-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*April 30, 2009
*MNDU0904.30

-Birds mentioned
Long-tailed Duck
Red-throated Loon
American White Pelican
American Bittern
Semipalmated Plover
Willet
Bonaparte's Gull
Thayer's Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Brown Thrasher
Pine Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore
Date: April 30, 2009
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 834-2858
Compiler: Jim Lind ([log in to unmask])

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, April 30th, 2009
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Twenty-six RED-THROATED LOONS flew past Karl Bardon and others at the
West Skyline Hawk Count in Duluth on the 25th. This is one of the
earliest spring dates for this species, as well as one of the highest
counts in the state. Peder Svingen also saw three RED-THROATED LOONS on
the same day flying north at the Lafayette Square 31st Street access on
Park Point. Jan and Larry Kraemer saw a RED-THROATED LOON at Wisconsin
Point on the 25th. On the 28th, 21 RED-THROATED LOONS migrated past the
West Skyline Hawk Count site.

Peder Svingen found a WILLET on the 30th at the Lafayette Square 31st
Street access on Park Point. He saw two first-cycle ICELAND GULLS and a
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the 24th at the Superior landfill. On the
25th he saw GREAT-BACKED GULL, THAYER'S GULLS, GLAUCOUS GULLS, and one
of the ICELAND GULLS at the Superior landfill. Flocks of AMERICAN WHITE
PELICANS continue to be seen by several observers around the Duluth
area, including 166 seen on the 25th at the West Skyline Hawk Count.

Cindy Edwardson had two VESPER SPARROWS on the 25th in her yard near the
UMD campus. Another VESPER SPARROW was seen on the 30th at a feeder on
the 300 block of 2nd Avenue in Two Harbors. Gordy Martinson still has a
male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER coming to his feeders near Oak and Maxwell
Street in Lakewood Township.

Carol Tveekrum had a record-early INDIGO BUNTING on the 24th at her
feeders in Schroeder, Cook County. Carol also reported seeing several
flocks of LONG-TAILED DUCKS in the area.

New arrivals this week include AMERICAN BITTERN, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER,
BONAPARTE'S GULL, BROWN THRASHER, PINE WARBLER, CHIPPING SPARROW,
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, and SWAMP SPARROW.

The Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is looking for observations and
locations of nesting raptors in the city of Duluth. Reports should be
sent ASAP to assure time for nesting observations to occur. Please
contact Frank Nicoletti either by phone at (218) 724-0758 or by e-mail
at [log in to unmask]

The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, May 7th.

The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-2858.
Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded
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, e-mail us
at [log in to unmask], or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org.