[mou] Long-tailed ducks

[Robin LaFortune]

Hi there,

Just got back from a skiing trip to the North Shore- Lutsen area.   I also did a fair amount of birding on the way up and along the North Shore.  I saw quite a few of birds already reported (Snowy Owl, Spruce Grouse, Boreal chickadees, etc..) at locations from the list. Thanks to everyone for their reports- it helps a lot when planning a trip :-). Since I haven't seen any recent reports on Long-Tailed ducks, I thought I'd post this-

I found 2 small (about 20 birds each) rafts of Long-Tailed ducks at Paradise Beach on Tues about 3:00pm.  They were pretty far out and I watched them for over an hour, trying to get a decent look, and hoping that they would come in closer to shore. I kept losing sight of them as they bobbed in and out of the waves or all would dive at the same time. Finally, one group got up as I watched and flew towards shore.  They flew reasonably close as I scoped them, and circled around and headed back out, landing even further out on the lake. It was beautiful and exciting to watch!!  

Otherwise, Common Goldeneyes were about all I saw on the lake, except a group of mallards, and one bufflehead in Good Harbor Bay. I also saw what appeared to be an otter at Knife River.


Robin LaFortune

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