[mou] Duluth RBA 11/11/04

[David Benson]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, November 11, 2004, 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

The tide of northern owls continued to rise this week, with another 21 
reports of GREAT GRAY OWLS and 20 reports of NORTHERN HAWK OWLS from 
across Northeastern Minnesota.  Great Grays seem to be easiest to find 
along the North Shore, especially between Duluth and Two Harbors, and 
several observers have been able to re-find the Hawk Owls along Cty Rd 
7 south of Cty Rd 319 in Sax-Zim. Harley Hanson found a Great Gray on 
the 9th near the entrance to Gooseberry Falls State Park, and Don 
Kienholz saw a bird in Duluth along Rice Lake Rd across from Snowflake 
on the same day. Even though the reports are too numerous to mention, 
careful reporting of the time and exact place of all your sightings 
will help with the documentation of this remarkable irruption.

Unusually late migrants are still turning up in Northeastern Minnesota. 
Doug Kieser reported a CLIFF SWALLOW from the Good Harbor Bay area west 
of Grand Marais on November 7. Also on the 7th, Kim Eckert's Minnesota 
Birding Weekend trip found a LARK SPARROW in Grand Marais. Maurita 
Geertz and Gary Kuyava both reported a SCARLET TANAGER from the 
Woodland neighborhood on the 7th and 8th.  Jeff Newman saw a BROWN 
THRASHER in Lakeside today.

A first-winter THAYER'S GULL is still being seen in Grand Marais. The 
first-winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was reported by several observers 
at Knife River again this week. the juvenile PACIFIC LOON is still 
being seen in Grand Marais. Mike Hendrickson saw a BLACK SCOTER from 
Minnesota Point off 34th Street on the 10th.

Many COMMON REDPOOLS arrived in Duluth this week. There were also 
smaller numbers of PINE SISKINS, PINE GROSBEAKS and EVENING GROSBEAKS. 
RED CROSSBILLS were reported at Knife River across from Emily's 
Restaurant, and on the Mitawan Lake Rd near Isabella.

Several observers reported BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS along the North 
Shore, continuing a trend of the past several weeks. Matthew 
Bribitzer-Stull saw a Black-backed on Cty Rd 7 just south of Cty Rd 319 
in Sax-Zim.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, November 
18.

The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-728-5030. 
Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded 
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 to 
mou@cbs.umn.edu, or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org.