Duluth RBA
Duluth RBA
Duluth RBA
|
-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *September 10 1997 *MNDU9709.10 -Birds mentioned
Date: Sept. 10, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218)525.5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert
Transcriber: Barb Adams badams@.css.edu
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Duluth Birding Report for Wednesday, September 10, 1997, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
This tape is being updated a day early because of a report of a SAY'S PHOEBE, which was seen in Grand Marais, in Cook County yesterday at noon. The bird was reported yesterday evening by Molly and Ken Hoffman of Grand Marais, who saw it on the east side of the harbor in the vicinity of the former Coast Guard station. If the bird is seen again in the next couple of days this tape will be updated as soon as possible with new information.
Of additional note recently in Duluth: PACIFIC LOON, WESTERN GREBE, AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, RED KNOTS, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, and a PARASITIC JAEGER.
The PACIFIC LOON was reported by Bill Litkey on Sept. 6, on Lake Superior about a mile northeast of the Lester River and there was also a possible sighting of it again on Sept. 8, closer to the Lester River.
The same day a WESTERN GREBE was reported by Wally Swanson out from the recreation area on Park Point. No one relocated it subsequently.
A flock of no fewer than 34 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS flew over the main overlook at Hawk Ridge yesterday afternoon. This is one of the largest groups of WHITE PELICANS ever reported in this area. Another lone PELICAN was seen Sept. 8 as it flew over St. Louis Cty Rd. 4 at Island Lake, just North of Duluth.
Bill Litkey also reported a group of 7 RED KNOTS at the 40th Ave. West Erie Pier and mud flats on Sept. 6. But unfortunately they flew off and out of sight while they were being watched and no one has relocated them since then.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were seen at two locations last weekend. One was at Bay Front Park which is located in Duluth in the harbor area just west of the convention center and the other was at the Beaver Bay sewage ponds in Lake Cty. The ponds are located just north of the town of Beaver Bay along Cty Rd. 4.
Mike Hendrickson identified a dark-morph PARASITIC JAEGER at Park Point on Sept. 7. The bird was seen on the Lake side of the point just south of the Sky Harbor Airport building. This is the second JAEGER seen so far this month in Duluth.
Meanwhile the first count of over 1000 hawks so far this season was made at Hawk Ridge yesterday, Sept. 9, when a count was 3024. This included 1661 BROAD-WINGED HAWK, 1121 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 121 AMERICAN KESTREL, 53 RED-TAILED HAWK, and 10 COOPER'S HAWK. Hopefully the flight will continue to be strong the rest of this week and for this coming weekend, Sept. 12, 13, 14 for our annual Hawk Weekend activities.
Hawk Weekend festivities which will take place on September 12, 13 and 14. There will be programs at UMD's Bohannon Hall room 90 both Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 8:00 p.m. with refreshments and registration starting at 7:00 p.m..
There will be three birding field trips both Saturday and Sunday morning which all meet at 7:00 a.m. One trip will meet at the parking lot at the 40th Avenue West Perkin's Restaurant and then proceed to the 40th Avenue West Erie Pier area mud flats to look for shorebirds and other water birds. Another trip will meet at the main parking lot at the recreation area at Park Point. Then the third field trip up the north shore, at least to Stony Point, will meet at the Lester River visitor's information booth.
Nature hikes and other activities will also take place during the day at Hawk Ridge itself on both Saturday and Sunday.
With so many birders in town this weekend it is possible that an unusual species or two might turn up. If this is the case, the next update of this tape will be on Sunday evening, Sept. 14. If there is nothing of special note, the next scheduled update of this tape will be on Thursday, September 18.
