[mou] Cook County Big Day and St. Luis County Brant

[Josh Watson]

Hello everyone,
    Last Monday on May 26th, I was part of a Cook County Big Day with my father and two of my good friends, John Hockema and Dedrick Benz. Its a long story on how this all came to be and my plans are to include that story along with the Big Day in an article for the next listing suppliment . . . hopefully. I will say that doing a Big Day in Cook County has been a long overdue process for me and in the end I couldn't have asked for a better one. We came up with a total of 132 species in 20hrs (4:00am - 12:00am) which was 16 birds greater than the previous record of 116. I had been out birding around the county a few days before the actual Big Day and had been a little worried on what our outcome might be due to the lack of returned breeding birds and migrants. However with the front that moved in the day of the Big Day (May 26th) we ended up smack dab in the middle of a fallout of several species, not to mention families of birds that have proved very
 difficult to find in Cook County in the past. The migrants, warblers, vireos, flycatchers and others, all along the shore and especially in some areas numbered in the hundreds foraging at there own will within feet of us at eye level and even right on the ground. It was just one big wave after another just about wherever we went. We topped our day with 22 species of warblers, 13 species of shorebirds, and 10 species of waterfowl. Surprisingly, though considering the late migration and the weather maybe not so suprisingly, the majority of the birds we saw were right in or right around town and along the shore and by 11:00am we had 99 species of birds before we left the shore. 
Warblers included: Nashville, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Cape May, Black-throated Green, Wilson's, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Blackpole, American Redstart, Canada, Blackburnian, Yellow, Ovenbird, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Mourning, Northern Waterthrush, Northern Parula, Black-and-White, Palm, and Common Yellowthroat. 
Notable Waterfowl: Redhead, N. Shoveler, a notable estimate of 15 Wood Ducks, mostly males all on a private pond, A. Wigeon, Long-tailed Duck. 
Notable Shorebirds: 9 Whimbrels, White-rumped Sandpiper, Semi San, Semi Plov, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plover, Dunlin. 
Flycatchers: E. Kingbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher, E. Wood Pewee, Yellow-bellied, Alder and Least. 
Other notable birds throughout the day include: Northern Oriole, Grey Catbird, Brown Thrasher, N. Saw Whet Owl, Marsh Wren, House Wren, Bank Swallow, Evening Grosbeak, Harris Sparrow, American Bitter, Sedge Wren, Bobolink, Dark-eyed Junco, Scarlet Tanager, Grey-cheeked Thrush, Eastern Bluebird, and Red-necked Grebe. 
Overall I believe we did quite unbelievable considering the county and being able to do so well species wise per family. I don't think I have had a time in the past that I have been able to double digit in waterfowl, shorebirds, and warblers all in the same day in Cook County or even just in waterfowl or shorebirds in a day. 
Notable misses: Hermit Thrush, Belted Kingfisher, Osprey, *reliable* Great-horned Owl, *reliable* Northern Cardinal, House Finch, *reliable* Black-throated Blue Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Blue-winged Teal, *reliable* Mourning Dove, Whip-poor-will
Also of note was a partial albino Black-and-White Warbler foraging on the rocks along Lake Superior on the west end of the rec park. It had almost a completaly white head with just the beginging of the two black stripes atop the head near the nape suggesting black-and-white warbler. Also longer bill almost nuthatch like and completaly black and white streaked all over including back and wings unlike blackpole. However it did have pink legs suggesting blackpole but the bill was also pale and I think becuase it was partially albino that that could be the cause of the pink skin on the legs and bill area. 
May 27th. 
I went to Duluth with John and Dedrick and had several notable birds there and on the way there. Castle Danger sewage ponds yielded several interesting things. First off, an estimated 70 Eastern Kingbirds along the fence line and tree line along the ponds. A Peregrine Falcon overhead, Osprey, Broad-winged Hawk, and Northern Harrier. Also had an American Coot, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Mallards and a possible Black Duck. Several American Pipits. A few Clay-colored Sparrows among many, many Savannah Sparrows and probably most interesting of all was a Lark Sparrow sitting on the fence line in almost perfect breeding plumage and only a few yards away. We also had singing Wilson's Warbler, Bobolink, and a singing Black-throated Blue Warbler which I found interesting. 
When I arrived in Duluth I first off visited the Bay front where the Brant was and found it immediately. It made up for the one I chased in Paynsville woohoo. I watched it for several minutes foraging in the grass and after a bit saw it fly out onto the lake where it remained sitting on the water when I left. This all took place around mid-afternoon on the 27th of May. Park point yielded many shorebirds but nothing on the water in the afternoon. We probably had a few hundred shorebirds though along the beach including: Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Plover. Also had two Whimbrels in the rec park near the bath house and a Killdeer. On the lake in front of the rec park we had both Lesser and Greater Scaup. Afterwards I split up with John and Dedrick we headed for home and I went to 40th Ave. West. There were several shorebirds there as well
 but nothing different from Park Point except a lone Solitary Sandpiper near the Northeast end. Blackpole warbler, Nashville warbler, and Yellow made up the warblers foraging in the grass along the road. Also had Bobolink and Clay-colored Sparrow. Most interesting was the lone Greater White-fronted Goose in the field above the water kind of in the center of 40th Ave. and well away from the many Canada Geese. That and a lone Western Kingbird which I saw very clearly hawking from willows and taller shrubs out in the middle of the flats above the water towards the southern end of 40th Ave. 
Today I had a male Black-throated Blue Warbler singing in my backyard. I was able to see it a little later on very well just up behind my house. That my friends concludes the last couple days of my birding. 
Josh Watson
Cook County and Grand Marais
That my friends concludes the last couple days


      
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