[mou] Duluth RBA 5/5/05

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, May 5th, sponsored by 
the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Migration is finally in full swing this week, with several new 
arrivals in the area.  This morning at Spirit Lake along the railroad 
tracks, in west Duluth's Morgan Park, Jim Barrett reported 2 WILLETS, 
along with LESSER YELLOWLEGS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, PECTORAL 
SANDPIPERS, DOWITCHER species, AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, several 
flocks of BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and AMERICAN PIPITS.  Tom Auer also 
reported WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPERS, CASPIAN TERNS, and 
COMMON TERNS from Morgan Park today, as well as two BLACK-CROWNED 
NIGHT-HERONS at Mud Lake in west Duluth.

More than 1,900 raptors were seen today at the West Skyline Hawk 
Count, including more than 1,500 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS and 315 SHARP-
SHINNED HAWKS.  An adult SWAINSON'S HAWK was seen on April 29th, and 
the first CLIFF SWALLOWS and BARN SWALLOWS were seen on May 4th.

A YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was seen with a flock of BREWER'S 
BLACKBIRDS on the 3rd along the Stanley Road in Lake County, about 3 
miles west of Two Harbors. Terry Wiens reported a LECONTE'S SPARROW 
along the Roberg Road in Lakewood Township on the 4th.

Other recent arrivals in the area include HOUSE WREN, MAGNOLIA 
WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW today, BROWN THRASHER 
on the 3rd, and VIRGINIA RAIL on April 29th.

Two probable CACKLING GEESE were seen today at Interstate Island.  
More than 700 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were counted on Lake Superior 
on the 1st, between Stoney Point and Lester River.  Jan Green also 
reported a first-year THAYER'S GULL at Stoney Point on the 1st.  
Flocks of several hundred grebes, scaup, and other waterfowl have 
been seen the past few days on Lake Superior in and near Duluth.

A reminder that the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is looking for 
nesting observations and locations of Merlins in and around the city 
of Duluth, in the hopes of documenting distribution and nesting 
productivity in the area.  Please contact Frank Nicoletti ASAP with 
your sightings, either by phone at (218) 724-0758 or by e-mail at 
bjboreal@aol.com.  

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, May 
12th.

The new telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-
2858.  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.