Previous reports: January 20 27 , February 3 10 17 , March 9 19 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*March 23, 2000
*MNDU0003.23

-Birds mentioned

• Great Blue Heron
• Tundra Swan
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Goshawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Peregrine Falcon
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Sandhill Crane
• Glaucous Gull
• Great Gray Owl
• Brown Creeper
• Bohemian Waxwing
• Northern Cardinal
• Snow Bunting
• Common Redpoll
• Hoary Redpoll

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: March 23, 2000
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 23, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

The most interesting birding news this week comes from the Sax-Zim Bog area just NW of Duluth where both GREAT GRAY OWLS and SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were seen. Single Great Grays were seen at 2 locations: along St Louis Co Rd 7, about 2 mi N of Sax, on March 21; and just N of here on March 19 on Co Rd 319, about 1/2 mi E of Co Rd 7. And the Sharp-taileds were found at 2 locations on the 21st, both of these along Co Rd 52: one group was at the traditional lek site SW of the jct of Co Rds 52 and 208 (which is 2.5 mi W of Co Rd 7), and the other grouse were along 52, 0.6 mi E of Co Rd 83 (or 7.4 mi W of Co Rd 7).

Not far from Sax-Zim near the town of Melrude is Ben Yokel's feeder, where a very pale and easy-to-identify HOARY REDPOLL was still present earlier this week. For more information or directions, you can give me a call at 525-6930.

Other winter-type specialties reported this week in Duluth include BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS at various locations (with a count of 620 today at the Enger Tower hawk lookout on W Skyline Pkwy), COMMON REDPOLLS still at several feeders, a late flock of SNOW BUNTINGS today, and a group of 4 GLAUCOUS GULLS seen in the Duluth harbor March 19.

The most interesting spring migrants arriving recently in Duluth were reported from Frank Nicoletti's Enger Tower hawk lookout: a pair of adult PEREGRINE FALCONS seen now on a daily basis since March 17, a SANDHILL CRANE yesterday the 22nd, and an adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK today. Frank also reports that his best raptor counts this week were yesterday's 180 (including 146 BALD EAGLES ) and today's total of 182 (including 121 eagles and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK ).

Other new migrants reported this week in Duluth include GREAT BLUE HERON March 21, and TUNDRA SWAN and BROWN CREEPER today, the 23rd.

Finally, many observers continue to report NORTHERN CARDINALS at various locations in and around Duluth, with more reports than usual of this relatively rare species in recent weeks; this week's sightings both come from eastern Duluth, on 34th Ave E and on 45th Ave E.

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 March 30. 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 .

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