Duluth RBA
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-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *December 8, 2001 *MNDU0112.08 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: December 8, 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 Saturday, Dec 8, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union, and this Report is being updated today to report on the ROSS'S GULL in Ashland, Wis. The bird is an adult in basic or winter plumage discovered Dec 6 and seen by many observers yesterday, and it is presumably still present. The location is on the W side of Ashland along U S Hwy 2 in the vicinity of the Fish Cr and Long Bridge Rd area, and this is just E of where Wis Hwy 13 goes N to Bayfield. Ashland is about an hour's drive E of Duluth/Superior.
To repeat the news from last Thursday's regular update of this Report:
There were sightings in Duluth and vicinity since last week of HARLEQUIN DUCK, GYRFALCON, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, SNOWY OWL, GREAT GRAY OWL, NORTHERN HAWK OWL, and SUMMER TANAGER, but the most interesting news is the long and unprecedented list of late-lingering water birds in the Duluth harbor area.
The reports of these birds started on Friday, Nov 30, with many of them still present, and they have been seen mostly on the bay side of Park Point. In addition to the rarities listed above, the significant species seen have been COMMON LOON, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, CANVASBACK, GREATER SCAUP, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER, LONG-TAILED DUCK, and KILLDEER. Also being seen among the 100s of Mallards and Canada Geese were DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, TUNDRA SWAN, WOOD DUCK, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, and HOODED MERGANSER.
Especially unusual at Park Point was the juv Black-legged Kittiwake spotted by Jim Lind and Dave Grosshuesch flying by the Recreation Area Nov 30, which no one has been able to relocate subsequently. (There was also a very surprising kittiwake found by Terry Wiens Dec 2 in Pine Co along I-35 near mile marker 192 just north of Sandstone, which conceivably could have been the same individual.)
On Dec 4, Mike Hendrickson found another unusual gull, a juv Great Black-backed, in the bay near the Sky Harbor airport buildings. And a female or imm Harlequin Duck was seen by many observers Nov 30 - Dec 7 on the bay side of Park Point between the Rowing Club and the Recreation Area.
Another rarity seen elsewhere in Duluth was the imm gray-morph Gyrfalcon spotted by Frank Nicoletti Dec 3 near the London Rd Car Wash; it was last seen flying SW towards the harbor area, but it has yet to be relocated. And a male Summer Tanager was seen Dec 2, for apparently one day only, at a feeder on the 2300 block of E 5th Street.
The first Great Gray Owl in the area this season was found Dec 3 along Lake Co Rd 2 N of Two Harbors, about 3 mi N of the Forest Rd 11 jct. A N Hawk Owl was reported Dec 1 in Hermantown along the Maple Grove Rd, 2 mi W of Ugstad Rd. And the only Snowy Owls reported this week were the 2 still at the Northshore Mining property in Silver Bay in Lake Co.
As mentioned previously, the Duluth CBC will take place Sat, Dec 15, and birders of all levels of ability are invited to take part, either by watching their feeders that day or joining one of the birding parties out in the field. For more information, call Jim Lind at work (720-4384) or at home (834-3199).
Also note the Two Harbors CBC will be held Sun, Dec 16; the compiler is Frank Nicoletti (telephone 724-0758). And the Sax-Zim Bog CBC will be on Mon the 17th, compiled by Sparky Stensaas (telephone 384-3731).
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 December 13. 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 mou@biosci.umn.edu; or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org.
