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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*May 2, 2002
*MNDU0205.02

-Birds mentioned

• Horned Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Harlequin Duck
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Bonaparte's Gull
• Marsh Wren
• Brown Thrasher
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Black-throated Green Warbler
• Palm Warbler
• Black-and-white Warbler
• Western Tanager
• Painted Bunting
• Vesper Sparrow
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Harris's Sparrow
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Rusty Blackbird

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: May 2, 2002
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: David R. Benson (drbenson@cpinternet.com)
Transcriber: David R. Benson (drbenson@cpinternet.com)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for May 2nd, 2002, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

An unusual duck has been seen in the Duluth harbor. The bird, which may have been present for as long as two weeks, was originally identified as a Ruddy Duck. It may turn out to be an unusually-plumaged Bufflehead, a hybrid, or a Smew. It is always seen with a group of female Buffleheads, and it appears to be the same size and shape. The pale plumage is quite different however. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that a conclusive identification can be reached soon. The bird has been most often seen along the harbor side of Minnesota Point between the boat launch and Hearding Island.

A PAINTED BUNTING was seen in the town of Aitkin. There were reports of WESTERN TANAGER in Grand Marais, at Croftville and downtown. These birds have not been seen in the past couple of days.

Chris Mansfield found an EARED GREBE in the harbor on the 26th. A HARLEQUIN DUCK has been seen again in the Duluth harbor this week. A flock of BONAPARTE'S GULLS was seen on the 26th. On the 28th, there were 152 HORNED GREBES at 40th Ave West. Several people have reported flocks of over 50 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS at their feeders this week. A YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was at 40th on the 28th. BROAD-WINGED HAWKS arrived in numbers this week, with a high count of over 3600 yesterday at the West Skyline Hawkwatch.

Other new migrants reported this week include MARSH WREN, BROWN THRASHER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, VESPER SPARROW, HARRIS'S SPARROW, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, May 9. 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.

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