[mou] Duluth RBA 3/24/05

[David Benson]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 24, 2005, 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

On the 21st, Deb Buria-Falkowski saw a GYRFALCON on Spirit Lake in 
downtown Virginia.

Mary Stefanski saw a SNOWY OWL in Aitkin Cty on Portage Lake Rd on the 
23rd.

GREAT GRAY OWLS are still abundant in Aitkin Cty and continue to be 
seen in neighboring counties. Sparky Stensaas reported four Great Grays 
just south of Duluth in Carlton Cty near the jct. of Cty Rd 4 and Hwy 
23 yesterday.

On the 19th, Randell Rogers heard as many as three BLACK-BACKED 
WOODPECKERS and saw one THREE-TOED WOODPECKER in Sax-Zim along McDavitt 
Rd, 2.6 miles north of the Sax Rd.

Sparky Stensaas reported three TRUMPETER SWANS at the Fond du Lac 
bridge over the St. Louis River yesterday. Laura Erickson saw a 
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER in her yard in eastern Duluth on the 17th.

The West Skyline Hawk Count began on March 1st. Through the 22nd, 
counter Frank Nicoletti reported, among several other species, 468 BALD 
EAGLES and 23 GOLDEN EAGLES. PEREGRINE FALCONS returned to North Shore 
Mining in Silver Bay on the 18th.

Ken and Molly Hoffman saw three HARLEQUIN DUCKS and a larger flock of 
LONG-TAILED DUCKS off Artist's Point in Grand Marais on the 21st. In 
Ely, Bill Tefft was still seeing BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS and Redpolls on the 
20th. Jim Lind saw a flock of about 80 Bohemians in Askov on the 17th.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, March 
31st.

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.