Previous reports: March 22 29 , April 5 11 19 25 , May 3 10 17 20 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*May 24, 2001
*MNDU0105.24

-Birds mentioned

• Tricolored Heron
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Tundra Swan
• Trumpeter Swan
• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Oldsquaw
• Surf Scoter
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Black-bellied Plover
• American Golden-Plover
• Whimbrel
• Hudsonian Godwit
• Marbled Godwit
• Red Knot
• White-rumped Sandpiper
• Wilson's Phalarope
• Parasitic Jaeger
• Little Gull
• Northern Hawk Owl
• Great Gray Owl
• Whip-poor-will
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Northern Mockingbird
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Field Sparrow
• White-winged Crossbill

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: May 24, 2001
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)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, May 24, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

There was an update of this Report on May 20 with a summary of the May 19 Hawk Ridge Birdathon and St Louis Co Big Day, and since then several birds of note have been seen. Most notable among them was the TRICOLORED HERON seen May 21 just NE of Two Harbors in Lake Co in the wetland between Flood Bay Wayside and Superior Shores Resort. Unfortunately, this bird was only present for about 45 minutes before it flew off towards the SW and could not be relocated later. This represents only the 3rd record of this species in the N half of Minn, and the first ever for the NE quarter of the state.

Other highlights on the 21st among the 128 species found on the Lake Co Big Day were a NORTHERN HAWK OWL at a nest on Co Rd 2 (for obvious reasons the exact location cannot be given out at this time), a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER at the Beaver Bay sewage ponds (14 shorebird species in all were found), and a total of 23 species of warblers (including Black-throated Blue at Tettegouche State Park).

Back in Duluth a few birds of interest were seen this week at Park Point: a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD both today and yesterday near the bathhouse in the Recreation Area; a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE found May 20 and still present today near the Duluth Rowing Club; a WHIMBREL May 22 at Sky Harbor Airport; and the SURF SCOTER seen on the Birdathon on the bay side near the Rowing Club was still present yesterday.

Since the May 20 Birding Report, a report was received of an unidentified JAEGER seen on the 19th on the lake side of Park Point; this species was not seen by any of the Birdathon teams that day. But to repeat the highlights among the composite Birdathon total of 190 species found in St Louis Co on May 19:

A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and a late GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE were both at the 40th Ave W Erie Pier area.

A late TUNDRA SWAN was in the St Louis R at Grassy Pt, which is at the base of the old U S Hwy 2 bridge. And a TRUMPETER SWAN was in the vicinity of Minn Hwy 194 and Canosia Rd -- look either in the gravel pit ponds just N of this jct or in the wetland about 1/2 mi S. Four OLDSQUAWS were present at Stoney Pt.

A few SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were seen in the Sax-Zim Bog at their lek along the S side of Co Rd 52, just W of Co Rd 208.

Unexpected were the WILSON'S PHALAROPES found in the N part of the county at the former Embarrass rice paddies.

The best find of the day was probably the adult LITTLE GULL seen in the morning at Hearding Island, which is visible on the bay side of Park Point from 19th St; it was apparently present only a short time and could not be relocated in the afternoon.

GREAT GRAY OWLS were found at 5 locations in the Sax-Zim Bog: around the jct of Co Rds 319 and 7; along Co Rd 7 between Sax and 319; at 2 locations along Co Rd 213; and along Co Rd 52 just E of Owl Ave. Also of note was the WHIP-POOR-WILL heard along Co Rd 52 about half way between Cotton and Co Rd 7.

A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was seen at a feeder in Proctor, and an unexpected FIELD SPARROW was at Leif Brush's feeder on the 2900 block of Jefferson St in Duluth.

And, a flock of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS was along Co Rd 213 in Sax-Zim near the power line corridor.

Finally, as many as 21 species of shorebirds were present earlier this week (through at least yesterday morning) in Aitkin Co along Co Rd 15, or the Cedarbrook Rd, which turns W off Co Rd 1 just N of downtown Aitkin. Unfortunately almost all these shorebirds were gone yesterday evening, but among the species which had been present were RED KNOT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, MARBLED GODWITS, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, and AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER.

Unless something unusual is seen in the meantime which needs to be reported immediately, this Report is normally updated once a week on Thursdays, so that the next scheduled update will be on May 31. 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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