Several birders were along the N Shore of L Superior during this past
weekend, from Duluth to Grand Portage Oct 31-Nov 1, with a few of us
also there today, Nov 2. Except for a strong movement of migrants on
the 31st, the birding was relatively quiet, just as it has generally
been statewide all season. No rarities were turned up, and though we
did see several of the N Shore specialties, most of them were in low
numbers:
- Surf Scoter / only 1: Bayside Marina in Silver Bay, Lake Co
- White-winged Scoter / only 2: Paradise Beach, Cook Co
- Black Scoter / fewer than 10: 1 at Grand Marais and the others at
Paradise Beach
- Long-tailed Ducks / fewer than 10 between Good Harbor Bay and
Paradise Beach
- Rough-legged Hawk / a few
- Glaucous Gull / 1 first-winter, Grand Marais harbor
- Black-backed Woodpecker / 2 or 3
- N Shrike / 1 at Schroeder, Cook Co: a leucistic individual (!); its
overall plumage was off-white or pale grayish, including the wings and
tail; only its mask appeared dark gray or blackish
- Snow Bunting / several small flocks
- Pine Grosbeaks / 2 fly-bys near Paradise Beach
- Red Crossbill / 1 at Lutsen Sea Villas, Cook Co
- White-winged Crossbill / several small flocks
(We had no sightings at all of Thayer's Gull, any owls, Gray Jay,
Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian Waxwing, or redpolls.) And there were
relatively few late-lingering migrants: e.g., Turkey Vulture, Greater
Yellowlegs, E Phoebe, Philadelphia Vireo (Grand Portage State Park),
Barn Swallows, Orange-crowned and Nashville warblers.
Kim Eckert
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