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-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*September 21, 2000
*MNDU0009.21

-Birds mentioned

• Western Grebe
• Great Egret
• Turkey Vulture
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Goshawk
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Swainson's Hawk
• Peregrine Falcon
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper
• species Jaeger
• Short-eared Owl
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Western Kingbird
• Winter Wren
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Gray-cheeked Thrush
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Le Conte's Sparrow
• Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• Rusty Blackbird

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: September 21, 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, September 21, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

As reported on last Sunday's update of this Birding Report, during Hawk Weekend several species of note were found, including: 2 WESTERN GREBES, an unidentified dark juvenile JAEGER, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER all at Park Point; a GREAT EGRET flying past the Lakewood Pumping Station in Duluth; a SHORT-EARED OWL at the 40th Ave West Erie Pier area; and both NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW and LE CONTE'S SPARROW in Two Harbors.

There have been no reports of any of these birds after last weekend, although on the 18th a Buff-breasted Sandpiper was at the Beaver Bay sewage ponds in Lake Co, and on the 19th Jim Lind found another Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow at a different Two Harbors location: this one was in the weedy field S of the railroad museum and E of the Edna G tugboat dock.

About the only other species of note since the weekend were seen by Frank Nicoletti at the Hawk Ridge Main Overlook: a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER on Sept 19, and today a WESTERN KINGBIRD (which is the 4th individual of this rarity seen this fall in Duluth or the North Shore). Other new migrants reported in Duluth this week were WINTER WREN, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, FOX SPARROW and RUSTY BLACKBIRD. No one, however, has yet reported seeing the following regular fall migrants in Duluth which are usually reported in September: Dunlin, Black-backed Woodpecker (although one was found in the Sax-Zim Bog last week), Horned Lark, E Bluebird, Am Tree and Harris's sparrows.

The best day at Hawk Ridge this week was today, with over 4,000 raptors counted; these included: over 100 TURKEY VULTURES, 62 BALD EAGLES, 6 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS (including the first adult of the season), about 3,400 BROAD-WINGED HAWK, 3 PEREGRINE FALCON (including one which was banded), and 1 SWAINSON'S HAWK. Yesterday, the 20th, the total count was about 1,000; the total on the 19th was 401; only 141 were counted Sept 18; and on the 17th the total was 2,484, including 1,837 Broad-wingeds, 4 Peregrines and 1 Swainson's Hawk.

Unfortunately, the outlook for a good hawk flight the next couple days is not good. Although the forecast is for colder weather through this weekend with highs each day only in the upper 40s, rain and unfavorable NE winds are called for on Friday, with these same conditions probably lasting into Saturday. Sunday might be the only good day this weekend with partly cloudy skies in the forecast, although it is too soon to say what the wind direction will be. As always, for information about the fall hawk migration at Hawk Ridge, including the daily totals, visit our website at .

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 28. 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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