Though passerine migration continues to be behind schedule in Duluth, clearing conditions produced a good movement of waterbirds and raptors today. Most of the thousands of scaup and hundreds of Horned Grebes seen off Park Point over the past couple of weeks either migrated out of the area or moved too far out on Lake Superior to be seen from shore. Today's total of 237 Red-necked Grebes was unusually high for early May (peak migration normally occurs during the third week of April at Duluth). At the West Skyline Hawk Count site near Enger Tower, at least 6 Osprey and 125 Broad-winged Hawks were counted in about an hour.
Species of interest today (4 May) in Duluth: Black Scoter -- female between Interstate Island and 27th Ave West Red-necked Grebe -- 237 (211 of these in a loose flock off Fitger's parking ramp) Piping Plover -- unbanded bird with complete breast band at 22nd Street, 1715 to 1735 Willet -- 3 on beach between Beach House and Sky Harbor Airport Thayer's Gull -- first-cycle at Lafayette Square Great Black-backed Gull -- second-cycle at Interstate Island, 0940 to 1030 Caspian Tern -- 2 at Interstate Island Forster's Tern -- 2 adults near the Beach House at the Recreation Area Yesterday (3 May), I saw 2 Willets, several first-cycle Glaucous Gulls, and 3 Thayer's Gulls at Wisconsin Point; one of the Glaucous Gulls and a second-cycle Thayer's were seen on the Minnesota side of the Superior Entry. -- Peder H. Svingen Duluth, MN
