[mou] 72 White-winged Scoters at the Superior Entry

[Peder Svingen]

This morning (21 October), I watched a flock of blackish ducks fly from 
the Minnesota side of the Superior Entry to the Wisconsin side of the 
Superior Entry on Lake Superior. They were obviously larger than scaup 
and their under bodies appeared all dark. As they got closer, I could 
clearly see large white patches on the secondaries of each bird and was 
able to see two white spots on the heads of many of the birds. As they 
flew past the mouth of the Superior Entry, I looked at each bird 
individually to make sure that no other species were present. About a 
dozen were bunched together, but the rest were strung out in a line, so 
I was able to obtain an accurate count -- and recounted them twice to 
make sure. This total of 72 White-winged Scoters represents the highest 
fall count of this species for Minnesota; there is a spring record of 
150 White-winged Scoters in Cook County, 17 May 1975 (M. Carr, Loon 
47:163).

The Superior Entry divides Minnesota Point from Wisconsin Point, and 
the state line bisects the Entry. I was standing on the tip of 
Wisconsin Point at the time. To reach this location, drive through 
Superior on US 2 / US 53 and turn left on Moccasin Mike Road.
--
Peder H. Svingen
Duluth, MN