Regular birders to the point take note: On a leisurely trip up to Duluth Friday with the lovely Diane, we encountered a very active flock of 7 sandpipers in the mid-afternoon. First I saw them over the grassy fields at the very end of the park by the Airport. They never landed in several minutes of watching them. I did notice a white under-wing before they eventually flew out of sight.
Heading down to the beach, I refound them. Still very skittish, this time I saw them land on the beach and briefly got them in my binocs. My first thought was; Buff-breasted Sandpipers But as soon as I could focus on them they were off again and disappeared. They did have a uniform buffy-tan-orange color from head to belly and a plain face. Forgot to note leg color. Upon returning to the beach in the evening I saw them again and got a closer but still brief look. BBSA is still getting my vote, but Red Knot is another even rarer possibility. Would it still have breeding plumage in fall migration? I know both are rare options but it seems a good weekend for unusual birds in the state. This time I got them in my scope for literally 2 seconds before they were up again, being chased by the Merlin we saw hanging around. We managed to see that eat a dragon fly earlier. Keep a lookout and see if they are re-found and confirmed or re-identified before the Merlin gets his fill. Sorry for the late posting. -- Sincerely, Jim Ryan Saint Paul's Westside -- We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality - Lucius Annaeus Seneca ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
