[mou] Duluth RBA 3/16/06

[Jim Lind]

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 16th, 2006 
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Spring migrants continued to trickle into the Duluth area in small 
numbers over the past week.  Jan Green found a REDHEAD on the 12th at 
Agate Bay in Two Harbors, and a HOODED MERGANSER was found by Steve 
and Cindy Broste on the 11th near the Blatnick Bridge in the Duluth 
harbor.  A GREAT BLUE HERON and four SWANS were reported on the 15th 
at No Name Creek near 50th Avenue West in Duluth.  Flocks of BOHEMIAN 
WAXWINGS continue to be seen at several locations throughout Duluth, 
including the UMD campus and the east Lakeside neighborhood.  Several 
people have reported hearing NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS in and around the 
Duluth area in the past week.  

Warren Nelson relocated two SNOWY OWLS in Aitkin County over the 
weekend, including one along CR 1 north of Aitkin and one along 310th 
Avenue, just south of Palisade.  Warren also noted some new spring 
arrivals including AMERICAN KESTRELS, NORTHERN HARRIERS, RED-WINGED 
BLACKBIRDS, and COMMON GRACKLES.

Steve and Cindy Broste reported a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE on the 9th at 
the Best Western Cliffdweller motel northeast of Tofte, Cook County.  
They also found a NORTHERN HAWK OWL at the Lutsen ski area.  Jordon 
Masieniec and Chuck Neil found a Hawk Owl on the 11th north of 
Virginia along St. Louis County Road 21, about one mile east of US 
Highway 169.   Deb Buria-Falkowski reported that the AMERICAN COOT at 
Silver Lake, Virginia successfully overwintered, as did a BELTED 
KINGFISHER near Lake Manganika.

I have not heard any reports of the Spotted Towhee at the Roivanen's 
feeders near Cook, in northern St. Louis County, but birders 
interested in looking for the bird should be sure to call the 
Roivanens ahead of time at 218-666-5318.  

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, March 
23rd.

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.