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-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*August 31, 2000
*MNDU0008.31

-Birds mentioned

• Osprey
• Northern Goshawk
• Peregrine Falcon
• Black-bellied Plover
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper
• Parasitic Jaeger
• Short-eared Owl
• Black-billed Magpie
• Boreal Chickadee
• Philadelphia Vireo
• Cape May Warbler
• Black-throated Blue Warbler
• Bay-breasted Warbler
• White-winged Crossbill

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: August 31, 2000
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Transcriber: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, August 31, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

After several uneventful weeks this summer with relatively little birding news to report on from Duluth and NE Minn, this week was more interesting with reports of PARASITIC JAEGER, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, SHORT-EARED OWL, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, and at least two significant waves of WARBLERS.

Today Karl Bardon of the Twin Cities saw the first Parasitic Jaeger of the season, an adult light-morph individual at the Superior Entry at the S end of Park Point. Otherwise, Karl had little to report on at the Point, with few warblers or shorebirds present, with a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER being the only shorebird of note.

Reported too late to be included on last week's Birding Report were the Buff-breasted Sandpipers found by Jim Lind at the Two Harbors airport on Aug 24. To reach this location, go N 2 mi from Two Harbors on Lake Co Rd 2, turn W and go 3.3 mi. Other reports received late last week were of White-winged Crossbills at 2 locations: in the Sax-Zim Bog area Aug 24 along St Louis Co Rd 52, about 1 mi E of Owl Ave or 4.5 mi W of Co Rd 7, where a BOREAL CHICKADEE was also present (both these species had also been seen here earlier this summer); and in Duluth Aug 25 at the Lakewood Pumping Station.

Last weekend in Aitkin Co Warren Nelson saw a few birds of note, including a Short-eared Owl 4 mi NE of Aitkin along U S Hwy 169. He also found a large group of 14 BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES just N of Aitkin at the jct of Co Rds 1 and 22, and his total of warblers for the weekend was 23 species.

The best wave of warblers was reported by Dave Benson during just 1 hour at Gooseberry Falls State Park in Lake Co Aug 29. Among the 20 species were BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, BAY-BREASTED WARBLER and CAPE MAY WARBLER, and also present with them was a PHILADELPHIA VIREO.

From Aug 15 through yesterday, Aug 30, the part-time hawk count at the Hawk Ridge Main Overlook in Duluth had totaled 881 individuals, which is about an average total for August. The highest daily total was on the 26th with a count of 151, and the species with the most interesting totals was OSPREY, with a count of 69 for the month, including an early peak of 38 on the 25th. Also of note were the single NORTHERN GOSHAWKS on Aug 23 and 24, and the PEREGRINE FALCONS Aug 26 and 29.

The full-time hawk count at the Ridge begins tomorrow, Sept 1, with Frank Nicoletti back on duty for his tenth season. However, with off-lake winds and a chance of rain in the forecast for the next few days, the outlook for a good raptor flight this weekend doesn't look favorable. Note that the species totals for each day during the season will be posted at . This web site has information as well about this year's Hawk Weekend activities on Sept 15-16-17.

Unless something unusual is seen in the meantime which needs to be reported immediately, this report is normally updated once a week on Thursdays, so that the next scheduled update will be on September 7. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 525-5952, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. Messages can also be left without having to wait for the report to end: to do this, after the tape starts playing push 5 on a touch-tone phone, the tape will stop, the tone will sound, and you can then leave your 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 of Natural History,10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to ; or visit the MOU web site at .

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