This is the Duluth Birding Report for Sunday, May 20th, 2007 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
This report is being updated to report on results from this weekend's Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Great Minnesota Birdathon, as well as to report a male PAINTED BUNTING in eastern Lake County. The bunting has been coming to a feeder at 6420 Highway 61, which is approximately a half mile southwest of the intersection of Lake County Road 6 and Highway 61. The home is on the lakeside of a very narrow part of MN Highway 61 and parking is impossible on the shoulder of the highway. Visitors are urged to use caution when pulling into the driveway from the highway. A tentative total of 190 species were found on Saturday's St. Louis County Big Day, with additional species seen during other categories of county Big Days, Big Sits, etc. The "Cold Duck" team led by Dave Benson had the highest St. Louis County total with 166 species found on Saturday. In St. Louis County on the 19th a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was at Indian Point in western Duluth; a BLACK SCOTER was seen on the bay side of Park Point and two more were seen at Stoney Point; six RUDDY DUCKS were at Mud Lake in Gary New-Duluth and another was seen at the Biwabik sewage ponds; SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were seen in the Sax-Zim bog along the Arkola Road (CR 52) near the junction of CR 203 and others were seen along CR 7; an EARED GREBE was seen at the Biwabik sewage ponds; a WESTERN GREBE was seen on the lakeside of Park Point near the bathhouse; a flyover BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen just west of Stoney Point; a WILLET was seen at 40th Ave West in Duluth; a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and WILSON'S PHALAROPES were at the Meadowlands sewage ponds; a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was seen in Sax-Zim along the McDavitt Road; a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO was found at Indian Point; and a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was at the Rice Lake dam north of Duluth. Two RED-THROATED LOONS were also seen at the Park Point recreational area on the 18th, as well as a GRAY JAY and two EASTERN TOWHEES. In Lake County on the 19th a female SUMMER TANAGER was seen a home along East Lakeshore Drive, just northeast of Silver Bay. A female SMITH'S LONGSPUR, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, RUDDY DUCK, and two SANDHILL CRANES were at the Beaver Bay sewage ponds. An EARED GREBE and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD were at the Castle Danger sewage ponds. Today there was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD in Lake County along the MN Highway 61 expressway at the Isaacson Road. Another mockingbird was seen on private land near the Encampment River on the 18th. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, May 24th. 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 mou at moumn.org, or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org.
