[mou] Duluth RBA 5/18/03 (Hawk Ridge Birdathon)

[David R. Benson]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Sunday, May 18, 2003, sponsored by
the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. The report is being updated today to
report on yesterday's Hawk Ridge Birdathon.

East winds off the lake, poorly-timed fog, and cool temperatures made for
tough birding on Saturday, but participants in the birdathon still came up
with a respectable (unofficial) total of 184 species, 145 of which were
seen within the city limits of Duluth. Some highlights include

SURF SCOTER seen in the harbor off the soccer field at Park Point, and
BLACK SCOTER at Stony Point. Most of the hundreds of ducks that were
present as recently as last Tuesday have moved on.

A YELLOW RAIL calling on Stone Lake Rd (Cty Rd 319) in the Sax-Zim area.

Despite very few individual birds, 17 species of shorebirds were found,
including MARBLED GODWIT at Indian Point and SHORT-BILLED DOWICHERS at
Indian Point and at 40th Ave W.

GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen in Sax-Zim on Stone Lake Rd (Cty Rd 319) and on
Three Lakes Road (Cty Rd 49).

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was found in Sax-Zim, and the BLACK-BACKED
WOODPECKERS on McDavitt Rd were seen again on Saturday.

25 species of warblers were identified, including all the regular
Northeastern Minnesota species except Black-throated Blue.

11 species of sparrows were found, including EASTERN TOWHEES near the end
of Minnesota Point.

Today a LITTLE GULL in 1st winter plumage was found in the Duluth Harbor in
the bay near the airport at Park Point

On Friday, a RED-THROATED LOON, a PACIFIC LOON, and a PIPING PLOVER were
reported, but none of these species have been reported since.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, May 22.

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.