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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*October 18, 2001
*MNDU0110.18

-Birds mentioned

• Pacific Loon
• Western Grebe
• Long-tailed Duck
• Surf Scoter
• Spruce Grouse
• Iceland Gull
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Western Kingbird
• Townsend's Solitaire
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Northern Shrike
• Vesper Sparrow
• Red Crossbill
• White-winged Crossbill
• Common Redpoll

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: October 18, 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 Thursday, October 18, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Since last week's report, the most interesting sightings have come from Cook Co., and these include SPRUCE GROUSE, ICELAND GULL, NORTHERN HAWK OWL and VESPER SPARROW.

The Spruce Grouse was seen last weekend about 1/2 mile up the Lima Mountain Rd, which turns W off the Gunflint Trail, 20 mi N of Grand Marais. On the same day a N Hawk Owl (along with a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER ) was seen in the burn on the Lima Grade Rd, 2.8 mi N of the end of the Lima Mountain Rd. This is the same location where a hawk owl was present last fall. Note that another hawk owl was reported earlier this fall in Cook Co, along the Gunflint Tr near the Gunflint Lodge.

On Oct 12 in the Grand Marais harbor, a relatively pale and very early first-winter Iceland Gull was carefully identified; it was seen again on the 14th, so it might still be in the area. A Vesper Sparrow was also seen in Grand Marais on Oct 14.

Other birds of note seen recently include: PACIFIC LOON on the bay side of the Park Point Recreation Area Oct 13; WESTERN GREBE on the lake side of Park Point on Oct 14; LONG-TAILED DUCK and WESTERN KINGBIRD both at Park Point on the 14th; and TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at the Main Overlook at Hawk Ridge Oct 12. Unfortunately, none of these could be relocated by anyone subsequently.

A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was seen again in the pine plantation at Hawk Ridge last weekend. The best place to look for it seems to be near the N end of the Plantation Road trail; for further directions, see the Hawk Ridge trail map.

Also since last week: SURF SCOTERS were seen at Grand Marais, Tofte and Park Point; the first NORTHERN SHRIKE of the season was at Stoney Pt Oct 14; BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS have been reported at several locations in Duluth and along the N Shore; and there have been a couple reports of COMMON REDPOLLS and RED CROSSBILLS.

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 October 25. 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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