-RBA
*Minnesota
*Duluth/North Shore
*September 24, 1998
*MNDU9809.24

-Birds mentioned

• Common Loon
• Snow Goose
• Canada Goose
• Black Scoter
• Surf Scoter
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Peregrine Falcon
• Sandhill Crane
• Whimbrel
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper
• Little Gull
• Bonaparte's Gull
• Ring-billed Gull (Partial Albino)
• Sabine's Gull
• Caspian Tern
• Common Tern

Hotline: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore
Date: September 24, 1998
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (218) 525-5952
Compiler: Kim Eckert Transcriber: Rick Schroeder, MnBird Volunteer
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, September 24, 1998, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

A group of four SABINE'S GULLS was seen yesterday afternoon, flying on the Lake Superior side of Wisconsin Point, not far from the Superior Entry at the southern tip of Park Point. Two of these individuals, both juveniles, were seen about 8:00 this morning on the Lake Superior side of Park Point, just south of the Recreation Area.

Besides the SABINE'S GULL, in the same area this morning were five BLACK SCOTER and two SURF SCOTER, all flying south over the lake towards the Superior Entry.

Yesterday at Park Point that WHIMBREL was seen again near the northern end of the Sky Harbor Airport runway, along with a late BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. Neither of these shorebirds was relocated this morning.

If birders looking for the SABINE'S GULLS near the Recreation Area are unsuccessful, they should also check Canal Park near downtown Duluth, where there were several BONAPARTE'S GULL (some of which were in juvenile plumage, which is not illustrated in any field guide) and both CASPIAN TERN and COMMON TERNS this morning, along with the RING-BILLED GULLS, and these gulls might attract the SABINE'S GULLS to join them.

Birders should also be on the lookout at Canal Park for a PARTIAL ALBINO, or leucistic, RING-BILLED GULL which Peder Svingen identified there yesterday. This is undoubtedly the same gull seen in Canal Park on September 19, which had been tentatively identified as a Thayer's or an Iceland.

Speaking of gulls, that adult LITTLE GULL at Mille Lacs in Aitkin County, which was reported on previous tapes, was seen again September 21. The location is at the north side of Mille Lacs at the Wealthwood Public Access along Minnesota Highway 18.

On the same day, a count of loons and gulls on Lake Winnibigoshish in Cass and Itasca counties was taken as part of a season-long census of migrant Common Loons. The totals on the 21st were 413 COMMON LOONS and 1405 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, about the same as a week ago, but these totals are much less than the totals at Lake Winnie a year ago.

So far this fall this tape has had relatively little to report on from Hawk Ridge, as there have been few dates with significant totals. So far the biggest count of the season was on September 21, with a total of 4454, including 3734 BROAD-WINGED HAWK. The only other count of BROAD-WINGEDS over a thousand this year was on September 6, with a total of 1275. Unless there is a very late movement of Broad-wingeds still to come in the next few days, it looks like the Broad-winged Hawk flight passed us by almost entirely this year, and there might even be a record low season total for this species at Hawk Ridge. The previous lowest total was in 1987 with a count of about 12,600 Broad-wingeds. In that same year, the total of all hawks at the Ridge was also a record low of about 28,900.

Also at Hawk Ridge on the 21st, the first SNOW GEESE of the season were seen; on the 20th there was a flight of over 160 CANADA GEESE there; on the 22nd, 16 SANDHILL CRANES flew over the Main Overlook; and yesterday 9 PEREGRINE FALCONS were counted.

The next scheduled update of this tape will be on Thursday, October 1.

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