[mou] Duluth RBA 5/19/05

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, May 19th, sponsored 
by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

An adult LITTLE GULL was found on May 13th by Kim Eckert on Lake 
Superior at 32nd Street along Park Point.  It was associating with a 
large group of more than 1,400 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, several COMMON 
TERNS, and a few FORSTER'S and BLACK TERNS.  It has not been 
relocated since the 13th.  RED-THROATED LOONS were also seen on Lake 
Superior at Park Point on the 13th and 14th, out from the 
recreational area.  

Today Tom Auer saw three SURF SCOTERS at Spirit Lake on the St. Louis 
River at Morgan Park; one was also seen on the 13th on the harbor 
side of Park Point at the rowing club.  Sparky Stensaas saw two 
female BLACK SCOTERS on the 17th in the harbor at 33rd Street on Park 
Point, and today Don Kienholz saw one further down Park Point near 
the bus turn around.  Don also saw a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and a 
WHIP-POOR-WILL in a patch of woods near the Stora Ensos paper mill 
off Central Avenue in west Duluth.  A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was 
also seen late last week at Grassy Point in west Duluth.  A LONG-
TAILED DUCK was still being seen as of the 17th on the northeast side 
of the Indian Point campground, and Jan Wicklund saw a flock of 20 
over the weekend at Lutsen in Cook County.

SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS were reported by Janet Riegle on the 14th at 
40th Avenue West.  Uwe Kausch also reported them on the 14th from his 
home on the Wildwood Road, a mile west of the Homestead Road, along 
with a WILSON'S PHALAROPE.  A flock of 20 WILLETS were seen on the 
lake side of Park Point at 32nd Street on the 14th.  An AMERICAN 
GOLDEN-PLOVER was seen briefly on the 13th near the Two Harbors golf 
course.  

A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was seen and photographed on May 10th at 
Jay Cooke State Park in Carlton County, near Oldenberg Point.  Jan 
Green reported a possible pair of TRUMPETER SWANS at the end of the 
Skibo Road at Stone Lake in east-central St. Louis County.

Recent arrivals in the area include OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, VEERY, 
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, CAPE MAY WARBLER, BLACKPOLL 
WARBLER, and CANADA WARBLER today, AMERICAN REDSTART on the 17th, 
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER on the 15th, BOBOLINK on the 14th.
  
This report will be updated on Friday at 6:00 pm on the phone line 
only with stakeouts for the Hawk Ridge Birdathon. It will be updated 
again on Sunday with results from the birdathon.

The 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 moumn.org.