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*MNDU9508.31
Hotline: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore
Date: August 31, 1995
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert
Transcriber: Sr. Beverly Raway braway@fac1.css.edu
This is the Duluth birding report for Thursday, August 31st sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
GREAT GREY OWLS were reported again last weekend in the Sax-Zim Bog area northwest of Duluth. Ben ..... of Melrude saw them at two locations on St. Louis County Road 7 between a mile and a half and two miles north of County Road 52 and also on County Road 28 just east of 207. County Road 207 turns north off of 52, 9 miles west of Cotton and the intersection of County Road 207 and 28 is three miles to the north of here. Great greys have been seen in this general vicinity of and on all summer since late May.
The only other species of note reported recently was the flock of WHITE PELICANS seen by Mark ..... flying by the southern end of Park Point last week.
Except for one rained out day there has been daily coverage of the Hawk Ridge main overlook since August 15th, and about 750 hawks have been counted during this last half of August. The best days were the 29th when 189 were unexpectedly counted during east winds, and today as of 4:00 pm 210 hawks were seen on more favorable northwest winds. On both days as expected SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS predominated. About the only highlight so far were lone PEREGRINE FALCONS seen on the 27th and the 29th. With west winds forecast for tomorrow, September 1st, it should be another decent flight day, but the outlook for Labor Day Weekend, September 2nd to the 4th, is less certain since warmer temperatures are in the forecast.
Meanwhile our dawn count of migrants at the Lakewood Pumping Station continues on an every other day basis. So far, there have been five count days with best movements on August 21st when about 3,000 migrants were counted and today when the count was nearly 1,000. So far, warblers, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and CEDAR WAXWINGS have been the predominant species.
The next field trips of the Northshore Birdclub will be on Saturday September 2nd meeting at the mian parking lot of the Park Point Recreation Area and on the following Saturday, September 9th, meeting at the Hawk Ridge main overlook. Both trips begin at 8:00 am. For more information you can call Mike Hendrickson at 726- 0840.
Also keep in mind that our annual September Hawk Weekend will take place on September 15th, 16th and 17th. More information will be given on next week's tape, but in the meantime if you have any questions on this or other Hawk Ridge activities feel free to call me at 525-6930. The next scheduled up-date of this tape will be on Thursday, September 7th, and as always if you have birds to report you may leave a message after the tone.......