Duluth RBA
Duluth RBA
Duluth RBA
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-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *March 18, 1999 *MNDU9903.18 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: March 18, 1999
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Transcriber: Kim Eckert (kreckert@cp.duluth.mn.us)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 18, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
While there were such northern Minnesota specialties as SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, SNOWY OWL, RED CROSSBILL and COMMON REDPOLL seen during the past week, the most interesting sightings have been of some early spring migrants, including a few waterbirds, good numbers of both BALD EAGLE, GOLDEN EAGLES, and some calling NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS.
The first returning RING-BILLED GULLS were reported March 12 in the Duluth-Superior harbor, and on Tuesday the 16th both LESSER SCAUP and HOODED MERGANSERS were seen by Mike Hendrickson in the open water behind the sewage treatment plant in the harbor at 27th Ave West.
Frank Nicoletti's count of migrant raptors on West Skyline Pkwy near Enger Tower has been turning up some surprisingly high numbers of BALD and GOLDEN EAGLES this week. Today no fewer than 10 GOLDEN EAGLES were seen, bringing this month's total of this species to 27 -- these include 9 on March 16 and 5 on March 14. And this month's count of BALD EAGLES has now surpassed 600, with peak counts of 229 on March 16 and 143 on the 15th. A handful of RED-TAILED HAWKS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS has also been counted, and today Frank saw an adult PEREGRINE FALCON -- although this may be the same individual which had been seen wintering in the harbor during January and February.
N. SAW-WHET OWLS have been heard calling on territory recently at a few locations. These include: in Don Kienholz's yard on Martin Rd; in Janet Green's yard on Old North Shore Rd; and at two locations on Lake Co Rd 2 -- at 5.5 mi north and at 20 mi north of Two Harbors. Unfortunately, however, no Boreal Owls have been reported since one was heard in late February along Co Rd 2 near Greenwood L.
Again last weekend Rick Schroeder located some SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in the Sax-Zim Bog area northwest of Duluth. A group of 5 was southwest of the intersection of St Louis Co Rds 204 and 29, which is 3 mi north and 1 mi east of Meadowlands. And a flock of 8 was along Co Rd 29, 1 mi west of Co Rd 208 -- which is 1 mi east and 2 mi north of the first location.
That SNOWY OWL along U S Hwy 169 between Mountain Iron and Virginia in St Louis Co was still present as of March 14 near the Floor to Ceiling Store. RED CROSSBILLS were still coming in to Gary Kuyava's feeder late last week on W Wabasha St in Duluth, and last weekend Nancy Jackson had a lone COMMON REDPOLL at her feeder in Hoyt Lakes in St Louis Co.
The next update of this tape will not be until two weeks from now -- that is, on Thursday, April 1.
As always, if you have birds to report you may either: 1) leave a message
after the tone at the end of the tape* -- the number is (218) 525-5952 ; or
2) call me directly at (218) 525-6930; or 3) e-mail me at
(*Callers may leave a message on the tape without having to wait for the
Birding Report to end. To do this, after the tape starts playing push 5 on
your touch-tone phone, the tape will then stop, the tone will sound, and
you can then leave your message.)
This Birding Report is provided and funded by Minnesota's state bird club,
the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU), as a service to its members.
For more information on the MOU, write us c/o Bell Museum of Natural
History, 10 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis MN 55455; or visit the MOU web
page at http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou.
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