[mou] Summer Tanager, Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadees

[Eckert K R]

Between Duluth and Two Harbors today, 21 Oct, there were several birds 
of interest, including a female-plumaged Summer Tanager at Stoney 
Point, plus a total of 22 Black-backed Woodpeckers and 15 Boreal 
Chickadees along the North Shore.

Linda Sparling and I observed the tanager near the stone wall at the 
west end of Stoney Pt around 10 am, but the bird was lost from view and 
could not be relocated after 2 brief sightings a few minutes apart.

We also counted 17 Black-backed Woodpeckers moving SW down the N Shore 
between 8:30 am and noon, and the morning's total was 22 individuals 
after adding in 5 additional Black-backeds seen by Mike Hendrickson. 
The locations were:

- 1 just E of Brighton Beach
- 1 at McQuade Rd & Scenic Hwy 61
- 2 by the Sucker River near Homestead Rd
- 11 along Stoney Point Dr between the stone wall and Alseth Rd
- 7 in Knife River along Skiff Landing Rd.

(Note that 21 Black-backed Woodpeckers had been counted from the Hawk 
Ridge Main Overlook on 13 Oct.)

During the same 3.5-hour time period, Linda and I had 13 Boreal 
Chickadees, and there were 2 others seen by Mike, for a total of 15 
individuals. These locations were:

- 2 just E of Brighton Beach
- 1 at McQuade Rd & Scenic Hwy 61
- 6 near the stone wall at Stoney Pt
- 6 in Knife River along Skiff Landing Rd.

Other birds of note today along the N Shore were: several N Shrikes and 
Com Redpolls at various locations, a Gray Jay and a late Am Redstart in 
Two Harbors at Lighthouse Pt, and a Red Crossbill at Stoney Pt. And, 
finally, a belated note that yesterday, 20 Oct, both Red-throated and 
Pacific loons were relocated on the L Superior side of Park Point in 
Duluth: the Red-throated at 16th Street and the Pacific at 22nd Street.

Kim Eckert