS,BELTED KINGFISHER, NORTHERN FLICKER, EASTERN PHOEBE, TREE
SWALLOW, WINTER WREN, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET,YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD.

The Hawk Ridge Birdathon and St. Louis County Big Day will be held on
Saturday, May 17th. Both birders and financial support are needed. For
further information, contact Terry Wiens at <t.wiens@lsc.mnscu.edu>.

Thanks to Jim Lind, Frank Nicoletti,Josh Watson, and Terry Wiens for
contributing to this report.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, April 24.

The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 728-5030, and
callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of
each tape.

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
mou@cbs.umn.edu; or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org.