-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*October 8, 1998
*MNDU9810.08

-Birds mentioned

• Pacific Loon
• Western Grebe
• Harlequin Duck
• Black Scoter
• Surf Scoter
• White-winged Scoter
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Golden Eagle
• Sandhill Crane
• Franklin's Gull
• Northern Saw-whet Owl
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Vesper Sparrow
• Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
• Smith's Longspur
• Red Crossbill
• White-winged Crossbill

Hotline: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore
Date: October 8, 1998
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert
Transcriber: Rick Schroeder, MnBird Volunteer
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, October 8, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Once again the birding in Duluth this week has continued to be interesting, with highlights since last weekend including WESTERN GREBE, HARLEQUIN DUCK, SURF SCOTER, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER, SANDHILL CRANE, FRANKLIN'S GULL, BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW, VESPER SPARROWS, SMITH'S LONGSPUR, RED CROSSBILL, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL; all this plus a PACIFIC LOON at Mille Lacs Lake and a good flight of both hawks and owls at Hawk Ridge.

The WESTERN GREBE reported on last week's tape was relocated on October 4 on Lake Superior out from the Recreation Area at Park Point. Also on the lake side of the Recreation Area on the third, two early HARLEQUIN DUCKS were seen flying by. All three SCOTERS were seen on various days this week at various locations at Park Point, with that SURF SCOTER reported on last week's tape still present today, on the bay side at 33rd Street.

SANDHILL CRANES were seen both yesterday and today, migrating over Hawk Ridge, with 20 yesterday and at least 12 today. Also at the Main Overlook at Hawk Ridge, some early migrating BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were seen about a week ago. This tape had reported on some even earlier Bohemians at Hoyt Lakes in northern St. Louis County back on September 23.

A FRANKLIN'S GULL was found at Canal Park near downtown Duluth on October 5.

Dave Benson found an unexpected NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW at the 40th Avenue West Erie Pier area on October 2, and this bird was relocated there near the eastern corner on October 4. At least one SMITH'S LONGSPUR was also present in the same area as of last weekend, as they have been for at least the previous week.

A VESPER SPARROW was found today on Park Point, near the Sky Harbor Airport buildings.

Both RED CROSSBILLS and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS appeared this week in Duluth after several days' absence. A RED CROSSBILL was found October 6 along Chester Creek, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were found yesterday migrating down the North Shore near the Lakewood Pumping Station.

The migration of both hawks and owls at Hawk Ridge has been good on some recent days. On the night of October 7-8, no fewer than 135 N. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS were netted at the Banding Station. At the Main Overlook yesterday the first GOLDEN EAGLE of the season was seen, and today the first ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, along with a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, was counted.

Today was also the biggest flight day of the month so far at the Main Overlook. As of 2:00 p.m. over 1000 hawks had been counted, including: 121 Turkey Vultures, 31 Bald Eagles, 600+ Sharp-shinned Hawks, 4 goshawks and 200+ Red -taileds.

Finally, elsewhere in northeastern Minnesota, Tony Hertzel of the Twin Cities found a PACIFIC LOON October 5 on the west side of Mille Lacs Lake, near the Wigwam Bay Resort along Mille Lacs County Road 35.

The next scheduled update of this tape will be on Thursday, October 15.

[Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MnRBA. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info end) to mnrba-request@linux.winona.msus.edu

Sightings can be called in directly to the tape, (218) 525-5952, by leaving a message after the tone at the end of the tape.]

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