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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*September 14, 2000
*MNDU0009.14

-Birds mentioned

• American White Pelican
• American Bittern
• Turkey Vulture
• Osprey
• Mississippi Kite
• Bald Eagle
• Sharp-shinned Hawk
• Cooper's Hawk
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Swainson's Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Kestrel
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper
• Species Jaeger
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Western Kingbird
• Marsh Wren
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• American Pipit
• Black-throated Blue Warbler
• Connecticut Warbler
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Lapland Longspur
• Bobolink
• White-winged Crossbill

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: September 14, 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, September 14, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Fall migration finally improved considerably in Duluth and vicinity this week after being very slow for the most part -- especially for woods birds -- through last weekend. The most notable highlight this week was a MISSISSIPPI KITE at Hawk Ridge, where there has also been a big flight of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS for the last 3 days. But also of special interest since last week's Birding Report were sightings of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS in Cook Co, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS at 3 locations, a JAEGER (presumably a Parasitic) in Duluth, a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER in the Sax-Zim Bog, out-of-range WESTERN KINGBIRDS at 2 North Shore locations, and a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER at Hawk Ridge.

The Mississippi Kite was an adult which flew by the Main Overlook at Hawk Ridge late in the afternoon of Sept 11. Photos were taken by counter Frank Nicoletti, and if they turn out this would be of special significance since Mississippi Kite is the only species on the Casual list of Minnesota birds which has yet to be documented by a photo or specimen.

A flock of 5 Am White Pelicans was seen in the Grand Marais harbor last weekend, and apparently they had been present there in previous days; and what may have been these same pelicans were reported by Dory Spence on Sept 12 on L Superior near Taconite Harbor, also in Cook Co.

Buff-breasted Sandpipers were reported by Jim Lind in Lake Co at the Two Harbors airport on Sept 8 and at the Beaver Bay sewage ponds yesterday, and 2 flew by the Recreation Area at Park Point in Duluth on Sept 9.

Also on Sept 9 on the lake side of Park Point, a dark juvenile jaeger was watched by Tony Hertzel, and possibly this was the same Parasitic Jaeger identified the previous weekend near the mouth of the Lester R.

Craig Mandel unexpectedly found a Black-backed Woodpecker on Sept 11 in the Sax-Zim Bog along St Louis Co Rd 52, 1.5 mi W of Co Rd 207 or 1 mi E of Owl Ave; this species is only occasionally seen in Sax-Zim, with fall reports especially few and far between.

Even more unexpected were the 2 Western Kingbirds found Sept 10: one of these was seen by the Minnesota Birding Weekends group by the old Coast Guard station on the E side of the Grand Marais harbor, and the other was found by Jim and Sharon Lind at Flood Bay in Lake Co, which is 1 mi E of Two Harbors.

At the Main Overlook at Hawk Ridge on Sept 12, Frank Nicoletti had a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; this species, which was almost unknown in NE Minn just 10 or 15 years ago, is now recorded almost every fall in Duluth or up the North Shore.

Other birds of note reported recently were: a BOBOLINK at the Spruce Creek ponds in Cook Co Sept 10; a BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER at Stoney Pt Sept 12; also on the 12th a WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL at Knife River in Lake Co; in downtown Duluth Dave Benson saw 2 very unexpected birds -- a CONNECTICUT WARBLER at close range along Superior St Sept 12, and today an AMERICAN BITTERN flying over the corner of Superior St and 1st Ave West; and with the arrival of today's cold front and big push of migrants, in Knife River there were 2 MARSH WRENS, and in Two Harbors the first AMERICAN PIPITS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and LAPLAND LONGSPURS of the fall were seen.

As might be expected with the shift to favorable W and NW winds this week, the raptor flight at Hawk Ridge has been significant. Besides the Mississippi Kite on Sept 11, there were 625 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 992 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS and 106 AMERICAN KESTRELS included in the day's total of 1,808. On the 12th, the count was 6,129, including 5,424 Broad-wingeds, 34 OSPREYS and 4 SWAINSON'S HAWKS. Yesterday the 13th, there were 9,425 Broad-wingeds and 2 more Swainson's included in the day's total of 10,090.

Then today -- although the final totals are not yet added up -- the Broad-winged Hawk flight probably reached its peak for the season with no fewer than about 22,500 counted; also seen today were about 80 TURKEY VULTURES, 36 BALD EAGLES, over 1,000 Sharp-shinneds, 41 COOPER'S HAWKS, over 150 RED-TAILED HAWKS, over 200 Am Kestrels and 2 Swainson's Hawks, for an overall total of more than 24,000 today.

For more information on the raptor migration at Hawk Ridge this fall, including the daily totals, consult our web site at .

The chances for the current strong movement of hawks and other birds continuing for the benefit of those participating in the Hawk Weekend activities is doubtful. While there is no rain in the forecast for this weekend, warmer temperatures are also forecast, with less favorable winds shifting to the NE and then to the S. On Friday the 15th, there will be a program at 8:00 p.m. at UMD's Chemistry Dept Auditorium, room 200, with registration and refreshments before then starting at 7:00. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, Sept 16 and 17, besides all the activities during the day at Hawk Ridge itself, there will be birding field trips meeting at 7 a.m. at the following locations: the entrance gate at the 40th Ave West Erie Pier area, the main parking lot at Park Point Recreation Area, and the Lester Park parking lot on Lester River Rd just N of Superior St. And on Saturday evening the 16th there will be a dinner at 6:00 (with advance reservations required) followed by a program starting at 7:30 at UMD's Kirby Student Center Ballroom.

This report is normally updated once a week on Thursdays, so that the next scheduled update will be on Sept 21; however, with so many birders in Duluth this weekend, it is possible there will be an update on Sunday, Sept 17, if some birds of special note are found. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 525-5952, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. Messages can also be left without having to wait for the report to end: to do this, after the tape starts playing push 5 on a touch-tone phone, the tape will stop, the tone will sound, and you can then leave your message.

The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) 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 SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to ; or visit the MOU web site at .

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