-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*May 1, 1997
*MNDU9705.01

-Birds mentioned

• Red Necked Grebe
• Horned Grebe
• Bonaparte's Gull
• Oldsquaw
• American White Pelican
• Sandhill Crane
• American Avocet
• Short Eared Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Boreal Owl
• American Robin
• Northern Cardinal
• Vesper Sparrow
• Turkey Vulture
• Bald Eagle
• Osprey
• Northern Harrier
• Sharp Shinned Hawk
• Cooper's Hawks
• Northern Goshawk
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• American Kestrel
• Merlin

Hotline: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore
Date: May 1, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert
Transcriber: Rick Schroeder (avsaxman@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

(paraphrased)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Friday, May 2, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. This tape is being updated a day late because I have been out of town.

Very little of significance has been reported during the last two weeks in Duluth or northeastern Minnesota. Most common birds are scarce and behind schedule for spring migration. Waterfowl are about the only birds around in any quantities.

Good numbers of RED NECKED GREBES and HORNED GREBES, have been seen on Lake Superior with other ducks, particularly on April 29 on the lake side of Park Point--the annual Smelt run is under way. About 100 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were seen at the same time and place.

Last weekend Tim Dawson observed about 50 OLDSQUAWS at the mouth of the Cascade River, as well as good numbers of GREBES and other ducks along the North Shore.

AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS have been seen in Duluth. Eight were spotted from the Enger Tower hawk lookout on April 29 and May 1. PELICANS likely fooled the observer who reported a group of Whooping Cranes.

SANDHILL CRANES were reported seen from Enger Tower and also at Lakewood Road along the North Shore.

Rarest bird this spring: AMERICAN AVOCET reported by Maurita Gertz on the north shore of Mille Lacs Lake in Aitkin County, three miles NW of Malmo. This bird was first seen last Monday, and was still present as of yesterday.

On April 29 a SHORT EARED OWL was reported from Enger Tower. Two GREAT GRAY OWLS were reported from Douglas County, Wisconsin last week. One was located along County Road D near Poplar; the other was at Wisconsin Point in Superior.

Bill Lane's survey of BOREAL OWLS in Cook and Lake Counties is complete for this spring. Over 30 males were heard calling on territory, eight of which were paired with females. Four active nests were found. A few calling males (presumably unmated) could still be heard as of May 1.

Chuck Johnson reports finding an albino female AMERICAN ROBIN incubating eggs on a nest in the Woodland neighborhood of Duluth. The location has been withheld at his request.

Two NORTHERN CARDINALS were seen this week in Duluth at the corner of 26th Avenue East and 4th Street and also at the 2900 block of Greysolon Road.

Terry Wiens found a VESPER SPARROW last week along Strand Road. These birds are rarely seen in NW Minnesota.

Frank Nicoletti's spring raptor count: 4249 for April.

386 TURKEY VULTURES 372 BALD EAGLES 35 OSPREYS 23 NORTHERN HARRIERS 487 SHARP SHINNED HAWKS 29 COOPER'S HAWKS 1 GOSHAWK 442 BROADWINGS 2279 RED-TAILED HAWKS 58 ROUGHLEGS 8 GOLDEN EAGLES 21 AMERICAN KESTRELS 9 MERLINS

433 raptors were counted on April 29th, including 305 BROADWINGS. Today he counted over 500 hawks, including about 350 BROADWINGS and 20 OSPREYS.

The next scheduled update is Thursday, May 8.

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