Duluth Birding Itinerary

I've been reading posts on mnbirds, and I've made up an itinerary for Duluth. The most exciting bird in the area right now (for me anyway) is an Ivory Gull seen on the 7th.

Thursday: Start off easy with city/urban birding. Visit Canal Park in Duluth, Duluth Port Terminal, and the Superior Landfill.
Target Birds: THAYER'S GULL, ICELAND GULL, IVORY GULL, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, AND SNOWY OWL. Also possibility of going to a private ("call ahead") feeder in east Duluth that has been hosting a BOREAL CHICKADEE and a VARIED THRUSH.

Friday: Go out to the Sax-Zim Bog area, which is going to be mostly birding from the car.
Target Birds: GREAT GRAY OWL, NORTHERN HAWK OWL, AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, GRAY JAY, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, BOREAL CHICKADEE, SNOW BUNTING, PINE GROSBEAK, COMMON REDPOLL, HOARY REDPOLL, and EVENING GROSBEAK.

Saturday: Go out west of Duluth an hour to Hedbom Forest Road and CR-18, then back through Tamarack. More drive-and-bird.
Target Birds: RED-NECKED GREBE and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. (There just haven't been may reports from here lately, but last year nearly every bird I was looking for was spotted here).

Sunday: Go up the lake to Two Harbors, then up CR-2 towards Snake River.
Target Birds: SPRUCE GROUSE, AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, BOREAL CHICKADEE, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. Also reported historically, but not reported this year are RING-NECKED PHEASANT, RUFFED GROUSE and SHARP-TAILED GROUSE.

Monday: Last minute birding around Duluth again (see Thursday). Be at airport by 10am.

BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS have been seen throughout, so I'm very hopeful that we'll see them at some point during the trip.

Birds reported historically, but not reported in the area this year, yet, are: HARLEQUIN DUCK, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, LONG-TAILED DUCK, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, GYRFALCON, GLAUCOUS GULL, SHORT-EARED OWL, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, and PINE SISKIN.

If we get snowed in the city (which doesn't look like it's going to happen), we'll check out some local city parks in Duluth and see if we can't stir up extra birds, or even just do non-birding activities.

Also, there is another rare bird alert coming out after we get there on the 17th. I don't think it will change the locations we'll be going to, unless there is a really rare bird that shows up. But it will probably change what target birds we're looking for.