UP Rare Bird Report for August 18, 2006

[theowlranch@aol.com]

UP Rare Bird Report for August 18, 2006
 
 
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory kicked off its fall season on the 15th of August with a daily Waterbird Count. Already several notable sightings have been recorded at the Observatory in the first few days of the season. To get more information on Whitefish Point, please visit www.WPBO.org.
I know every week I have commented upon the growing numbers of Red Crossbills in the UP and this week will be no different. Numbers in the eastern UP are still just going up and my personal experience from a week of camping in Luce County was that I had dozens of Red Crossbills everywhere I went. I have found several birds that seem to be setting up for probable breeding, with many males singing and showing territorial behavior. White-winged Crossbills are also starting to show up in better numbers. Again, the spruce cone crop this year is excellent and I imagine White-winged Crossbills will soon be present in the same kind of numbers as the Reds. Great Egrets also continue to be found in good numbers in the UP this summer with reports received now from 7 counties. 
 
 
Highlights
 
White-winged Scoter
Ruddy Duck
Least Bittern
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Hudsonian Godwit
Whimbrel
Long-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Black-backed Woodpecker
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
 
 
Houghton County
Russ Hanson saw a female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was seen at the Calumet Sewage Ponds on August 16th. A GREAT EGRET has been present in the Arnheim Unit of the Sturgeon River Sloughs from August 16-17. Other birds of note present at Arnheim included 2 GREEN HERONS (locally rare) & 2 STILT SANDPIPERS.
 
Marquette County
A GREAT EGRET was in a small marshy pond along a 2-track north of Sharkey Road, west of CO RD 456 on August 18th. Pairs of RED CROSSBILLS have been frequenting the pine woods north of Little Presque Isle/Harlow Creek area.
 
Delta County
Kirk Zufelt found a HUDSONIAN GODWIT and a family group of 4 PIPING PLOVERS at Portage Marsh on August 12th. Also present were 7 GREAT EGRETS and a couple of BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS. At Portage Marsh on the 16th, there was a juvenile LEAST BITTERN, 1 GREAT EGRET, 2 WILSON’S PHALAROPES, 2 STILT SANDPIPERS, 3 BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS and a rare local record of a pair of RED CROSSBILLS. Good numbers of the more common shorebirds included nearly 300 YELLOWLEGS, 40 DOWITCHERS and 150+ “PEEPS”. A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was seen at Peninsula Point on the 12th. A rare record for the county, an eclipse-plumaged RUDDY DUCK was seen along the Kipling waterfront along with a female GREATER SCAUP & 3 RED-NECKED GREBES. 
 
Alger County
A GREAT EGRET remained at the Cleveland Cliffs basin as of August 15th. Also present was a juvenile STILT SANDPIPER & 2 BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS.  2 FORSTER’S TERNS were in the harbor in Grand Marais on the 14th.
 
Luce County
A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was present on the 11th at the Blind Sucker River Flooding. Also at the Blind Sucker Flooding have been large numbers of RED CROSSBILLS all week and a WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL on the 12th. 
 
Chippewa County
Chris Neri reported an amazing movement of NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS at Whitefish Point in the last couple of weeks. As of August 15th over 200 Saw-whets had been banded, with 196 being juveniles. Also recently banded were 2 LONG-EARED OWLS on the 11th & 12th. An additional LONG-EARED OWL was seen roosting on the 15th. The fall waterbird count at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory started out with bang this year with highlights including 283 RED-NECKED GREBES and 2 BLACK TERNS on the 14th; 6 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 520 RED-NECKED GREBES, 1 AMERICAN BITTERN, 1 WHIMBREL and 3 BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, and on the 16th a RED KNOT was present. Both large numbers of RED & WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were present on the 15th.
 
 
To report rare birds please email me at TheOwlRanch at aol.com or to Birdnet at UPBirders.org if you are a subscriber. If you are not on the net, call the Marquette Hotline at (906) 225-3886. For more information on Birdnet, or UP birds, please visit www.UPBirders.org
 
Thank you,
 
~Skye Haas
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