Duluth RBA
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-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *October 28, 1999 *MNDU9910.28 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: October 28, 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: Terry Brashear (beakgeek@scientist.com)
This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, October 28, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
Since last week's Birding Report, there has been a significant change in the birding picture in NE Minnesota, mostly due to a very large movement of migrants in Duluth and along the North Shore on the 22nd. And since then several rarities have turned up, including a BAND-TAILED PIGEON, 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, at least 3 or 4 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES, a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and that EASTERN SCREECH-OWL mentioned on previous reports was heard again.
Frank Nicoletti saw a BAND-TAILED PIGEON fly past the Main Overlook at Hawk Ridge on Oct 25; unfortunately, it flew towards the NE and out of sight, and it has not been relocated. Amazingly, this is the 5th record of this Accidental species at Hawk Ridge, with 4 of these in recent years and the first one at the Ridge in 1982.
Bill Stjern of the Twin Cities reported 2 HARLEQUIN DUCKS in Cook Co on Oct 22: one of these was at the mouth of the Cascade R west of Grand Marais, and the other was at Paradise Beach (which is 13 mi E of Grand Marais). Several other birders were in Grand Marais and vicinity on the 22nd and last weekend, but there were no other reports of these ducks. Another Harlequin was found Oct 23 by a Minnesota Birding Weekends group on the E side of Mille Lacs L, 1 mi N of the Mille Lacs - Aitkin Co line. Although some attempts to relocate it the next couple days were unsuccessful, the bird was seen again on the 24th at the same location behind a small rocky breakwater.
A few TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES have been seen recently. On the 22nd, Tony Hertzel and Peder Svingen found 2 -- and possibly 3 -- individuals along the Croftville Rd, which turns off Hwy 61 just E of Grand Marais. In Duluth, Frank Nicoletti saw one at Hawk Ridge Oct 24, and today Lew Oakland reported a probable solitaire at Indian Pt Campground (which is located at 75th Ave W near the zoo).
Molly and Ken Hoffman found a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER on the 22nd in Grand Marais on the W edge of the campground; this SE Minn species is now seen almost annually in NE Minn.
On the night of Oct 23-24, that EASTERN SCREECH-OWL, which had been banded by Frank Nicoletti 3 weeks ago, was heard calling by Peder Svingen just S of Calvary Rd, between First Ave S and Chicago Ave. This is the first screech-owl record in this part of Minnesota in recent decades.
As part of that big migration on the 22nd, literally thousands of COMMON REDPOLLS were seen flying down the North Shore, and among them was one carefully identified HOARY REDPOLL at Hovland in Cook Co. Also that day, the first BOREAL CHICKADEES and PINE GROSBEAKS of the season were noted along the Shore, and OLDSQUAWS and both SURF SCOTERS and BLACK SCOTERS were seen at various locations -- with 2 of the Black Scoters possibly still present in Duluth on the bay side of Park Point at about 36th St. Another Black Scoter was found on Mille Lacs L at Garrison on the 23rd. Curiously, however, there have been no recent reports of White-winged Scoters.
Since the 22nd, in addition to redpolls, observers have also been reporting migrant BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS, NORTHERN SHRIKES, BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, SNOW BUNTINGS, and both RED CROSSBILLS and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS at various locations. And there have been some late-lingering migrants seen; these include: RED-EYED VIREO and BAY-BREASTED WARBLER in Cook Co on Oct 22, PINE WARBLER also in Cook Co on the 24th, and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER today in Duluth.
I received a second-hand report yesterday of a possible GREAT GRAY OWL near Two Harbors in Lake Co, but the exact location is not known. Also yesterday, the first GLAUCOUS GULL of the season was at Canal Park in Duluth.
October 22 was also a big day for raptors at Hawk Ridge. The total count was 1,954, including 1,624 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 87 BALD EAGLES, 51 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS, 7 GOLDEN EAGLES, 1 late BROAD-WINGED HAWK, and a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK.
On the 23rd, the total was 551, including 37 goshawks, another late Broad-winged and another Red-shouldered. The count was 495 on the 24th, including 74 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS.
On Oct 25, the total was 553, including 70 Rough-leggeds and 8 Golden Eagles. On the 26th, there were 855 raptors, and these included 640 Red-taileds, 87 Bald Eagles and 86 Rough-leggeds. The flight both yesterday and today was relatively slow.
Unless something unusual is seen in the meantime which needs to be reported immediately, the Duluth Birding Report is normally updated once a week on Thursdays, so that the next scheduled update will be on November 4. The phone number is (218) 525-5952, and callers can leave a message if they wish after the tone at the end of the tape. Also note that a message can be left without having to wait for the birding report to end: after the tape starts playing, push 5 on a touch-tone phone, the tape will then stop, the tone will sound and you can leave your message.
The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota
Ornithologists' Union (MOU), the state bird club, as a service to its
members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell
Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street S E, Minneapolis MN 55455, or
visit the MOU web site at
Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic
hotline: MOU-net@biosci.umn.edu. To learn more, send a message (the
message being these two words: info mou-net) to majordomo@biosci.umn.edu.
To learn more about our organization visit our web site:
http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/
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