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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*September 16, 2001
*MNDU0109.16

-Birds mentioned

• Red-throated Loon
• Pacific Loon
• Red Phalarope
• Parasitic Jaeger
• Little Gull
• Sabine's Gull
• Inca Dove (possible)
• Short-eared Owl
• Three-toed Woodpecker
• Black-backed Woodpecker

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: September 16, 2001
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)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Sunday, Sept 16, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

There were certainly several significant species seen during this annual 3-day Hawk Weekend, Sept 14-15-16, although most of them were not staying long in one place and it was usually difficult for other observers to relocate them later. Among these was a possible INCA DOVE which could not be found later by others to confirm the identification, and the other birds of interest were: RED-THROATED LOON, PACIFIC LOON, RED PHALAROPE, PARASITIC JAEGER, SABINE'S GULL, LITTLE GULLS, SHORT-EARED OWL, THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, and BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER.

A bird thought to be an Inca Dove was briefly seen this morning in a flock of Mourning Doves along the 4900 block of Maxwell Rd in Duluth, but this flock flew off towards the east and could not be relocated by the several birders looking for it during the rest of the morning and this afternoon. The Maxwell Rd turns N from the intersection of Seven Bridges Rd and Skyline Pkwy just NE of Hawk Ridge. If this dove is seen again and its identity confirmed, this Report would be updated ASAP with that information.

An adult Red-throated Loon, still partly in breeding plumage, was briefly seen both Saturday afternoon and this morning on the lake side of Park Point at 31st St.

The Pacific Loon was on L Superior yesterday afternoon just S of the Park Point Recreation Area, but apparently no one saw it today.

The Red Phalarope was briefly seen Friday the 14th on the L Superior side of Wisconsin Pt, and it was apparently seen again Saturday, but I have little other information about this bird.

An adult light-morph Parasitic Jaeger was seen Saturday just S of the Park Point Recreation Area, and today it was seen at several locations on the lake: near the mouth of the Lester R, at Canal Park, and at 31st St on Park Point.

A lone Sabine's Gull was first seen from the N tip of Wisconsin Pt on Friday as it flew on both the Minn and Wis sides of the Superior Entry breakwaters. Yesterday at least 5 were reported from this same location, and 1 flew N as far as the Recreation Area at Park Point, but apparently there were no reports of any today.

The Little Gull was a first-winter imm bird seen today, first at Hearding I on the bay side of Park Point at 19th St and later on the lake side of the Recreation Area.

A Short-eared Owl was seen from 31st St on Park Point as it flew out over L Superior.

On both Friday and Saturday, 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers were seen at various locations in the pine plantation on Hawk Ridge: near Skyline Pkwy just NE of the Pinewoods Tr, near the jct of the old Plantation Rd trail and the old Snively Rd trail, and a few hundred yards W of this latter location; for more information consult the Hawk Ridge trail map. However, several birders looked for them today without success.

Finally, a Three-toed Woodpecker was found Saturday in N Lake Co along the Spruce Rd off Minn Hwy 1 where this species has been seen several times previously. The exact location was just N of the Spruce Rd along the snowmobile trail which crosses the road 4 mi from Hwy 1.

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 Sept 20. 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, 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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