[mou] Duluth RBA 5/12/05

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, May 12th, sponsored 
by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

The West Skyline Hawk Count had the largest flight in their nine-year 
history on May 6th, when more than 10,000 raptors were counted, 
including record-high counts of 9,206 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS and 719 
SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, as well as a SWAINSON'S HAWK and a GOLDEN EAGLE.

Recent arrivals in the area include SANDERLING on the 10th, BLUE-
HEADED VIREO, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, NORTHERN 
PARULA, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, 
OVENBIRD, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, AND BALTIMORE ORIOLE on the 9th, 
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, and HARRIS'S SPARROW on the 
8th, SORA, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, SPOTTED 
SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, CHIMNEY SWIFT, NORTHERN 
WATERTHRUSH, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW on the 6th, 
and FORSTER'S TERN on the 5th.

Don Kienholz reported a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at 42nd Street on Park 
Point on the 9th.  Dave Grosshuesch found a CONNECTICUT WARBLER, 
BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, and BOREAL CHICKADEES along the Tomahawk 
Trail east of MN Highway 1 in northern Lake County on the 10th.  
Sparky Stensaas found a WHIP-POOR-WILL south of Wrenshall in Carlton 
County on the 10th, and a LONG-TAILED DUCK at Indian Point in west 
Duluth on the 11th.  Two LONG-TAILED DUCKS have also been seen at 
Agate Bay in Two Harbors since the 9th.  

At least one CACKLING GOOSE was still being seen at Interstate Island 
as recently as the 10th.  A first-winter THAYER'S GULL was found in 
Two Harbors on the 9th, which was probably the same individual seen 
at Stoney Point on the 1st.  A CANVASBACK was seen at Flood Bay north 
of Two Harbors on the 6th.  GREAT GRAY OWLS are still being seen at 
scattered locations across northern Minnesota, including Stickney and 
McDavitt Roads in the Sax-Zim bog, Lake County Road 2 near Greenwood 
Lake, and Carlton County Road 146 near Holyoke.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, May 
17th.

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.