This morning (21 October), I watched a flock of blackish ducks fly from the Minnesota side of the Superior Entry to the Wisconsin side of the Superior Entry on Lake Superior. They were obviously larger than scaup and their under bodies appeared all dark. As they got closer, I could clearly see large white patches on the secondaries of each bird and was able to see two white spots on the heads of many of the birds. As they flew past the mouth of the Superior Entry, I looked at each bird individually to make sure that no other species were present. About a dozen were bunched together, but the rest were strung out in a line, so I was able to obtain an accurate count -- and recounted them twice to make sure. This total of 72 White-winged Scoters represents the highest fall count of this species for Minnesota; there is a spring record of 150 White-winged Scoters in Cook County, 17 May 1975 (M. Carr, Loon 47:163).
The Superior Entry divides Minnesota Point from Wisconsin Point, and the state line bisects the Entry. I was standing on the tip of Wisconsin Point at the time. To reach this location, drive through Superior on US 2 / US 53 and turn left on Moccasin Mike Road. -- Peder H. Svingen Duluth, MN
