[mou] Duluth RBA 9/8/05

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, September 8th, 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

An adult LITTLE GULL was found by Peder Svingen on September 2nd, 
near Lafayette Square on the lakeside of 31st Street on Park Point.  
It was relocated on the afternoon of the 3rd and again on 4th.  Peder 
also found a juvenile SABINE'S GULL at the same location on the 4th, 
and a juvenile RED KNOT on the 3rd on the lakeside of Park Point 
southeast of the airport.  This may be the same individual found by 
Ryan Brady on August 26th.  BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, SEMIPALMATED 
PLOVERS, SANDERLINGS, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, and two BUFF-BREASTED 
SANDPIPERS were also seen by several observers on Park Point over the 
weekend.

On September 3rd Janet Riegle found AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, STILT 
SANDPIPER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS at 40th Avenue 
West, in the wetlands between the railroad tracks and the freeway.

A female ORCHARD ORIOLE was reported by Rebecca George on the morning 
of the 6th at the corner of 47th Avenue East and Tioga Street in East 
Duluth.

HORNED GREBES were found at Knife River on the 6th, and Peder Svingen 
saw a RED-NECKED GREBE at Park Point and the first AMERICAN PIPITS of 
the season on the 3rd. An AMERICAN COOT was seen on Lake Superior on 
the 7th by Tom Auer.

Two GREAT EGRETS are being seen daily at the Two Harbors golf course 
ponds, where one had been seen since August 29th.  A separate 
individual was seen this morning flying past Hawk Ridge in Duluth.

Two SWAINSON'S HAWKS were seen at Hawk Ridge on the 6th and SANDHILL 
CRANES flew by the Ridge on the 3rd and the 7th.  A record-high 271 
passerines were banded on the 7th at the banding station, taking this 
fall's total over last fall's, with nearly two months left in the 
banding season.  

Also on the 7th, hundreds of dead songbirds were found by boaters, 
fishermen and DNR personnel on Lake Superior between the Brule River 
and Grand Marais in Cook County.  The birds were found floating among 
leaves, branches and other debris about a quarter to half mile from 
shore.  The cause is not known, but it may have been due to a 
localized weather event.  Anyone who might have additional 
information from the area can call the Duluth RBA or post the 
information to MOU-net.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, 
September 15th.

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.