Return to Home Page
-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *April 16, 1997 *MNDU9704.16 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore
Date: April 16, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert
Transcriber: Barb Adams badams@fac1.css.edu
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
(Paraphrased)
Pace of arrival spring migrants slow.
Noteworthy sightings this week:
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN in Duluth GYRFALCON past Enger Tower
and in Lake County: BOREAL OWL, GREAT GRAY OWL, along with SPRUCE GROUSE, RED CROSSBILLS and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS
Two WHITE PELICANS spotted by Cindy Edwards on as flew over Woodland Ave. neighborhood and one lone PELICAN last week flying over Duluth Harbor.
Frank Nicoletti spring raptor count at Enger Tower on slow side this week but April 11 spotted an immature gray morph GYRFALCON flying in an easterly direction toward the Duluth Harbor area. Attempts later to relocate the bird were unsuccessful.
Also on April 11, the highest count of the season so far: 714 raptors, including no fewer than 6 GOLDEN EAGLES and also 652 RED-TAILED HAWKS.
Tony Hertzel of the Twin Cities went up to Lake Cty on April 11 and 12 and found a GREAT GRAY OWL along the Stony River forest road near its intersection with the Whyte Road. Also two calling male BOREAL OWLS along the same road at 8.5 miles and 12.5 miles south of MN Hwy 1.
By the way, Bill Lane's survey of BOREAL OWLS in Cook and Eastern Lake Cty has now located 21 calling males. And still two more dead BOREAL OWLS were found and reported this week in Duluth.
For those unfamiliar with the Stony River forest road area, the northern end of it intersects Hwy One, 2.5 miles west of Isabella. And the southern end is at Forest Road 11, which goes east off of Lake Cty Rd. 2 about 26 miles North of Two Harbors.
Tony also saw a SPRUCE GROUSE about one mile up the Spruce Rd. which turns north off of Hwy 1, 14 miles northwest of the Cty Rd. 2 intersection.
And he found both RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS at various locations. WHITE-WINGEDS were especially numerous and many seemed to be paired off and displaying as if on nesting territory, even though there has only been one actual WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL nest ever found in Minnesota.
The only disappointing thing about Tony's trip was that he was unable to find BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER or THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS.
Among new migrants reported since last week s tape: COMMON LOON on April 12 BLUE-WINGED TEAL April 13 RED-BREASTED MERGANSER April 14 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT and LAPLAND LONGSPUR April 15
But that's about it because most of the St. Louis River and its backwaters are still frozen. And most of the waterfowl have yet to arrive.
Rick Shroeder reports a pair of TRUMPETER SWANS on the gravel pit pond just West of Duluth at the intersection of Minnesota Hwy 194 and Canosia Rd. or Cty Rd 98. This species continues to be introduced in Minnesota and elsewhere in recent years and it remains to be seen whether a population of the swan will ever be permanently established in Minnesota.
The next scheduled report on this tape will be Friday, May 2.
To make a report without listening to the whole tape, push "5" after the tape has begun playing, the tape will then stop and a tone will sound after which one can report the sighting.