Previous reports: June 29 30, July 6 14 27, August 3 10.
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*August 17, 2006
*MNDU0608.17

• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• American Bittern
• Great Egret
• Sandhill Crane
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Baird's Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Red-necked Phalarope
• Common Nighthawk
• Black-billed Magpie
• American Pipit
• Red Crossbill
• Slaty-backed Gull

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: August 17, 2006
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 834-2858
Compiler: Jim Lind (jslind@frontiernet.net)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, August 17th, 2006 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

The potential first state record SLATY-BACKED GULL in the Grand Marais harbor was found dead on the morning of the 15th. The cause of death is not known at this time, but the bird will probably be brought to the Bell Museum for preparation and examination.

Mike Hendrickson found five shorebird species on the 13th at the Morgan Park mudflats in western Duluth, including LEAST SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Mike also found an AMERICAN PIPIT in the same area.

Warren Nelson and others found several species of interest over the weekend near the rice paddies along Aitkin County Road 1, including five GREAT EGRETS, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, LEAST SANDPIPERS, BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, AMERICAN BITTERNS and SANDHILL CRANES. They also found seven BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES along Township Road 380 south of Palisade and a SHARP-TAILED GROUSE along CR 1.

Passerine migration is well underway along the North Shore. Since banding operations began at Hawk Ridge on August 4th, Dave Grosshuesch has banded more than 100 migrants on several different mornings. Dave also reports that multiple flocks of migrating RED CROSSBILLS are being seen on an almost daily basis.

COMMON NIGHTHAWK migration has also begun in northeastern Minnesota within the past week. A total of 295 were counted along a six mile stretch of the Homestead Road and MN Highway 61 on the 16th.

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, August 24th.

The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-2858. Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded 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 to mou@cbs.umn.edu, or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org.

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our internet list sevice: MOU-net@cbs.umn.edu.
Learn more about MOU-net.

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